Kerry May-Hardy

*This article includes details of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and/or rape. Discretion is advised.*

## Kerry May-Hardy

### Cause of death

Unknown

**Kerry May May-Hardy** (April 3, 1950 - June 13, 1972) was a young woman who is suspected to have been murdered by Ted Bundy or Gary Ridgway in Seattle or Ronald, Washington, on June 13, 1972. If either killer murdered her, she would be their first known murder victim.

She was identified in June 2011.

## Background

Kerry was born on April 3, 1950, in Seattle, Washington. Details surrounding her life are unavailable.

## Disappearance

Kerry was last seen hitchhiking in Seattle, Washington on June 13, 1972. She was never seen again. Her mother reported her missing shortly after.

## Discovery

Kerry's remains were unearthed by construction workers at a golf course in Ronald, Washington, on September 6, 2010. Her gold wedding band and some blue clothing material were found with her.

## Aftermath

### Initial Aftermath

The initial aftermath of Kerry's disappearance is unknown, because it wasn't highly publicized. What is known is that her case remained an unsolved disappearance for decades.

After the discovery of Kerry's remains in 2010, they remained unidentified. The remains were determined to be those of a White or Hispanic woman, between 5'4 and 5'10, and believed to be between 19 and 40. She was believed to have died between the 1960s and the early 1990s. She had distinctive, extensive dental work, and her teeth were "fairly straight."

### Identification

In 2011, Kerry's family contacted police, asking them to compare Kerry with the then-unidentified remains, as they felt the reconstruction closely resembled Kerry. A DNA sample from the remains matched a DNA sample Kerry's family submitted in 2004, leading to Kerry's positive identification in June 2011. In 1972, the location of her grave was a heavily wooded area.

### Gary Ridgway as a suspect

The DNA sample Kerry's family submitted in 2004 was collected during the investigation into Gary Ridgway, also known as the *Green River Killer*, in attempts to identify any other victims. Kerry's DNA didn't match any of Ridgway's known unidentified victims, and it's unknown if Ridgway was ever asked about Kerry, nor did he confess to her murder, though he's believed to have murdered more women than he confessed to.

While the possibility hasn't been highlighted since 2004, Ridgway has not been ruled out as a suspect in Kerry's murder.

### Ted Bundy as a suspect

A much more highlighted theory is that Kerry was a victim of serial killer Ted Bundy. She fit Bundy's known victim profile, and the date of her disappearance wasn't long before his known murder spree.

The location of Bundy's mass grave at Taylor Mountain was only five miles away from Kerry's burial site. Bundy never confessed to Kerry's murder, though he may have murdered more women than he confessed to. Bundy and Kerry also had a mutual acquaintance, though it's unknown if they knew each other.

Bundy was executed in January 1989, and remains a suspect in Kerry's murder.

## Sources

* Ted Bundy on Wikipedia
* Gary Ridgway on Wikipedia
* Kerry May-Hardy at *Find a Grave*
* Washington State Archives
* Kittitas County Sheriff
* *The Spokesman-Review* (subscription required)