Tarot Spread: Rita Jolly

Rita left her residence on Horton Road in West Linn, Oregon at 7:15 p.m. on June 29, 1973 to go for a walk. She never returned. She was last seen between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. that day, walking uphill on Sunset Avenue. Rita has never been heard from again.

Rita may have been a victim of the serial killer Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy. A photograph of Bundy is posted with this case summary. He was executed in Florida in 1989. He is a suspect in scores of murders, mainly from the Pacific Northwest, though he was convicted only of killing three females in Florida. He confessed to many deaths prior to his execution.

Bundy may be responsible for the disappearances of Nancy Baird, Ann Marie Burr, Lynette Culver, Julie Cunningham, Susan Curtis, Georgeann Hawkins, Vicki Hollar, Donna Manson, Denise Oliverson, Nancy Wilcox, and many other girls and young women.

The women continue to be listed as missing persons. Their remains have never been recovered. It is worth noting that Bundy did not confess to Rita's murder before his death, but he is considered a suspect in many deaths and disappearances he did not claim responsibility for.

Rita's disappearance remains unsolved, as her body was not found and Bundy was never charged or confessed to her murder. Foul play is suspected in her case. She was a junior at West Linn High School in 1973.

I have been interested in Rita for a long time. I found that people still seem to think that Bundy is responsible despite the fact that he had an alibi that day (I will provide a link below).

It is not just Bundy whom people like to point a finger at. Warren Leslie Forrest was also active in Washington and Oregon at the same time. Unlike Bundy, Forrest is still alive as of this publication. I would like it if he was questioned on Rita's disappearance - if he has not been questioned already - but as you will see in this reading, perhaps Rita's fate lies closer to home.

1.       Eight of Swords, reversed. Being released from obligations, taking steps to empowerment, obstacles clearing, fatality.

This could be a sign that Rita met with death. This is not surprising, considering who the main suspects are, but I cannot say for certain if this necessarily means death.

 

2.       Nine of Swords, reversed. Prolonged anxiety, going over old ground, not finding the solution, mental exhaustion, seeing an end to despair. It could mean imprisonment or reasonable fear.

Could this possibly mean that Rita was alive for a time after she was last seen?

It might also link to the search for her. The second card refers to obstacles that the Querent – in this case Rita – comes across, but it might connect to law enforcement. They possibly latched onto the idea that Bundy killed her and refused to let go of this possibility. The idea of ‘going over old ground’ could literally mean examining a place that was previously searched, or looking back at other suspects.

 

3.       The Hanged Man, reversed. In limbo, being narrow-minded, not seeing from all sides, not letting go, having false motives, holding back. Freedom fighters, humanitarians, eco warriors and protesters.

The idea of protesters makes me think of the Vietnam War, although Rita’s case may have nothing to do with it. Did she know anyone who took part in a protest? This card represents the Querent’s past, but I cannot find anything online that may suggest that she was involved in any protests.

The idea of false motives, however, makes me wonder about someone tricking her. Someone that she thought that she could trust. It might NOT have been Bundy, though; since this card links to the past, she may have been hurt by someone in her past, or someone that she knew lured her away.

 

4.       Seven of Pentacles. Delays in payment, long term returns, slow but steady growth, not working as hard as you could, working for nothing, little reward for a lot of effort. Farmers, long term investors, garden centre workers, tree surgeons.

The fourth card indicates the future. In the case of a reading for a missing person, the future refers to the time after they were last seen. Pentacles relate to money, so this makes me think that money was involved somehow. Did Rita owe someone money?

The idea of ‘little reward’ and ‘working for nothing’ makes me think that for forty-five years law enforcement has been barking up the wrong tree. A quick look at Bundy’s timeline shows that he was in Seattle on the day that Rita went missing. The exact timing is unknown, but I do not believe that he was in Oregon at all on that date.

 

5.       Eight of Pentacles. Being cautious, foresight, careful with money, learning, education, a period of study, working hard, attention to detail, meeting deadlines. Factory workers, the self-employed, mature students, tradesmen, skilled workers, craftsmen.

Could Rita be the ‘mature student’ described here? Is she the one who is ‘careful with money’? How does money fit into her disappearance?

Regardless, I think that the person responsible for her disappearance could fit into one of the jobs listed above. The fifth card symbolises the best that the Querent can hope for. The idea of money worries comes up again in regards to this.

This card also represents the Sun in Virgo, which it certainly was on the day that she went missing.

 

6.       Eight of Cups, reversed. Questioning your decision to leave, not being able to move on, fear of the unknown, clinging to the past. Backpackers, travellers, night shift workers, solitary workers, groundsmen and maintenance workers.

Rita had to ‘leave her life behind’. Whether or not she chose to, however, is another question. Something that interests me is the idea of groundsmen and maintenance workers. Warren Forrest worked for a Parks and Recreation department. Could this be a factor?

Since the Eight of Cups when standing upright shows a figure making his way towards the mountains, when this card is in reverse I believe that it means that the Querent went AWAY from the mountains. Since the mountain range was to the east of West Linn, I think that Rita went westwards.

 

7.       Two of Pentacles, reversed. An imbalance between work and home, not coping with work, discord, resisting change, incomplete projects, buckling under pressure. Injustice.

Was Rita also struggling at school? I believe that school had just ended on June 29^th, so it does make me wonder if she believed that she hadn’t done as well as she expected.

However, the idea of resisting change or an incomplete project again makes me think about how rigid investigators seemed concerning whether or not Bundy was responsible. All of the cards so far heavily imply that he was NOT involved in Rita’s disappearance, as well as the fact that he seems to have an alibi for that date.

But the idea of ‘injustice’ infuriates me. I think that the police were so focused on Bundy that they missed the real culprit, who may have been right in front of them! Most crimes are committed by someone the victim knows, after all.

 

8.       Seven of Swords, reversed. Being caught out, ashamed of your actions. Blaming others, making excuses, walking away at a crucial point, uncovering a sham. Private investigators, researchers, burglars.

Compared to the last card, this one is somewhat favourable, especially since the eighth card signifies the Querent’s hopes and fears. Rita, wherever she is, must either be scared that those looking for her are making excuses – and may even have been diverted from the real culprit when Bundy was caught – or hopes that her case will be reopened and as such the culprit will be named.

 

9.       Five of Swords, reversed. An attempt at disruption, petty arguments, attention-seeking behaviour, malicious gossip, paranoia, intimidation, manipulation, humiliation.

The Five of Swords depicts three people on a beach. One of them is carrying two swords, while three others lie on the sand. I may have been right in thinking that Rita was taken westward. Perhaps she is near a beach, or even underneath one.

 

10.   Two of Wands. Being in control, dynamism, gaining control, dominating another or a situation, seeing the big picture, wanting more, not satisfied with your lot, focusing on your intent. Business partners, office workers and planners, travel agents and hotel inspectors, hoarders and collectors, silent partners.

The last card not only represents the outcome of a situation, but is the most important card in a reading. I wonder if this particular card represents the person responsible for Rita’s disappearance. He – or even she – may not have been satisfied with whatever happened to Rita. They chose to dominate her, whether before or after her abduction. Even after they were finished with Rita, they wanted more. This is a very sad card to end a complex reading.

In conclusion, I think that Rita might have been taken by someone she knew. Perhaps it was someone she owed money to, or someone she knew owed them money. It could have been someone that she met at school. Either way, I think that it ended tragically and one of the reasons that the culprit may have been able to get away for so long is because people – particularly law enforcement – chose to put all of their resources into questioning Bundy.

People chose to focus on serial killers because they do not like the idea of someone from their own community being responsible for a horrific crime.

http://web.archive.org/web/20200707115440/https://web.archive.org/web/20060621144017/http://tedbundy.com/errata/freebies/Ted%20Bundy%20Multiagency%20Investigative%20Team%20Report%201992%20from%20tedbundy.com.pdf

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.