Excerpt
Bundy identified himself as “Officer Roseland,” a detective with the Murray Police Department. He explained to her that someone had been caught trying to break into her car. He walked with her over to where her car was parked, and she examined it. There was nothing amiss, which right away struck her as strange. There was no broken glass, no scratches, and nothing missing. Bundy then requested that she accompany him to a nearby police substation, where he said they were holding the man who attempted to break into her car, so she could file a police report. This story struck DaRonch as very fishy, but despite her reservations she got into agreed. She had always been extremely shy, and she did what she was told now because the man said he was a police detective, which was exactly what Bundy intended.
This is where the story breaks from the usual script. Most women who were lured into Ted Bundy’s infamous VW Beetle did not live to tell the tale. The very fact that he drove a Bug further raised DaRonch’s suspicion, but she figured he was either off-duty or he had been working undercover at the mall to spot car thefts and break-ins. Sitting in a marked police cruiser would be too obvious and would chase away any thief a mile away. However, no one would think that a car like this one would belong to a cop.
Not long after pulling out of the mall parking lot, Bundy suggested that DaRonch put her seat belt on. She refused, and it was a decision that could very well have saved her life. Seat belt use was not common in that era, nor mandated by law. Some older model vehicles were still being driven without any restraint systems in them at all.
DaRonch got a whiff of alcohol on his breath as he spoke, and all of these details together added up to trouble. DaRonch could not put her misgivings aside. She believed that “Roseland” was not who he said he was, and she asked him if she could see some kind of a badge or identification.
Bundy was ready for this question, and he obligingly flipped open his wallet, displaying a fake badge to try to reassure her. It didn’t work. DaRonch had a feeling that something was wrong, and she was in grave danger. She did not find Bundy to be charming or appealing in any way. His eyes were cold and expressionless, devoid of any feeling.
When DaRonch pointed out to Bundy that he was driving on a road that did not lead to the police station, he immediately headed down a side street. When he abruptly pulled over along the curb near an elementary school, that’s when she just started freaking out.
“What are we doing?” she shrieked.
Bundy already had a set of handcuffs out, and he lunged at her, managing to get one of her wrists shackled before she knew what was happening. As he tried to get the other end on her other wrist, she fought back frantically. She was completely terrified at this point, knowing he was going to kill her. Her thoughts were of her parents, who she feared would never know what happened to her. This was when survival mode kicked in for the young woman as she resisted his attempts to cuff her other wrist.
Bundy suddenly pulled out a gun. “I’ll blow your head off,” he warned her.
Through sheer will, and summoning all the strength she could muster, she managed to break free and open the passenger door, escaping the ‘death car.’ But she didn’t get far, as Bundy came out after her over the seat. The struggle resumed outside of the car on the side of the road. Bundy, now brandishing a crowbar, began to strike her with the weapon, trying to bludgeon her into submission. DaRonch continued to fight back and fend off the death blow.
Just then she spotted a vehicle in the road, approaching them from behind. Hysterical, but determined, she made one last ditch effort and broke loose of her would-be abductor’s grasp. She ran out into the middle of the street with Bundy’s handcuffs dangling from her wrist and waved down the car, occupied by Wilbur and Mary Walsh. When they stopped, DaRonch jumped into the vehicle, escaping with her life as Bundy drove off in the opposite direction.