Early life

Bundy was born at the Elizabeth Lund Home for unwed mothers in Burlington, Vermont on November 24, 1946 to Eleanor Louise Cowell. Bundy lived in Philadelphia for the first three years of his life. He lived with his grandparents, Samuel and Eleanor Cowell. He was told that his grandparents were his parents, and his mother was his sister. Eventually he discovered the truth when he stumbled on his birth certificate. Since, he expressed a lifetime resentment towards his mother for lying. Although he stated in some interviews that he loved his grandparents and respected them, and that he clung to his grandfather, he and other family members said that Samuel was an abusive and tyrannical bully. One who hated blacks, Italians, Catholics, and Jews. Ted exhibited violent behaviour, even at an early age. Julia once recalled her waking up one day from a nap to find herself surrounded by knives from their kitchen; her three year old nephew, ted, was standing by the bedside, smiling.

In 1950, Louise changed her name and left Philadelphia with her son to live with cousins in Tacoma, Washington. In 1951 she met Jonny Bundy, a hospital cook, and later married him, and formally adopting ted. Jonny and Louise went and had four kids of their own, although Jonny tried his best to include ted in camping and other family activities, Ted always stayed distance from him.

Ted spent most of his childhood reading detective magazines, crime novels, and crime documentaries involving sexual violence, when he wasn't doing that, he spent his time digging brought trash in search of pictures of naked women. Later, Bundy stated that he "chose to be alone" because he was unable to understand interpersonal relationships, and had no natural sense of how to develop friendships.