A young girl, reportedly carrying a green backpack and wearing “a simple beaded necklace of black and light-colored beads that resembled spaghetti,” was walking along a walking path. Idaho highway when he was offered a ride by someone of ill repute. serial killer Ted Bundy.

It was September 1974, and Bundy was just a few months away from the start of his life. lethal attack – He later confessed to raping and killing more than 30 women — covered several states Until his arrest in 1978.

Bundy was driving by Seattle with Salt Lake City When he said he noticed the girl hitchhiking on Interstate 84 BoiseIdaho. Bundy later admitted to investigators that the man stopped to offer him a ride and then killed him and dumped his body.

Ada County Sheriff’s Office investigator Tim Cooper said Bundy’s confession was part of a “marathon” of confessions he made shortly before he was executed in July 1989. was revealed in a new podcast.

But the girl’s remains were never found, and almost 50 years later, her identity remains a mystery.

Now Cooper is appealing to the public for help in the latest episode of the Ada County Sheriff Cold Case Files podcast, a new series examining active and solved cases.

“I think this is one of those situations where we’re 50 years down the road and the public is going to play a big role in solving this problem,” Cooper said.

Confession of a murderer

Investigator Cooper said he first heard about the unidentified girl and a possible connection to Bundy while chatting with truck drivers at local truck stops along I-84.

“Sometimes truck drivers ask me if I know anything about Ted Bundy and the kidnapping,” Cooper said on the podcast. “Once this started happening, and it happened a few times, I started looking into it some more.”

Shortly before Bundy’s execution in 1989, Washington agreed to talk to investigators in Utah, Colorado and Idaho about unsolved cases.

Excerpts from his recorded confessions appear throughout the podcast episode.

Bundy’s self-described killer remembers catching the girl on Sept. 2, 1974, in front of ranch-style homes near the Eisenmann exit on I-84.

He stated that the girl was a possible runaway from the Boise area and was believed to be headed to Montana.

Bundy described him vividly as being 16 to 18 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with light brown hair, carrying a green backpack and wearing a black and light-colored beaded necklace that resembled spaghetti.

Cooper said on the podcast that he initially noticed some inconsistencies in Bundy’s description of the area, but later took into account that the highway was under construction at the time.

Details in Bundy’s confession are scant, but Cooper noted that the convicted killer had no reason to lie and that other confessions Bundy made at the time were linked to cases that have since been confirmed.

In the same recording, Bundy also admitted to killing 12-year-old Lynette Culver of Pocatello. Bundy was named the prime suspect in Culver’s murder, but his remains were never found.

“Of all the confessions Bundy gave that turned out to be true, I don’t think he really had a reason to lie about that (from Boise),” Cooper said on the podcast.

Additionally, Cooper confirmed that he was able to confirm that Bundy was in the Boise area around the time the unidentified victim was killed.

Bundy’s ex-girlfriend told investigators he called her from Nampa, Idaho, in September 1974.

Cooper also reviewed receipts from a gas station near the Boise Airport that showed Bundy was in the area on Sept. 2, the day of the alleged murder.

“It begs the question of why he would lie about our Jane Doe case and then tell the truth about Lynette Culver,” Cooper said.

Listening to Bundy tell the story of the murdered teenager also helped Cooper take the matter seriously.

“I wanted to listen to his voice and see if there were any deviations from the baseline of his tone when discussing Lynette,” he added. “And there isn’t.”

“Do I think what you’re saying is believable? Yes, I act that way and I will act that way until there is no reason not to act that way,” Cooper said.

Who is the mysterious hitchhiker?

The identity of the hitchhiker and Bundy’s alleged victim remains a mystery.

Cooper said he scanned hundreds of reels of microfilm of old newspapers but found no reports of unsolved missing persons from the Boise area at the time matching Bundy’s description.

He added that the girl may not be from Boise, which could further complicate matters.

But Cooper is hopeful that anyone living in Idaho or surrounding states will have some information that could solve the case.

“What we’re doing now is a public appeal to see if anyone knows anything about a young lady who may have disappeared around that time,” he said on the podcast.

“We will do everything we can to try to find out who Jane is.”

Investigators urge anyone who remembers someone missing at that time or has any information to call 208-577-3102 or [email protected].

Ted Bundy’s victims

Bundy’s twisted reign of terror is believed to have lasted from 1974 until his arrest in 1978.

He was known for forcing his victims into his car by pretending to be injured. Their kindness towards him turned out to be a fatal mistake, as he often raped his victims before beating them to death.

Bundy’s alleged charm was at the forefront when he appeared in court in June 1979. This was the first nationally televised hearing, just a few months after the Florida Supreme Court ruled to allow the use of cameras in court.

On July 24, 1979, Bundy was convicted and sentenced to death. It involves the murder of two members of the Chi Omega sorority, Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman, as well as 12-year-old Kimberly Leach.

Bundy, who maintained his innocence for years, confessed just before his execution to killing 30 women in seven states in the 1970s.

But experts believe the final number could be 100 or more. His case has since inspired numerous films, documentaries and books.

Bundy was executed in January 1989 at the age of 42.