Ted Bundy's Cousin Recalls the Moment She Saw the 'Monster Within' — Family Trauma

For over 50 years, Edna Martin kept a dark secret about her family—her cousin Ted, to be exact. A family member she loved, she had learned, turned out to be America's most wanted serial killer. Though Ted Bundy, whose home was a few blocks from Edna's, had made Edna feel safe amid news of a predator raping and killing women, it wasn't long before she found out about his secret.

Edna Martin recounts her experience living alongside one of the most notorious killers of their time in an upcoming Oxygen documentary entitled, Love, Ted Bundy.

Ted Bundy was executing his would-be infamous M.O. while Edna was attending the University of Washington. Prior to his arrest, Martin shared how living next to Ted Bundy had made her feel safe. She recalled, 'We knew that there was a predator out there, and we were his prey. The ironic thing is, I felt safer because Ted lived so close. Ted would come over, we would talk about this and how much we were scared and he was very sympathetic.'

Trust to Trauma

In an interview with Fox, Edna Martin recalled realising the truth behind the accusations thrown against her cousin Ted made her feel. She said, My parents, my brother — we were just saying, 'This can't be. It has to be some kind of mistake. They caught the wrong guy. Maybe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

Following Ted Bundy's arrest in 1975 for the kidnapping of Carol DaRonch, Edna Martin, who was at the time working on a ship in Alaska, received a phone call from her brother, she felt, 'Everything kind of shut down after that. I just needed some air. The whole ship is thrumming and vibrating, and I break through onto the deck outside, and I am running and I am just screaming.'

She also said, 'I just needed to get it out of my system that, no, this can't be true, that someone you've grown up with, someone you trusted, someone who you felt safe with, could possibly have done this.'

Edna Martin and Ted Bundy Closeness

Ted was born to Eleanor Louise Cowell on 24 November 1946. At the time, Edna Martin's father successfully advocated for the mother and son to live with them in Seattle. Edna said, 'They ended up living in my parents' house. And it really worked. It gave her a fresh start.' Bundy's mom married Johnny Bundy, with whom she had four children. Martin said she adored Ted Bundy and loved him like a brother.

When Martin enrolled at the University of Washington, Bundy had just graduated with a degree in psychology and was living just a few blocks away from her. She shared that Bundy would often come around to cook for her and her roommate, 'He used to drop by frequently with a bag of groceries and a bottle of wine. We were thrilled to have him there.'

In just two years of Bundy being at the university, the disappearances of young women would begin, starting with Lynda Ann Healy in February 1974. Healy is a close friend of Edna's best friend. Donna Manson, Susan Rancourt, Brenda Ball, Roberta Kathleen Parks, and Georgann Hawkins would also go missing afterwards. These disappearances sent chills down Martin's spine, thinking how these missing girls resembled them.

Due to the fear from the disappearances, Edna's brother and Ted Bundy installed a deadbolt in her apartment to keep her safe. 'Ted and I are sitting there watching John install this barrel bolt to protect us from the very monster that's sitting in my house right at that very moment. The irony of that still gets to me to this day.'

Letters from Death Row

Ted Bundy would spend his final years on death row in Florida. While he was incarcerated, he and Edna would exchange several letters. When Edna asked Bundy if he had really killed the victims, he said, 'Dear Cousin, Let the dead bury the dead. Be good. I love you, Ted,' as shared by Oxygen.

Edna's story sheds light on the terror, grief, confusion, and unanswered questions the families behind every criminal case have to deal with. Sharing her experience with one of America's most notorious serial killers offers a rare perspective on the emotions faced by family members.