The Final Confession: Where Is Carole Boone, Ted Bundy's Ex-Wife, Now? (Updated 2025)

The story of Carole Ann Boone is one of the most bizarre and compelling footnotes in the history of true crime, a tale of a seemingly normal woman who fell in love with and married one of America's most infamous serial killers, Ted Bundy. As of December 13, 2025, public interest in Boone remains high, largely due to the enduring mystery surrounding her life after she finally divorced Bundy and vanished from the public eye.

The most significant update on Carole Boone’s life is her reported death, which occurred quietly in 2018, nearly three decades after her ex-husband's execution. This final chapter of a life defined by a shocking relationship reveals a woman who successfully sought the anonymity she craved, taking the secrets of her bizarre marriage with her. The details of her life, her unwavering loyalty, and her eventual realization of the truth remain a dark fascination for true crime enthusiasts.

Carole Ann Boone: A Detailed Biographical Profile

Carole Ann Boone was a woman determined to live her life away from the relentless scrutiny of the media, yet her connection to Ted Bundy made that nearly impossible. The final years of her life were spent in obscurity, a stark contrast to the sensationalism of her time on the periphery of one of the 20th century's most notorious murder cases. Her biography, compiled from public records and true crime reporting, outlines a life tragically intertwined with evil.

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• Full Birth Name: Carole Ann Carson
• Reported Name at Death: Carole Ann Johnson
• Date of Birth: April 12, 1947
• Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington, U.S.
• Nationality: American
• Spouse: Ted Bundy (m. 1980; div. 1986)
• Children: James (Son from a previous relationship), Rose Bundy (Daughter with Ted Bundy, b. 1982)
• Education: Unknown, but worked in an administrative capacity.
• Occupation: Former administrator/clerk at the Washington State Department of Emergency Services.
• Date of Death: January 13, 2018
• Place of Death: Washington State (Reportedly in a retirement home near Seattle)
• Reported Cause of Death: Septic Shock

The Bizarre Courtroom Wedding and Unwavering Loyalty

Carole Boone first met Ted Bundy in 1974 while they both worked at the Washington State Department of Emergency Services in Olympia, Washington. At the time, Bundy was a rising star in local Republican politics and a law student, and Boone was a twice-divorced mother with a young son named James. They were initially friends and colleagues, a connection that deepened even after Bundy’s first arrest and eventual escape.

Boone’s loyalty was legendary and baffling to outsiders. She was convinced of Bundy’s innocence, believing he was the victim of a conspiracy. She actively supported him throughout his trials, frequently traveling to Florida, where he was facing charges for the Chi Omega murders and the murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach.

The relationship reached its shocking peak in February 1980 during the penalty phase of the Kimberly Leach murder trial. Bundy, who was representing himself, used a little-known Florida law that allowed a marriage declaration in court if the proceedings were under oath. He called Carole Boone to the stand, and they exchanged vows in the courtroom, in front of the judge, jury, and a stunned gallery of witnesses. This audacious act cemented Boone’s place in true crime history as the woman who married a man on Death Row.

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The Conception of Rose Bundy and Life on Death Row

Following the highly publicized wedding, Boone continued to visit Bundy regularly at the Florida State Prison in Raiford, where he was held on death row. The visits were often lengthy and intimate, sometimes taking place in a small, private room reserved for conjugal visits, which were technically not permitted under Florida law at the time. Bundy was able to exploit loopholes and lax security to maintain a semblance of a married life.

In 1982, Carole Boone gave birth to a daughter, Rose Bundy (sometimes referred to as Rosa). The conception of a child while Bundy was incarcerated for multiple murders added another layer of sensationalism to the already notorious case. Boone maintained that Bundy was the father, a claim that was never disputed. This child became the only known biological offspring of the serial killer.

During this period, Boone and her two children, James and Rose, moved to Florida to be closer to the prison. She remained steadfast in her belief in Bundy’s innocence for several years, a devotion detailed in the true crime book, *The Only Living Witness: The True Story of Serial Sex Killer Ted Bundy*, by Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth.

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The Final Split and Pursuit of Anonymity

The turning point in Carole Boone’s life came in the mid-1980s. As Bundy’s execution date drew nearer, his façade of innocence began to crumble. He started to confess to a number of his horrific crimes, in part to delay his execution and in part to gain notoriety. It was these late-life confessions—where he finally admitted to the brutal killings of over 30 women—that reportedly broke Carole Boone’s faith.

Boone was allegedly shocked and deeply offended by the admission of guilt. The man she had defended and married, the father of her daughter, was unequivocally the monster the prosecution had claimed he was. She stopped visiting him and, in 1986, she filed for divorce. The divorce was finalized just three years before Bundy was executed by electrocution on January 24, 1989.

After the divorce, Carole Boone made a conscious and successful effort to disappear. She moved back to Washington State with her children and is believed to have changed her name and the name of her daughter, Rose, to protect them from the inevitable public scrutiny. Her desire for a private life was so intense that few concrete details of her post-Bundy existence have ever emerged. Her son, James, and daughter, Rose, have also maintained strict privacy, with Rose dedicating her life to complete anonymity.

Where is Carole Boone Now? The 2018 Death

For decades, the question of "Where is Carole Boone now?" was a persistent mystery in the true crime world. The last verifiable public information was her divorce in 1986. However, in the late 2010s, reports surfaced that offered a definitive, albeit quiet, end to her story.

Carole Ann Boone reportedly passed away on January 13, 2018, at the age of 70. She is said to have died from septic shock in a retirement home in Washington State, possibly under the name Carole Ann Johnson. This final piece of information confirms that she lived out the rest of her life in the same region where she first met Ted Bundy, but in complete seclusion.

Her successful retreat from the spotlight is a testament to her determination to reclaim her life and that of her children from the shadow of the serial killer. Carole Boone's life serves as a chilling reminder of the destructive power of a charismatic psychopath and the profound personal cost borne by those who were closest to him.