The Crimes Of The Notorious: book 1

April 1974

Washinton, Oregon

On April 17, 1974 at around 10pm 18 year old Susan Elaine Rancourt was abducted. 

Before Susan Elaine Raincourt

Bundy had already tried to take at least two other girls from the CWU campus in Ellensburg, one of them being Katherine Clara D'Olivio (21). Katherine gave a statement to police stating that Bundy was acting a bit clumsily or as if he was credibly Injured. He was asking girls to help carry his books or he would drop his keys and ask for their help picking them up.

The other young woman that was approached that day was Jane Curtis. . She helped carry the books to Bundy's VW but her suspicions were not aroused until he asked her to enter the vehicle, which she declined.Bundy pressed Curtis a second time, prompting her to drop the books and run away as fast as she could.

It is strange that Bundy would ask a girl to willingly get into his car with the passenger seat removed; he had not thought through what effect it would have on the girl.Had he given Curtis a "good" reason for this request, such as asking her to place the books in the backseat for him, for which she would have had to bend over and lean into the car at least, he might have been more successful.

Another way to convince her could have been to ask her if he could drive her to wherever she had been on her way to, in exchange for her help, coaxing her that way.

But despite the gross miscalculation, we are yet again reminded what a quick study Bundy was, not just altering his methods from case to case but from situation to situation on the same day or night.

He'd had no success in having D'Olivo turn her back to him so he attempted a new tactic by asking Curtis to enter the car willingly.What stands out is that both D'Olivo as well as Curtis describe Bundy's appearance differently. D'Olivo stated Bundy had worn glasses and that he was well-dressed.

Susan Raincourt

 Early Life

Susan Rancourt was Born on October 12, 1955 in La Conner, Washington. She Died in Ellensburg, Washington.

She went on to Study Biology at Central Washington University. 

"She always knew what she wanted and always was a very logical person, very predictable," her father said.

Her Disapperance

Rancourt took her clothes to the campus laundry room and then went on her way to an advisory meeting as she wanted to pursue the option of scoring a job as a dorm advisor.

She had mentioned to friends that she wanted to see a German language film afterwards and then retrieve her clothes before going back to her room.

'Rancourt might have been taken on the way to see the German movie', eye witness Barbara Blair stated to police she saw a young woman in a bright yellow raincoat exiting Munson Hall.

Sullivan notes in "The Trail Of Ted Bundy" that Kent Barnard, who was on his way to meet his girlfriend on her birthday, noticed a man lurking in the parking lot and smoking with his right hand (and upon Barnard's drive back to Seattle he noticed taillights in the distance and up a logging road, Bundy's VW with the unconscious Rancourt inside most likely).

In any case, Bundy was left-handed.Interestingly, at Lake Sammamish Bundy had also been observed to have worn the cast on his left arm. This raises the question why he would incapacitate his strong arm in that way.

Her remains were also discovered at Taylor Mountain