Bundy: Vicki Hollar (Suspected)
As promised in the previous post, there is not a big jump in time between the disappearance of Rita Jolly and the case we will be examining today. Like Rita’s disappearance, this case also took place in Oregon in 1973. As seems to be typical for nearly all of the cases in this series, and I know I sound like a broken record, there isn’t much information available regarding this case online. So – is it possible Ted Bundy was involved in the disappearance of Vicki Hollar? Let’s explore.
Who Is Vicki?
Vicki was born on March 8, 1949 and was 24 years old in 1973. Vicki has been consistently described as a happy person by her family. In 1973, she had brown hair and brown eyes. She stood at about 5’1” tall and weighed 115 pounds. She had moved to Eugene, Oregon in June of 1973 after graduating from college. In Eugene, she lived with five roommates. Shortly before her disappearance, she had gotten a position as a seamstress at Bon Marche and enjoyed her time there. Through interviews, it’s clear to tell that Vicki is a kind soul that likes to help others, even opting to pick up hitchhikers and give them rides.
via Remembering Victims of Ted Bundy)
The Disappearance and Investigation
Vicki was last seen around 5 PM on August 20, 1973. She and a coworker had walked to their cars together after work. The coworker is the last known person to have seen Vicki. She drove away in her black 1965 model VW Bug, which still had an Illinois license plate reading GR 7738. It is presumed that she was heading back to her apartment, as her only plans were to attend a party later that evening with a friend. She never arrived at the party, and the friend that was expecting her simply assumed she had changed her mind about attending.
Vicki left behind all of her belongings – all of her clothes, her personal hygiene items, and even her last paycheck. This, combined with the fact that she was settling into her life in Eugene incredibly well, led investigators to believe that she did not leave of her own free will. I would typically include more about the investigation, but I can’t find anything about it. I can’t even find who reported Vicki missing – presumably it would have been one of her five roommates after a few days of her not returning home, or a family member after some time without contact. If you, reader, can dig anything up about Vicki Hollar’s missing persons investigation, feel free to shoot me an email. The only other thing I know about the investigation is that Vicki’s car and purse have never been found.
The Bundy Connection
As with past caes, it seems like the only thing connecting Bundy to Vicki’s case is vague possibility. Vicki does vaguely match his victim profile, as she was slender with dark hair. But Vicki, who only stood at 5’1” was substantially shorter than most of Bundy’s known victims. I am willing to concede that it’s possible Bundy (if he was involved) thought she was taller than she actually was, having spotted her while driving. We also know that Bundy did cross into Oregon to kill, though he claimed he confessed to every victim he had killed in Oregon prior to his execution.
There’s something about this case that feels more likely to be a Bundy case to me. I know based on the evidence it’s no more likely that the cases we’ve previously covered, but the fact that Vicki was prone to picking up hitchhikers, and Bundy was prone to feigning distress to gain victims’ trust, allows for more in-depth situational speculation. It’s totally possible Bundy pulled over to the side of the road and pretended to have car trouble in hopes that a young woman would stop and offer him a ride – and beautiful, kind Vicki just happened to be that person. Of course, it is also equally possible that she picked up a different dangerous hitchhiker. In the end, it feels like Bundy is a real possibility here, but he is not the only plausible one.
Investigating Agencies
If you or anyone you know has information regarding Vicki’s disappearance, you need to reach out to the proper authorities. Vicki has been missing for 47 years. Her friends and family have gone 47 years not knowing what happened to their loved one. They deserve answers. Vicki needs to be found and laid to rest and, more than that, she deserves to have her truth known. The Eugene Police Department can be contacted at 541-682-5111 in reference to case number 73-12992.
Sources
- https://charleyproject.org/case/vicki-lynn-hollar
- http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2623dfor.html
- https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/9265
- https://www.facebook.com/TheForgottenCases/posts/north-american-missing-persons-network-vicki-lynn-hollar-above-images-hollarvita/349202421920700/
- https://heavy.com/news/2019/01/ted-bundy-victims-list-photos/
- https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36561065/greater-oregon/
- https://img0.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=38129170&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjU2NTk3NjgyMSwiaWF0IjoxNjEwNzUyNTQwLCJleHAiOjE2MTA4Mzg5NDB9.PMNoU8_nujoU_cnINBLyE3ceENcKlc3lDXTjCfYtW0w
If the vehicle was never been found I have to wonder if they checked any bodies of water she might have driven past. With as many missing people/vehicles as have been found in bodies of water it’s as likely as the Bundy theory, if not more, unless there’s not any water in that area.
Very good point! She was last seen in downtown Eugene, which is fairly close to the Willamette River, so that is absolutely a possibility.
I don’t think her short stature would have excluded Vicki from being one of Bundy’s victims because if she stopped to give him a ride her height wouldn’t have been as easy to judge sitting in the driver’s seat of her car. Also, he murdered a 12 year old child in Florida. How sad that Vicki has been missing for so many years with no answers for her family or friends. I wonder if her parents died never knowing what became of their daughter. Bundy was a game player and a liar, I believe he murdered many women who have never definitively been tied to him.
That’s an excellent point about the car. It’s a shame he was executed before he could be interrogated by other investigative agencies. I do unfortunately believe that Vicki was murdered shortly after her disappearance, whether it be by Bundy or another offender. One small hope I have in focusing on victims and keeping their stories in the spotlight is that maybe someday, someone who knows something will come forward.
In the early 70’s I was a high school kid and a neighbor to a Mrs. Petrosic or Petroski First name Karen? I think. She turned up Missing in the Bon Marche parking lot in summer of 1972 or 73. Her car was there with her keys and purse still in car. To my knowledge she was never found. Strange she would disappear in the same parking lot or general area, as another missing person around the same time. There was speculation later she was a bundy victim. She was around 40 thou.
That is very strange. I’ll have to see if I can find our more about this. Thanks for sharing.