We’ve finally come to the end of our Bundy series here at the Morbid Library. Today’s post, the final post, is one of the last widely publicized cases in which Bundy is suspected. Join me in examining the disappearance of Nancy Baird, and remembering the victims instead of the monster on today’s anniversary. Let’s explore.
Who Is Nancy?
Nancy was born on January 14, 1952. We don’t know much about her early life or family, but it seems like all was relatively normal in her childhood. We know that she had been married and separated from one man prior to her disappearance, and had a son around the age of 19. In 1975, Nancy was 23 years old. At that time, she stood between 5’2” and 5’3” tall and weighed somewhere between 90 and 100 lbs. She has reddish blonde hair, hazel eyes, and scars on the inside of both wrists. Unfortunately, that’s about all we know when it comes to Nancy’s life before her disappearance. If you know more about Nancy’s personality or relationships, I’d love to hear more, shoot me an email.
via the Doe Network)
The Disappearance
On July 4, 1975, Nancy was working at a Fina gas station in East Layton, Utah. She was on shift as a service attendant. She was last seen at 5:30, when a police officer drove by the station and saw her working. Fifteen minutes later, Nancy’s manager arrived to take over for Nancy, only to find no sign of her. Her car was in the parking lot, her purse was inside the station, and the only sign of any theft was $10 worth of gas on a pump that hadn’t been paid for. Nancy’s purse contained $167 from her last paycheck. Nancy was last seen wearing a blue halter top with blue shorts. She had a gold pinky ring inlaid with a ruby in the center, with smaller rubies on either side of the center stone. She was also wearing her work uniform, a blue pinstriped smock-type shirt with the Fina Gas Station logo embroidered on it.
The Investigation
Nancy’s investigation was taken seriously from the start. I think this is likely due to a few factors. First, Nancy disappeared from work, where her personal items remained and no money was taken – this insinuates that she was the target and the attack was not intended to be a robbery. Plus, Nancy did not have a track record of being an absentee or subpar employee, lending to the idea that her disappearance was not intentional. The second factor that likely led to Nancy’s case to be taken seriously was the fact that she left her son with no communication, which family and friends say she would never have done of her own accord. And the third factor was likely the fact that several young women had already disappeared without a trace in Utah, and no one knew what was going on.
Investigators searched the scene and found only one lead – a truck was seen at the station moments before Nancy’s disappearance. The truck has never been identified and it is unknown if it is actually connected to the disappearance in any substantial way. Searches of the area by foot and via helicopter were conducted the next day, but nothing was found. At a loss, investigators questioned Nancy’s ex-husband and two other male friends – we all know that when something happens, it is typically someone close to the victim. But those interviews led nowhere, and leads ran dry. The case went cold and is still cold, though investigators have made efforts towards progress in the recent past. In the 2010s, investigators began reinvestigating the case from scratch. They worked to create a DNA profile of Nancy, as one was not available.
The Bundy Connection
The Bundy connection here is admittedly tenuous, considering the fact that Nancy did not fall neatly into his preferred victim profile. By now, we all know the vast majority of Bundy’s victims had brown hair, and Nancy’s was somewhere between blonde and strawberry blonde. We do know that Bundy was in Law School in Salt Lake City, UT in 1975. He has been linked to other disappearances and murders around Utah at the time.
That’s all that really led to him being a suspect in this case – no one saw his car nearby, there was no mention of a mysterious law student in Nancy’s life, nothing like we’ve seen in past cases. Additionally, during his death row confessions, Bundy was asked about Nancy Baird’s disappearance directly. He denied being responsible for it, which means either he was lying for some unknown reason, or someone else took Nancy that July 4th. I lean towards someone else abducting Nancy as a crime of opportunity, but agree Bundy can’t be totally ruled out as the case currently stands.
Investigating Agencies
If you or anyone you know have any information about Nancy Baird’s disappearance, please contact the proper authorities. Detectives have reopened the case as recently as 2014 and are searching for any leads or new information. You can contact the Davis County Sheriff’s Department at 801-451-4100 in reference to Case Number: D11-04588. The NamUs case number is MP/UP number 11575.
Sources
- http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2630dfut.html
- https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/11575
- https://charleyproject.org/case/nancy-perry-baird
- https://www.abc4.com/news/the-justice-files-the-victims-of-ted-bundy/
- https://www.deseret.com/1989/1/25/18792700/bundy-was-whipped-defeated-br-s-l-detective-says-tips-could-solve-up-to-5-cases
- https://www.abc4.com/news/family-waiting-word-on-human-skull-found-in-davis-county/
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85318929/nancy-baird
- https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20024899/police-ask-public-for-help-nancy-baird/
- https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16739457/nancy-baird-missing-july-1975/
- https://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/news/58129359-78/baird-bundy-case-july.html.csp
