If This Is Ted Bundy… That’s the Scariest Part - By Sensei Liam Musiak

Liam Musiak
Dec 27, 2025
4 min read

Why Uncertainty, Normality, and Politeness Are the Real Danger

This photograph was taken at Lake Sammamish on a warm summer day in 1974. At first glance, it looks entirely unremarkable — cars parked closely together, people enjoying the lake, a normal public space filled with ordinary life.

Nothing looks threatening.

Nothing looks unusual.

Nothing demands attention.

That is exactly why this image matters.

In the photograph, I’ve marked one Volkswagen Beetle with an arrow. As can be seen, there is an individual seated inside the vehicle. Over time, this image has become one of the most discussed photographs connected to the events of that day — not because it shows violence, but because it shows nothing out of the ordinary.

Before going any further, it’s important to be clear and responsible.

We cannot say with 100% certainty that this vehicle belonged to Ted Bundy, nor can we definitively identify the person inside the car. That level of certainty simply does not exist, and it never will. Anyone claiming absolute proof is overstating what the evidence can support.

However, based on the location, timing, later investigative findings, eyewitness accounts, and what is known about Bundy’s methods and movements that day, I personally believe that this Volkswagen Beetle is likely the vehicle associated with him at Lake Sammamish. I also believe it is possible that the individual visible inside the vehicle was Bundy himself at that moment.

That said, I want to be absolutely clear: this cannot be proven, and it may very well not be him. There is no way to identify the individual with certainty from the photograph alone, and any honest analysis must acknowledge that limitation.

This is not a declaration of fact.

It is a reasoned interpretation based on context and pattern.

And the fact that we are left with uncertainty is not a weakness — it is the lesson.

Why I Hold This View

My opinion is not based on fascination, myth, or hindsight bias. It’s based on method.

Bundy did not rely on dramatic or obviously dangerous settings. He relied on environments that felt safe — public places, social spaces, and locations where people naturally lowered their guard. Lake Sammamish fits that pattern perfectly.

The vehicle itself also matters. The Volkswagen Beetle was one of the most common cars in the United States at the time. There were many Beetles at the lake that day — including more than one visible in this very image. That commonness was not a disadvantage. It was part of the method.

A car that blends in attracts no attention.

It creates no memory.

It raises no alarm.

From a behavioural standpoint, this image aligns disturbingly well with what is known about how Bundy operated: blending into normality, appearing harmless, and relying on the absence of suspicion rather than force.

That alignment is why I believe this image is significant — not because it is dramatic, but because it is boring.

Why the Individual in the Car Matters — and Why Certainty Doesn’t

Yes, there is a person inside the vehicle.

No, we cannot identify them.

And that uncertainty is exactly what makes this image so important.

In real life, danger does not come with labels. There is no moment where intent becomes obvious before it’s too late. Most people are conditioned to wait for certainty — for a clear sign, a clear threat, or undeniable proof.

Predators exploit that delay.

If you had walked past this car that day, you wouldn’t have crossed the street. You wouldn’t have warned anyone. You wouldn’t have thought twice — not because you were careless, but because nothing appeared wrong.

That’s how real-world danger often works.

Why I Marked the Car, Not the Person

There is a reason I focus on the vehicle rather than the individual.

In self defence, methods and tools matter more than faces.

The car represents:

Distance collapse
Directional control
Movement from public to private space
Loss of witnesses
Loss of options

Whether or not this photograph captures Bundy himself at that exact moment, it undeniably captures the conditions that allowed him to operate.

That is the real warning.

The Most Dangerous Part Is the Normality

This image is unsettling not because it shows violence, but because it shows nothing.

A normal day.

A normal place.

A normal car.

That’s how predatory behaviour hides.

People imagine danger as something obvious — aggression, darkness, visible threat. In reality, the most dangerous moments often feel awkward, confusing, or slightly uncomfortable rather than frightening.

By the time fear appears, options are already reduced.

The Self Defence Lesson

This image teaches one of the most important lessons in real-world self defence:

You do not need certainty to protect yourself.

You need: