ADA COUNTY, Idaho — Fifty years ago, a young woman was standing alongside I-84 on the outskirts of Boise. She was sixteen to eighteen years old, had long, light brown hair and was carrying a green backpack.
Ted Bundy confessed to murdering the girl in January of 1989 before he was executed. Now, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office is still looking to uncover her identity.
“We take our cold cases very seriously,” said Cold Case Investigator Timothy Cooper. “We never give up on them.”
ACSO acquired Bundy’s confessions from previous investigators when they investigated this case in the 80’s and 90’s.
In the tapes, Bundy discussed killing who ACSO now calls Snake River Jane Doe.
“We were able to listen to Bundy’s confessions,” Cooper said.
Even though the murder happened decades ago, Cooper said they haven’t stopped investigating.
“We've actually been actively looking for her remains and doing follow-up on the case for about the last year and a half,” Cooper said.
The office is currently working on closing eight other cases, alongside Snake River Jane Doe’s. Cooper said they will never stop trying to find closure.
“They're always within arm's reach of our detectives, myself included, and we go through them,” Cooper said.
Cooper said if anyone had a loved one who went missing in or around September of 1974, they can reach out to ACSO at (208)577-3102.
“With any cold case, bringing it to closure is our primary goal, because there are victim’s family members, friends, loved ones who want answers,” Cooper said.