Rita Lorraine Jolly
Rita, circa 1973; Ted Bundy in the 1980s
- Missing Since 06/29/1973
- Missing From West Linn, Oregon
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 12/06/1955 (69)
- Age 17 years old
- Height and Weight 5'6, 130 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A brown Pendleton shirt, blue jeans or army fatigue pants, and low-cut blue sneakers with buckskin heels.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown hair, hazel eyes. Rita previously fractured her lower left leg and the injury didn't heal properly. As a result, she walks with an uneven gait.
Details of Disappearance
Rita left her residence on Horton Road in West Linn, Oregon at 7:15 p.m. on June 29, 1973 to go for a walk. She never returned. She was last seen between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. that day, walking uphill on Sunset Avenue. Rita has never been heard from again.
Rita may have been a victim of the serial killer Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy. A photograph of Bundy is posted with this case summary. He was executed in Florida in 1989. He is a suspect in scores of murders, mainly from the Pacific Northwest, though he was convicted only of killing three females in Florida. He confessed to many deaths prior to his execution.
Bundy may be responsible for the disappearances of Nancy Baird, Ann Marie Burr, Lynette Culver, Julie Cunningham, Susan Curtis, Georgeann Hawkins, Vicki Hollar, Donna Manson, Denise Oliverson, Nancy Wilcox, and many other girls and young women.
The women continue to be listed as missing persons. Their remains have never been recovered. It is worth noting that Bundy did not confess to Rita's murder before his death, but he is considered a suspect in many deaths and disappearances he did not claim responsibility for.
Rita's disappearance remains unsolved, as her body was not found and Bundy was never charged or confessed to her murder. Foul play is suspected in her case. She was a junior at West Linn High School in 1973.
Investigating Agency
- Clackamas County Sheriff's Office 503-723-4949
- 503-557-5811
Source Information
Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 15, 2013; picture added.