The Case of Donna Gail Manson

Donna Gail Manson, 19, disappeared from Evergreen State College in Olympia on March 12, 1974, while on her way to a campus concert. Ted Bundy later confessed to abducting and murdering her, saying he disposed of her remains at Taylor Mountain, but Donna's body has never been recovered.

Donna was a freshman at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She was living on campus and was studying at the college when she disappeared. On the evening of March 12, Donna left her dormitory intending to attend a concert on campus. She was never seen again. Her disappearance became part of the growing series of young women vanishing from the Pacific Northwest in 1974. Bundy later confessed that he had abducted and killed Donna. He told investigators that he had taken her remains to the Taylor Mountain area, where the remains of several other Bundy victims were eventually recovered. Donna's remains, however, were never located.

Donna disappeared from the Evergreen State College campus while walking to a scheduled concert. No body or definitive physical crime scene connected to her disappearance was ever recovered. Bundy's later confession provided investigators with information about what happened to her, but her remains have never been found.

Donna was not reported missing for several days because she was known to hitchhike and occasionally disappear for short periods. Once her absence became concerning, investigators began searching for her and examining her movements around the Evergreen campus. As other young women disappeared during 1974, investigators began identifying connections between the cases. Bundy's eventual confession identified Donna as one of his victims. Despite searches of areas where Bundy said he had disposed of victims, Donna's remains were never recovered. Her murder is therefore established primarily through Bundy's confession and the wider evidence linking him to the disappearances.

Ted Bundy confessed to murdering Donna Gail Manson before his execution in 1989. Although he was never separately convicted of Donna's murder, authorities recognise her as one of Bundy's identified victims. Her remains have never been recovered.

Donna's disappearance was one of the early cases that contributed to growing concern about young women disappearing from colleges and communities across the Pacific Northwest during 1974.