Ann Marie Burr's house
Crime Scene Location in Tacoma, Washington
This is Ann Marie Burr's former house.
It is located at 3009 North 14th Street in Tacoma, Washington.
Burr (8) went missing from her home during the early hours of August 31st, 1961.
That morning, her mother, Beverly, woke up early and noticed that she wasn't in her bedroom. After walking downstairs, she saw that the front door was ajar and the living room window was open.
Apart from that, there were no obvious signs of a struggle or foul play.
Although the family dog was barking during the night, they chose to ignore it because they believed that it had been spooked by a passing rainstorm.
Burr's disappearance sparked a national media frenzy and a huge search that included soldiers and members of the National Guard. Helicopters buzzed overhead, and the police went from door to door.
Unfortunately, no trace of the young girl was ever found.
Outside the house, detectives discovered a size six or seven footprint. This has led to speculation that the 8-year-old may have been one of the earliest victims of serial killer Ted Bundy.
The size of the footprint suggested that the person behind Burr's abduction was a teenager.
At the time, Bundy was 14 years old and living with his family in the West End area of Tacoma. Moreover, there have been claims that he worked as a paperboy in Burr's neighborhood.
This circumstantial evidence has led some authors to believe that a young Bundy may have been in the area at the time.
Ann Rule, who wrote a biographical book about Bundy, received an email from one of his former classmates in which she claimed that he had once asked her if she would like to see a dead body. Furthermore, this was in the 9th grade—a time when Bundy would have been around 14 or 15.
Bundy denied any involvement in the crime while he was sitting on death row.
In May 1986, Burr's mother, Beverly, wrote to Bundy and implored him to come clean about the incident. One week later, he responded and told her that he had nothing to do with her daughter's disappearance. In his letter, he explained that he would have been a "normal" 14-year-old boy at the time.
Although Bundy is often touted as a person of interest in Burr's case, the detectives who originally investigated her disappearance believe that someone else was involved.
Their prime suspect was a teenage neighbor who reportedly displayed an "unusual interest" in the eight-year-old. They also surmised that the young girl's abductor was familiar with the family and the layout of their home.
Burr's mother does not remember seeing Bundy working in their neighborhood.
Despite hundreds of interviews and numerous leads, the disappearance of Ann Marie Burr remains a mystery to this day.
Following Burr's abduction, her family continued to reside in this house for another six years before eventually moving in 1967.
Ann Marie Burr abduction location
The address and the GPS coordinates for this location are as follows:
Address
3009 N 14th St, Tacoma, Washington, WA 98406, USA
GPS coordinates
The latitude and longitude coordinates for the house are:
47.262930, -122.475382
Details about the general area
The house is situated in the North End of Tacoma, close to the University of Puget Sound and Baker Stadium.
Private Property Warning
This is a private property. It is not a public place. Therefore, you should be respectful and not step foot on the property without permission.
Photos
Photos of the house and other related images.
Google Earth
This is a Google Earth image of the Burr family's former house. The detached garage in the backyard was built in 1940.
3009 North 14th Street
This Google Street View image of 3009 North 14th Street was taken in May 2019.
The house was built in 1935 by Peter Madsen & Sons. The first owners were Sherman and Ruth Cooledge. Consequently, it was originally known as Cooledge House.
It has four bedrooms and is 1,874 square feet in size.
Ann Marie Burr
Ann Marie Burr was 8 years old when she disappeared.
The photograph on the left was taken on the day of her First Holy Communion.
Burr was 4 ft. 2. She had hazel eyes, blonde hair, and a round face.
When she disappeared, she was wearing a blue-flowered, ankle-length night gown. She had a silver identification bracelet that had her name, address, and phone number on it.
She was also wearing a small chain that contained two religious medals.
Burr's house in 1961
The photograph above was taken in 1961, which was the same year that Burr went missing.
That morning, Beverly Burr woke up at around 5.30 a.m. because her daughter, Mary, was crying due to a cast that she had on her arm.
When Beverly looked into Ann Marie's room, she noticed that it was empty.
After walking downstairs, she saw that the front door was unlocked and the living room window was open.
A rickety garden bench outside the living room window was overturned.
It seems as though Burr's abductor initially talked with her through the window, which she would have had to open herself. Following a short conversation, he either climbed into the house himself or convinced her to unlock the front door.
It is possible that the young girl knew her killer and trusted him to some degree.
It is likely that the girl's abductor was a teenager, as the rotting bench would not have supported the weight of a fully grown adult. The small tennis shoe footprint that was found beside the bench supports this theory.
The Burr family said that the front door was locked and chained. Therefore, it is likely that it was opened from the inside.
Construction site
Ann Marie's father, Donald Burr, said that he approached a youth at a construction site on the morning of his daughter's disappearance.
The boy in question told him that he hadn't seen his daughter.
The construction site was situated at the University of Puget Sound, which lies to the west of North 14th Street.
In 1989, Donald claimed that the youth resembled Bundy's "likeness". However, the detectives who investigated the case remained adamant that Bundy wasn't a suspect.
Other investigators also expressed skepticism about Donald's alleged sighting of Bundy, as he reportedly changed his story a number of times.
Although Bundy's parents did live a few blocks away at 3214 North 20th Street, they didn't move into that house until 1968, which was seven years after the young girl went missing.
Ted Bundy
King County detective Robert Keppel interviewed Bundy shortly before his execution. During one of their interviews, Keppel asked him if he was involved in Burr's abduction.
Bundy's response, which we've edited for clarity, was as follows:
"No, absolutely not. And one thing I'd like to do on some of these—I mean, on all of this—if it's possible, and I think it's important. It's important for me. It's important for my credibility because there are so many questions about my credibility. You know, I would like to have a polygraph examination if that can be done for these kinds of things. Do something to enhance my credibility. Not just, you know, specifics—I mean, of the specifics, of course—but of my overall account of these things. Because I want it to be believable. I just don't want it to get into a Henry Lee Lucas kind of deal on my... I have precious little going for me now, but I do have to build some credibility."
Bundy confessed to dozens of murders shortly before his execution. However, he remained adamant that he wasn't involved in Burr's case.
Closest Locations
Other locations that are relatively close to this address:
The location where Ted Bundy's graduation photo was taken
Less than a mile away.
Photo Location in Tacoma, Washington
The elementary school that Ted Bundy attended
Roughly one mile away.
Place of Interest in Tacoma, Washington