Account
Jan 07, 2010
Jun 19, 2023
Ann
Burr
71
8
50 inches
55 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
On the night of August 31, 1961, in Tacoma, Washington, eight-year-old Ann Marie Burr vanished from her home. She was last seen in the house she shared with her parents and three younger siblings. Earlier in the evening, all four children were put to bed around 8:00 p.m. During the night, Ann Marie woke her parents because her three-year-old sister, who had a broken arm, was crying. Her parents instructed them to go back to their room. This was the last time they would see Ann Marie. At 5:30 a.m., her mother discovered she was missing. The front door, which had been locked and chained, was found open. A living room window that had been slightly ajar was now wide open, with a garden bench moved from another part of the yard and placed underneath it. The discovery of Ann Marie's disappearance launched what was, at the time, the largest search in Tacoma's history. One hundred soldiers from Fort Lewis and fifty members of the National Guard joined local police in the search for the young girl. Divers also scoured Commencement Bay, but no trace of Ann Marie was found. Investigators found a faint footprint outside the open window, believed to be from a Keds sneaker, size six or seven, suggesting the intruder could have been a teenager or a small man. A piece of red thread was also found caught in the window jam. Despite the signs of an intruder, the house was strangely undisturbed; there were no signs of a struggle in the bedroom Ann Marie shared with her sister, and a table of figurines near the open window was untouched. The family dog had barked during the night, but her parents had dismissed it as a reaction to a thunderstorm. Neighbors reported seeing a "peeping tom" in the days leading up to her disappearance, but could not provide a description. Over the years, numerous theories and suspects have emerged, but the case remains unsolved. One of the most prominent, though unconfirmed, theories involves the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, who was 14 years old and lived in the same neighborhood at the time of Ann Marie's disappearance. Some investigators noted that the shoe print found at the scene could be consistent with a teenager. In the years before his execution, Bundy reportedly made statements to law enforcement that some considered to be veiled confessions to Ann Marie's abduction, mentioning a young victim "too close to home." He also allegedly told a professor he killed a young girl and buried her near the University of Puget Sound campus, which was close to the Burr's home. Ann's parents corresponded with Bundy before his execution, hoping for answers, but he denied involvement in their daughter's case. In 2011, forensic testing on evidence from the scene did not produce a full DNA profile and could not be linked to Bundy. Other suspects were investigated over the years, including a teenage neighbor and a man who was a suspect in another child's kidnapping, but no definitive evidence has ever tied anyone to Ann Marie's disappearance. The case grew cold, leaving her family and the community with lingering questions and no closure.
Aug 31, 1961
Tacoma
Washington
Pierce County
No
8089
Tacoma Police Department
Tacoma
Washington
Pierce County
98409
3701 South Pine Street, Washington
2535915950
Local
Law Enforcement
61-76685
Tacoma Police Department
Blond/Strawberry
Hazel
Hazel
No
06/15/2026
