Ted Bundy: A Killer in the Archives

Patricia Turner, 1974

Added 2022-12-03 23:58:54 +0000 UTC

"I started walking, and I think his looking at me for such a long time then starting to follow me gave me ideas like he's going to grab me when there's nobody around. I don't know how I got that idea in my head. But after I saw him looking at me and starting to approach me I got scared. Not the fact that he looked mean, he didn't look mean. He made me feel untrustful, like he's going to try something if he can... When he came up to me I felt he was going to ask me and I thought he was going to hit me or grab me when I wouldn't. When he asked me this all I could think of was: 'This guy wants something.' I don't know why I felt this. I thought the first thing he would do would be to get mad as I wouldn't respond to what he wants. But all he did was walk away. I was surprised."

At about 4:15 pm that day at Lake Sammamish, a "good looking" stranger approached 18-year-old Patricia Turner near the concession stand. She'd noticed him staring at her and following her, which made her fearful and put her on guard. She hastily declined his request to help with his sailboat, and saw him walk away into the crowd. Denise Naslund disappeared about 15 minutes later.

In this transcript of her interview with the psychologists on the "Ted Task Force" in late 1974, Patricia describes how her strongly negative gut reaction to the man in the park conflicted with his outwardly "nice guy" appearance.