On November 24, 1946, Eleanor Louise Cowell gave birth to Theodore Robert Cowell in a home for unwed mothers in Burlington, Vermont. His illegitimacy led his mother to make the youngster believe he was actually her brother and that his granparents were his actual birthparents. Some, perhaps searching for some cause to Bundy's future actions, feel that Bundy's grandfather, Sam, may actually have fathered Ted out of an incestious relationship with Eleanor. The resulting confusion was the only known possbile truama in the young boy's life.

It was not to be the only change that the boy would endure, though. In 1950 his mother , still claiming to be nothing more than a sibling, moved herself and her son to the West Coast, settling in Tacoma, Washington. One there , she changed her boy's name from Cowell to Nelson for reasons that are unclear. When Eleanor married Johnnie Bundy on May 19, 1951, her son had finally had the name he would carry for life, Theodore Robert Bundy.

Though Bundy loved his grandfather, it is reported that the man had a volatile temper and a mild taste for pornography. Aside from that, no sign of serious instability seemed to exist in Bundy's childhood. His step-father and he were never particularly close but no abuse was ever evident and Eleanor was devoted to her son, though he remained confused about their relationship. Bundy reportedly alternately referred to her as his sister and his mother.

Bundy's teenage years went by quietly, save for a pair on incidents in which he was a suspect in burglaries. Escaping any charges bundy graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School with the class of 1965. On the outside all seemed normal in Ted Bundy's life. By this time however, Bundy had become stealing regularly and by his own admission had become socially retarded. After his high school graduation Bundy attended two semesters at the University of Puget Sound, apparently without incident or distinction. At the beginning of the 1966 school year he transferred to the University of Washington. There he met Stephanie Brooks, a beautiful young woman who wore her long, dark hair parted in the middle. Her resemblance to Bundy's later victims is striking.

Bundy was enamored of Stephanie and grew to love her quickly, or what passed as love to somebody like him. She may not have felt as strongly about him but for the time being they seemed a happy couple. Soon his inadequacies, both mental and sexual, got the better of him and he couldn't shake the feeling that Stephanie was too good for him. The couple stayed together long enough for Bundy to transfer again, this time to Stanford University in the fall of 1968. Once there the relationship grew increasingly sour until Stephanie broke it off. Bundy's lack of confidence and tendency toward manipulation had ruined the relationship. Bundy soon dropped out of Stanford, reportedly devastated.

Bundy began drifting around and during this time he visited his birthtown of Burlington, Vermont, in early 1969. Looking up the record of his birth he finally was convinced of what had always plagued him deep down, that his the woman who had attmpted to raise him as her brother was his in fact birth mother. The name Lloyd Marshall was listed as his father but htere is some doubt as to whether this particular man existed or was a fictitious name given by Bundy's mother.

Whatever effect this had on Bundy is not really know, but upon arriving back in Washington he attempted to briefly rekindle his romance with Stephanie Brooks, but was turned away. Bundy then waited until the fall and re-entered the University of Washington with a sense of purpose, turning form an average student into an honor student. He excelled at his studies and became increasingly involved in local politics, continuing to work on and off for political campaigns.

Around this time he met Liz Kendall*, who would be a part of his life until well after his final incarceration. A divorced mother, Liz supported Bundy in every way possible and the two seemed a close couple. He also me Ann Rule around this time while working the phones at the Seattle Crisis Clinic and the two became close friends. Rule would later write the definitive Bundy book, "The Stranger Beside Me".

Things seemed to stay relatively calm for the time being. Bundy graduated from Washington with a degree in psychology and in the summer of 1973 was accepted into the University of Utah Law School. Maybe because of his ongoing relationship with Liz, or his excellent job with the Washington State Republican Party, he chose not to attend until the following school year. He did take some night classes at Puget Sound but lost interest in the second-rate schooling and essentially flunked out. Still, it seemed as if Bundy was headed for great things.