Carol DaRonch

Carol DaRonch
Born
Carol Ann DaRonch

(1956-06-08) June 8, 1956
Salt Lake City, Utah, U. S.
Occupations
  • Telephone operator
  • Advocator
  • Human rights activist
Years active1974 – present
SpouseMichael
Children1

Carol Ann DaRonch (born June 8, 1956) is an American human rights activist and advocator.[1] She is known for surviving an abduction attempt by serial killer Ted Bundy.[1] Her escape on November 8, 1974 provided law enforcement with their first significant physical evidence and led to Bundy's first criminal conviction in 1976.[1][2][3][4][5]

Early life and education

DaRonch was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] Her father was of Italian descent, while her mother had English ancestry. In 1974, she was an 18-year-old high school graduate working as a telephone operator.[1] She has described herself during this period as "extremely shy" and helpful, traits she believes Bundy targeted for exploitation.[1]

She attended night school at The University of Utah to earn a degree in business management.[1]

The 1974 abduction

Around 7:00 PM on November 8, 1974, DaRonch was window-shopping at the Fashion Place Mall in Murray, Utah.[1] Bundy approached her posing as "Officer Roseland," claiming someone had attempted to break into her 1974 maroon Camaro.[1] After verifying her car appeared untouched, Bundy convinced her to accompany him to a substation behind a nearby laundromat to sign a complaint.[1] When they found the door locked, he claimed they must go to the main police station and led her to his 1968 Volkswagen Beetle.[6]

Bundy drove to a nearby elementary school, pulled over, and grabbed DaRonch's arm.[1] He successfully locked one handcuff on her left wrist, but she fought back as he threatened her with a handgun and a crowbar.[1] DaRonch managed to tumble out of the vehicle and flag down a passing car driven by Wilbur and Mary Walsh, who rescued her while the handcuff still dangled from her wrist.[7]

In October 1975, following Bundy's arrest for a traffic violation, DaRonch identified him in a police lineup.[8] In February 1976, she was the key witness in Bundy's trial for aggravated kidnapping.[9] Despite intense cross-examination by defense attorney John O'Connell regarding her initial description of the vehicle and badge, she firmly maintained her identification, famously stating she would "never forget his face".[1] Bundy was found guilty and sentenced to 1 to 15 years in prison.[10][11]

DaRonch traveled to Aspen, Colorado, to testify in the murder trial of Caryn Campbell, where she was directly cross-examined by Bundy while he acted as his own attorney.[1] She also testified at his 1979 pre-sentencing hearing in Miami.[1]

Later life

Following the trials, DaRonch intentionally sought a life of privacy, though her case remains a cornerstone of Bundy's criminal history.[1]

Personal life

She lives in Utah with her husband Michael and she has a son named Levi.[1]

Legacy

She worked for decades in the telecommunications industry.[1] At the urging of her adult son, Levi, she broke her silence for the 2019 Netflix docuseries Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.[1][12]

See also

General and cited sources

  • Michaud, Stephen; Aynesworth, Hugh (1983). The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundy. New York City: Linden Press / Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671449-61-2.
  • Michaud, Stephen; Aynesworth, Hugh (August 1999) [1983]. The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundy (Paperback; revised ed.). Irving, Texas: Authorlink Press. ISBN 978-1-928704-11-9. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  • Michaud, Stephen; Aynesworth, Hugh (October 1989). Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer (Paperback ed.). New York City: Signet Books. ISBN 978-0-451-16355-4. Transcripts of the authors' Death Row interviews with Bundy

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "'Girl Who Got Away': The True Story of Ted Bundy Survivor Carol DaRonch and Her Life Now". People Magazine. December 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "The women who survived Ted Bundy". Crime & Investigation. March 20, 2025.
  3. ^ "How a Utah teen took down Ted Bundy 48 years ago". Axios News. May 14, 2025.
  4. ^ Word, Ron (January 24, 1999). "Survivors Are Haunted By Memory of Ted Bundy 10 Years After Execution". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 28, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  5. ^ "Utah law officers follow up on serial killer's confessions". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 24, 1989. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Investigation, Federal Bureau of (2007). Ted Bundy: The FBI File. Filiquarian Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1599862552. Retrieved March 21, 2015. Bundy was convicted of kidnaping Carol DaRonch, 19, from Fashion Place Mall earlier that day.
  7. ^ Michaud & Aynesworth 1999, pp. 93–95.
  8. ^ "Witness claims Ted Bundy involved". UPI News. January 1, 2025.
  9. ^ "Ted Bundy Terrorized Women and Girls Across the Country for Years. Revisiting His Horrifying Murder Spree and Remembering His Victims". People Magazine. January 24, 2026.
  10. ^ Michaud & Aynesworth 1999, p. 1.
  11. ^ Michaud, Stephen; Aynesworth, Hugh (October 1989). Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer (Paperback ed.). New York City: Signet Books. pp. 93–95. ISBN 978-0-451-16355-4.
  12. ^ "The Moment Ted Bundy's Teenage Survivor Realized He Was Trying to Abduct and Murder Her". People Magazine. May 3, 2019.
  13. ^ "Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman". Fathom Events. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
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