Tarot Spread: Nancy Baird

 

This is a case that has been on my mind for some years now. Nancy Baird is suspected of being a victim of Ted Bundy, although I do not think that she was for reasons I will state below. The information below is piled from the Charley Project.

Baird was last seen at the Fina gas station in the 200 block of south Highway 89 in East Layton, Utah on July 4, 1975. She was employed there as a service station attendant. A police officer on patrol saw her working alone there, and at 5:30 p.m., less than fifteen minutes later, she was discovered missing.

There was no evidence of robbery and no indications of a struggle, but about $10 worth of gasoline from the station's pumps had not been paid for. Baird's car was found locked and parked in the station lot where she'd left it, her car keys were left behind, and her purse was inside the station, containing her medication and $167 from a recently cashed check.

At the time of her disappearance, Baird lived near the gas station, her four-year-old son lived with relatives, and her ex-husband lived in Wyoming. It's considered unlikely that she would have left of her own free will. Just before her disappearance, witnesses saw a truck at the station; it was never identified and it's unclear whether it had anything to do with her case. Investigators questioned Baird's her ex-husband and two male friends in her case. All of them had been out of state at the time she disappeared and passed polygraph examinations, so they were cleared of suspicion.

1.       The High Priestess. Mystery, intuition, emotional stability, things yet to be revealed, discovering your own truth, morality.

While the card does include a ‘J’ and a ‘B’, I do not think that Bundy was involved in Nancy’s case, simply because she was taken from a gas station and I do not think he was in Utah that day. The ‘B’ could simply refer to Baird. If this is true then it means that Nancy was an emotionally stable woman. The card might also refer to a single woman and Nancy had divorced her husband.

 

2.       Ten of Cups, reversed. Discord at home, empty nest syndrome, marital conflict, family problems, a child leaving home. Landscape gardeners, festival organisers, churchgoers, community workers, volunteers.

This card refers to obstacles and I think that these might link to Nancy and her family. Her four-year-old son lived away from her and I truly believe that she was unhappy without him. She is extremely unlikely to have left of her own accord. A river and trees feature in this card.

 

3.       Six of Cups. Pleasure, sentimentality, happy memories, reminiscing, families and siblings, florists, child minders, teachers.

This could link to Nancy wanting a happy home. But since this card is upright, none of these aspects are in a negative way. She was not living in the past, but this card does not indicate false hope, either. As this may represent what she wanted, there might possibly have been a planned reconciliation with her son and/or husband.

 

4.       Eight of Wands. Acting quickly, directness, communications, blockages removed, event organizers, postmen, deliverymen and couriers.

Someone – whether Nancy or someone involved in her disappearance – acted quickly. They were direct about what they wanted and communicated easily. This card might point to someone who has red hair and blue or green eyes. Nancy had strawberry-blonde hair, so I wonder if this card refers to someone who caused her to disappear. The ‘deliveryman’ aspect could come from the fact that a truck was seen at the gas station where she worked. There is also a river in the card.

I have wondered for a while now if Nancy Baird was taken by the alleged ‘Redhead Murderer’ who may have been responsible for numerous deaths in the Bible Belt between 1981 and 1985. Although Nancy disappeared several years prior to this spree, I do not think that it is wise to rule her out. The victims all disappeared from different states and this might have been a factor in their delayed identifications.

 

5.       Four of Swords. Calling a truce, an agreement, synchronicity, taking a break, quiet consideration, tomb, coffin.

This card shows a coffin inside of a tomb or crypt. The figure involved is lying down, but three swords hang above him, showing that he has not completed his task. Since this card shows a coffin, I usually tend to interpret that the subject has passed on. But somehow I am unsure if this is the case, at least in the period after her disappearance.

 

6.       Five of Swords, reversed. Petty arguments, attention-seeking behaviour, malicious gossip, paranoia, intimidation, manipulation.

Could the ‘malicious gossip’ have referred to allegations that Ted Bundy was involved in Nancy’s disappearance? I would hardly say that it was ‘malicious’, since he did take numerous women from the state of Utah at the time Nancy was last seen, but perhaps this card suggests that we are looking in the wrong direction. The card shows a large body of water, so I wonder if she is still close to Salt Lake. This card may indicate the future, so I wonder if at some point after her abduction Nancy or her abductor became paranoid.

 

7.       Nine of Cups, reversed. Taking things for granted, wishes denied, dissatisfaction, loss of pleasures, hedonism, overindulgence.

This card signifies the Querent; Nancy herself. Her wishes being denied and feeling dissatisfied with her life might have been a reference to her mental state before she went missing, but it could just as easily mean the time after she disappeared, if she was held for a while. This card can also suggest bar or cocktail workers, people involved in the wine, glass or china trade or collectors.

 

8.       Six of Wands, reversed. Self-doubt, lack of confidence, delayed success, feeling crushed, feeling ostracized, being out-manoeuvred.

Either Nancy or someone involved in her disappearance might have had a lack of confidence. Being ‘out-manoeuvred’ implies to me that someone prevented Nancy from getting away. This card refers to the environment around Nancy, although whether this is before or after she went missing, I am again uncertain.

 

9.       Judgement, reversed. Ignoring a calling, doubting yourself, being led by your own fear, a change is coming but has been delayed, avoiding making a decision, judges and magistrates, religious leaders, evangelists, motivational speakers, public speakers.

Could the delay be due to people being so focused on Bundy that they can’t see the forest for the trees? As this card connects to Nancy’s hopes and fears, she might be worried that her name will always be connected with him when this is not the case. Evangelists and religious leaders make me think that she is still in Utah, although this may not necessarily be the case. As this card shows people ascending from a lake, could she be in Salt Lake or another large body of water? Or could some evidence be in water?

 

10.   Three of Pentacles, reversed. Loss of work, career dissatisfaction, unsatisfactory work, delays to completion. Building surveyors, architects, builders, bricklayers and stonemasons, carpenters, master craftsmen, recruitment consultants.

This card once again makes me think that people are focusing in the wrong place when it comes to where Nancy is or who took her. If things are going the way they are then if she is found it is likely to be by accident. But as to where, this card might provide a few clues. The building in the Three of Pentacles reminds me of a church of another old, stone building. Since there are a limited number of old, stone buildings stateside, perhaps Nancy is close to or inside of a church. The coffin from the Four of Swords makes me think about placing a body inside another person’s coffin. Or Nancy could simply be underneath a building that was under construction in 1975.

This reading is generally fascinating because the first five cards were upright, but the last five were reversed. This could imply that Nancy’s fortunes were reversed and things went downhill for her, or even whoever took her, after she was last seen.