Ted Bundy's Issaquah dump site
Crime Scene Location in Issaquah, Washington
This is the Issaquah site where Ted Bundy dumped the bodies of Janice Ann Ott and Denise Marie Naslund.
It is also believed to be the location where he buried the remains of Georgann Hawkins.
In 1974, coeds started disappearing from Seattle and the wider Washington State area at an alarming rate. By the time summer rolled around, it had become obvious to most people that a predator was abducting young women.
Although the authorities were investigating the disappearances, they were hampered by the fact that none of the victims' bodies had been found.
However, all of that changed on September 6th, 1974, when two grouse hunters stumbled across skeletal remains at this location on the outskirts of Issaquah.
During an examination of the site, the police discovered a number of human bones, most of which had been spread out over a wide area due to disturbance from local wildlife.
Investigators found a skull, spine, mandible, pelvis, five femurs, and teeth, as well as a number of other bones.
It was soon determined that the skeletal remains belonged to Janice Ann Ott and Denise Marie Naslund, two women that Bundy had abducted from Lake Sammamish on July 14th, 1974.
Bundy also claimed that he buried Georgann Hawkins at Issaquah
During one of his confessions in 1989, Bundy claimed that he also left the remains of 18-year-old Georgann Hawkins at this site. However, investigators were unable to confirm this.
At the time, police typically needed a skull or a mandible (jaw bone) to identify skeletal remains. Because DNA testing did not exist at the time, they often relied on matching teeth against dental records.
Unfortunately, some of the bones that were found at the Issaquah crime scene were cremated by the coroner at a later stage.
The remains were discovered roughly a decade before DNA testing was invented. Furthermore, it was policy to cremate unidentified bones if they had been in storage for too long.
Sadly, this means that we will never know for sure if this was the final resting place of Hawkins.
If Bundy's final confession was truthful, then it means that her head was buried nearby, "beside a rocky hillside."
It is the author's opinion that Bundy was being honest in this particular case.
King County detective Robert D. Keppel said that the search team collected five femur (thigh) bones from the wooded area. This indicates that there were at least three victims at the site.
The area has undergone a number of changes
The site in question has undergone a significant number of changes over the years.
For example, Highlands Drive and the Swedish Issaquah Campus did not exist at the time. The campus wasn't constructed until more than 30 years later.
Back in 1974, this was a wooded area that could only be accessed via a short and winding dirt track.
This was his second dump site
Although this was the first of Bundy's dump sites to be discovered, it wasn't the first one that he used.
His first dump site was at a nearby location on Taylor Mountain. However, that wasn't uncovered until roughly six months later, in March 1975.
The find at Issaquah was significant, as it confirmed everyone's suspicions that someone was murdering women in the Seattle area.
Ted Bundy's Issaquah site location
The address and the GPS coordinates for this location are as follows:
Address
Highlands Drive NE, Issaquah, Washington, WA 98029, USA
GPS coordinates
The latitude and longitude coordinates for the site are:
47.535027, -122.018465
Details about the general area
Issaquah is a small city that lies 15 miles east of Seattle, Washington. Back in 1974, the city was much smaller than it is today. Since the 1970s, the population has increased from 4,500 to roughly 40,000.
Photos
Photos of the site and other related images.
Old map
This map of Issaquah is from 1950. The dump site was just north of an abandoned cabin, on the north side of the railway.
The railway line, which ran through the Olde Town neighborhood of Issaquah, no longer exists. However, we do know the route that it took.
This is because the railway line was replaced by the Rainier and Issaquah-Preston walking trails that exist today.
Please note that the exact location of the site is actually slightly to the left of the red dot.
Then and now
On the left is an older map that pinpoints the exact location of the site. This is from the book "Ted Bundy: A Visual Timeline" by Rob Dielenberg. On the right, you can see a recent aerial photograph of the area.
If you look at the red line at the bottom, you can see where the railway bridge used to be. At the top, there is a faint outline of where the railway line curved up to the right. Nowadays, this is a walking trail.
Denise Marie Naslund and Janice Ann Ott
On July 14th, 1974, Bundy abducted Denise Marie Naslund (19) and Janice Ann Ott (23) from Lake Sammamish State Park.
That day, he approached multiple women at the beach and asked them if they could help him unload a sailboat.
The abductions of Janice and Denise occurred just four hours apart. Furthermore, they took place in broad daylight.
When police searched the burial site in September 1974, they found the bones of Janice and Denise scattered across a large area.
Over the eight-week period that followed the women's deaths, it seems as though local wildlife interfered with their remains. This is not surprising, as the area is home to a number of carnivores. For example, coyotes, bobcats, black bears, and cougars all live in the area.
Police photograph
This is a police photograph of the site. As you can see, Bundy left the women's bodies at the clearance just before the trees. Note that the two red dots probably aren't too precise, as the remains were scattered around the area by local wildlife.
Bundy's decision to stop using his original site at Taylor Mountain and switch to Issaquah is interesting.
It may indicate that he wanted to "switch things up" in an attempt to impede any future investigations. It is also possible that he had a close call at the other site. For example, a vehicle may have driven by as he was pulling out onto the interstate, leaving him worried that he had been spotted.
It is important to point out that Bundy was an impulsive creature who often found it difficult to keep his urges under control. Therefore, it is also plausible that he selected this new site simply because it was much closer to Seattle.
Rocky hillside
During his final confession to King County detective Robert Keppel in 1989, Bundy claimed that he buried Georgann Hawkins' head on a rocky hillside near the Issaquah body site.
He said that he carried her head about 25–50 yards north along the dirt road. He then turned left and walked through the trees for about 10 yards.
At that point, he came across an area that was "very rocky" and "very hilly."
Despite a thorough search of the suspected site, investigators were unable to find any trace of Hawkins.
Bundy's confession took place nearly 15 years after Hawkins was murdered. He had also been drinking heavily at the time of the incident. Consequently, his memory of the crime may have been distorted.
It is also possible that Hawkins' remains were disturbed in the decade and a half that followed her disappearance.
Although Bundy was a liar and a manipulator, it is the author's opinion that he was telling the truth in this particular case. At the time of the confession, his execution was just over a week away. He was well aware that he needed to give detectives enough information to try and justify a stay of execution.
Google Earth image
This is a 3D Google Earth image of the dump site at Issaquah.
Google Street View
This Google Street View image of the site was taken in August 2022.
Pictured on the left are Georgann Hawkins, Janice Ott, and Denise Naslund—three young women who lost their lives at this location in one of the most brutal ways imaginable.
This location belongs to the following categories:
Crime ScenesSerial KillersTed Bundy Seattle LocationsTed Bundy LocationsClosest Locations
Other locations that are relatively close to this address:
The park where Ted Bundy abducted Janice Ott and Denise Naslund
Roughly 3 miles away.
Crime Location in Issaquah, Washington
Ted Bundy's dump site at Taylor Mountain
Roughly 8 miles away.
Crime Location in King County, Washington
The street where cop killer Maurice Clemmons was shot dead
Roughly 15 miles away.
Place of Interest in Seattle, Washington
