The Case of Julie Cunningham

Julie Cunningham, 26, disappeared from Vail, Colorado, on 15 March 1975 while walking home from a local tavern. Ted Bundy later confessed to abducting and murdering her, but searches of the area where he said he buried her remains have failed to locate her body.

Julie was a 26-year-old ski instructor living in Vail, Colorado. She was originally from Michigan and had moved to Vail to work in the resort's ski industry. On the night of 15 March 1975, Julie left the Wildwood Tavern in Vail and began walking toward her apartment. She never arrived. Investigators later determined that Bundy had approached Julie while she was walking home and offered to help her because she appeared to have difficulty walking.

Julie was last seen near the Wildwood Tavern in Vail during the early morning hours of 15 March. There was no recovered body or confirmed physical crime scene associated with her murder. Bundy later told investigators that he abducted Julie and buried her remains near the Williams Fork Reservoir in Colorado. Searches conducted using information from his confession did not locate her remains.

Julie was reported missing after failing to return home. Her disappearance was initially investigated as a missing-person case. As investigators connected Bundy to other Colorado and Utah murders, Julie's disappearance was examined as part of the same pattern. Bundy eventually confessed to killing Julie and provided investigators with information about where he claimed to have buried her. Despite searches of the area, her remains have never been recovered.

Ted Bundy was never separately tried or convicted for Julie Cunningham's murder. He confessed to killing her before his execution in 1989. Julie remains one of Bundy's identified victims whose remains have never been recovered.

Julie was one of several women whose disappearances remained unresolved even after Bundy's confessions. Her family's search for answers continued after his execution.