Tejasvani Datta
One of the biggest long-running mysteries relating to Ted Bundy centres around his only biological child, Rose Bundy. Both Rose and her mother, Carole Ann Boone, Ted’s ex-wife, have remained out of the media’s eyes for decades now. Of course, the two deserve their privacy, especially after how traumatic life has been for them.
To say that Rose was born under unusual circumstances would be a gross understatement. It comes as no surprise to anyone that Ted Bundy is widely considered to be America’s most notorious serial killer. Despite Bundy’s charismatic and soft-spoken demeanor, the man was evil incarnate, and confessed to raping, killing and dismembering over 30 young women. His last victim, Kimberly Leach was only 12-years-old.
It’s absolutely bone-chilling to learn that this man, in reality, fathered 2 little girls. Not only did he take care of his ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall‘s daughter, Molly. But he actually became a father himself when Carole gave birth to Rose while he was serving time on death row. Carole Ann Boone knew Bundy from the time they were worked together at Washington State Department of Emergency Services in 1974. Their relationship began as friendship, but grew increasingly intense as the years passed by.
In 1979, while Ted Bundy was in trial for Kimberly Leach’s murder case, he proposed to Carole. And due to a strange law in Florida, the two instantly got married. Rose was mysteriously conceived while Ted was serving time on death row. It is believed that Carole and Ted engaged in sexual activity during her visits. But what happened to Rose? Where is she now? Here’s everything we know.
Where is Rose Bundy Now?
Rose was born on October 24, 1982. This year, she would be 38 years-old. But she and her family went to great lengths to be out of public’s eyes. And for all the right reasons too. Her mother, Carole, divorced Bundy in 1986, around 3 years before his execution. She felt utterly shattered and betrayed when she learned about Bundy’s confessions as she always believed he was innocent.
Claire had been a victim of Bundy’s psychological manipulation and deceit. She separated from Bundy and took her kids with her, completely disappearing from media’s eyes forever. Boone never got in touch with Bundy again, even when he tried to contact her on the day of his execution.
The family has been completely off the radar since then. It is believed that both Claire and Rose changed their names to live a more peaceful life. It was recently revealed that Claire passed away in 2018 in Washington. But little remains to be known about Rose.
Ann Rule, who wrote Bundy’s biography, The Stranger Beside Me, mentioned in a reprint that Rose was a “kind and intelligent young woman”. On her official website, she had once written, “I have deliberately avoided knowing anything about Ted’s ex-wife and daughter’s whereabouts because they deserve privacy”. The information is no longer available since Ann passed away in 2015.
Interestingly, in one of the user forums somebody suggested that Rose changed her name, had a daughter, and worked in special needs. In 2016, this user wrote:
“Her name isn’t Sadie or Rosa/Rose and she doesn’t live in Washington. Carole remarried after Ted, and her daughter took her stepfather’s name. She has grown into a loving and intelligent human being who works in special needs, and is a mum to an adorable daughter. Just goes to show that at the end of the day, genetics aren’t worth a penny.”
We have not been able to independently verify this claim.
Read More: How Did Carole Boone Die?
