The parking lot where Julie Cunningham was abducted
Crime Scene Location in Vail, Colorado, United States
This is the location where serial killer Ted Bundy abducted Julie Cunningham.
At the time, it was a regular ground-level parking lot. However, these days, it is a multi-story car park.
On March 15th, 1975, Bundy drove into the small town of Vail, Colorado, eager to find his next victim.
By that stage, more than two months had passed since he brutally raped and murdered Caryn Campbell in Aspen.
As a result, the sexually violent urges that propelled him had awakened and were starting to bubble beneath the surface.
After driving into Vail, he decided to park his Volkswagen Bug in the Lionshead car park beside the I-70. He then strategically placed his trusty crowbar at the rear of the vehicle, out of plain sight.
Once his trap was in place, he headed into the downtown shopping area of Vail. According to Bundy, he was using crutches and carrying a boot bag.
When he reached the bridge by Gore Creek Drive, he spotted a young brunette walking towards him.
The woman in question was Julie Cunningham, a 26-year-old ski instructor who was walking to a local bar to meet a friend.
When she saw Bundy hobbling on his crutches and struggling to carry his boot bag, she took pity on him and offered to help.
Sadly, she had no idea that she had just wandered into the sights of one of America's most prolific serial killers.
When Bundy gladly accepted her offer, the pair walked westward through the streets of Vail, towards the Lionshead car park. According to Bundy's confession, they walked for more than half a mile before they finally reached his Volkswagen.
As soon as they got to the car, Bundy grabbed the crowbar that he had previously hidden and struck Cunningham over the head, knocking her unconscious. He then lifted her into his vehicle, handcuffed her, and drove westward along the I-70 towards the small town of Rifle.
One hour into the journey, Cunningham regained consciousness and began asking Bundy questions about who he was. She also pleaded with him to loosen her handcuffs.
Considering she had been hit over the head, it is likely that she was dazed, confused, and in a state of shock.
After reaching Rifle, Bundy exited the interstate and headed north along State Highway 13, towards Meeker.
As he was driving along, he was anxiously looking out for a side road that he could pull into.
A couple of minutes after joining State Highway 13, he spotted a dirt road and decided to make a turn.
However, when he pulled over and exited the car to scope the area out, he noticed that Cunningham had somehow removed the handcuffs and was attempting to escape.
According to Bundy, this led to a brief struggle between the pair, during which he struck her over the head with the crowbar and knocked her unconscious for the second time.
At that point, he took some cords out of his vehicle and strangled her to death while she lay on the ground.
Roughly six weeks later, he reportedly returned to the crime scene to bury her body and make sure that he hadn't left any evidence behind.
In January of 1989, Ted Bundy finally confessed to Cunningham's murder. Although he described the area where he buried her body, no trace of the 26-year-old has ever been found.
To this day, she remains listed as a missing person.
Julie Cunningham crime scene location
Below, you will find the address and the GPS coordinates for this location.
GPS coordinates
The latitude and longitude coordinates for the lot are:
39.644626, -106.386127
Map
To view directions on how to get there, you can use the Google Maps shortcut below:
Address
The full address for this location is:
Lionshead Parking Lot
395 S Frontage Road W
Vail
Colorado
CO 81657
United States
Directions
The lot is sandwiched in between S Frontage Road West and East Lionshead Circle in the center of Vail.
Details about the general area
Vail is a small ski resort town in Colorado. It is roughly 90 miles west of Denver.
Photos
Photos of the lot and other related images.
The parking lot where Julie Cunningham was abducted

Ted Bundy lured Julie Cunningham to this parking lot on East Lionshead Circle. Once they reached his vehicle, he struck her over the head with a crowbar that he had previously positioned behind it.
According to Bundy, the 26-year-old had decided to help him, despite the fact that doing so would make her late for dinner and drinks with a friend.
Back in 1975, this was a regular parking lot. Nowadays, it is home to a ski resort office, the Lionshead Welcome Center, and a multi-story car park.
Apollo Park

At the time of her murder, Cunningham was living at the Apollo Park apartments on the eastern side of Vail.
Coordinates: 39.641471, -106.368985
Gore Creek

According to Bundy, he met the young woman close to this bridge on the eastern side of Gore Creek.
Coordinates: 39.641429, -106.373416
Route

The pair walked exactly 0.8 miles through the streets of Vail. It would have taken them 15-20 minutes to walk this route. Possibly even more, considering Bundy was using crutches.
During his confession, Bundy recalled how Cunningham stopped at one point to put some letters into a post box.
Burial site

Bundy stated that he was driving north on State Highway 13 for a couple of minutes before he found a dirt road to pull into.
If this is true, then it means that he buried Cunningham's body somewhere inside the red circle.
Bundy claimed that he spent 45 minutes burying her remains. Once he was finished, he covered the grave with rocks and sticks and then drove away.
Sadly, it is unlikely that the 26-year-old's body will ever be found. If they are still out there, then they are buried in a remote, deserted area that will probably remain untouched for centuries to come.
Given what we know about previous cases, it is also possible that local wildlife discovered the remains, as the area is home to predators such as bears and mountain lions.
Following the murder, Bundy reportedly took Cunningham's personal belongings back to Utah, where he dropped them off at a charity outlet in Salt Lake City.
If those belongings were given to someone, then it means that at least one person was unknowingly walking around in the clothes of one of Ted Bundy's victims.
This location belongs to the following categories:
Crime ScenesSerial KillersUnsolved CasesTed Bundy LocationsClosest Locations
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