Did Ted Bundy Have Kids? The Truth About Rose Bundy and Life After Death Row

It’s one of those true crime facts that feels like it has to be a myth. We know the name Ted Bundy as a shorthand for pure, manipulative evil—a man who confessed to 30 murders across the 1970s and likely committed many more. But the idea that he was a father? That feels like a glitch in the narrative.

Yet, it’s true. Ted Bundy did have a daughter. Her name is Rose Bundy (sometimes referred to as Rosa), and she was born while her father was sitting on death row in Florida. It’s a bizarre, unsettling chapter of the Bundy saga that involves a courtroom wedding, bribed prison guards, and a woman named Carole Ann Boone who truly believed, for a time, that the man she loved was innocent.

The Courtroom Wedding and a Prison Conception

To understand how Rose came to be, you have to look at Carole Ann Boone. She was a former coworker of Bundy's from the Department of Emergency Services in Washington State. While most of the world saw a monster, Boone saw a charming, misunderstood man. She moved to Florida to be near him during his 1979 trial for the Chi Omega sorority house murders.

In a move that sounds like it was ripped straight from a legal thriller, Bundy married Boone right in the middle of his trial.

He exploited an obscure Florida law that stated a marriage declaration made in court, in the presence of a judge, was legally binding. While questioning Boone as a witness, he proposed. She said yes. They were married before the judge could even process what had happened.

How did they have a child on death row?

This is the question everyone asks. Conjugal visits were strictly forbidden for death row inmates at Raiford Prison. However, prison environments in the early 80s weren't exactly high-security fortresses when it came to human nature.

Boone later hinted that the conception wasn't some grand conspiracy, but rather the result of "behind the water cooler" moments or sneaking into bathrooms. Guards were often bribed with money or simply looked the other way during visits. In October 1982, Boone gave birth to Rose.

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Growing Up in the Shadow of the Electric Chair

Rose's early years were spent visiting the "Ladykiller" in prison. There are grainy, haunting photos of Bundy, Boone, and a toddler-aged Rose sitting together in the prison visiting room, looking for all the world like a normal family on a Sunday outing.

It didn't last.

By 1986, the reality of Bundy’s crimes finally broke through Boone's denial. As his execution neared, Bundy began confessing to his horrific crimes in a desperate bid to buy more time. Boone, feeling betrayed and realizing she had brought a child into the orbit of a necrophile and serial murderer, divorced him.

She took Rose and vanished.

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Where is Rose Bundy now?

Honestly? Nobody knows for sure, and that’s probably for the best.

After the divorce, Carole Ann Boone changed her name and Rose’s name to protect them from the inevitable harassment and stigma. They dropped off the map completely. Ann Rule, the true crime author who famously worked with Bundy at a suicide hotline and wrote The Stranger Beside Me, mentioned in later updates to her book that Rose is a "kind and intelligent" woman, but she deliberately withheld any details about her location or identity.

• Current Status: Rose would be in her early 40s today.
• Location: There are rumors she lives in England under an alias or perhaps the American Northwest, but these remain unconfirmed.
• Public Life: She has never given an interview, written a book, or attempted to profit from her father's infamy.

Misconceptions About Bundy’s Children

There is a common mix-up when people talk about Ted Bundy's kids.

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Many people think Elizabeth Kloepfer’s daughter, Molly, was Bundy's biological child. Elizabeth (often called Liz Kendall) was Bundy’s longtime girlfriend during his primary killing spree. While Bundy acted as a father figure to Molly for several years, he was not her biological father. Molly has since spoken out in the documentary Falling for a Killer, describing the confusing and terrifying experience of having a man like Bundy as a "stepdad."

Did he have other children?

There is no evidence that Ted Bundy fathered other children. Given his nomadic lifestyle and the nature of his crimes, speculation sometimes arises, but Rose remains the only documented biological offspring.

The Actionable Reality of the Bundy Legacy

If you’re researching the Bundy family tree, it’s easy to get sucked into the "dark tourism" side of true crime. However, the story of Rose Bundy serves as a stark reminder of the collateral damage serial killers leave behind.

1. Respect the Privacy of Survivors: Rose Bundy is a victim of her father’s legacy, not a participant in it. Searching for her "real" name or current address is a violation of the privacy she has spent decades maintaining.
2. Verify Sources: When reading about Rose, avoid tabloids that claim to have "found her." Stick to reputable biographers like Kevin Sullivan or the late Ann Rule.
3. Focus on the Victims: The fascination with Bundy often overshadows the lives he took. If you want to dive deeper, look into the stories of the women he killed—women who never got the chance to have families of their own.

The truth is that Rose Bundy didn't choose her father. She chose to disappear, and in a world obsessed with true crime, that might be her most impressive feat.