Ted Bundy referred to his first bolt for freedom as "The Great Escape." Recognizing that books, documentaries, and films concerning Bundy had completely glossed over this manhunt, Ric Conrad set out to discover what happened during that legendary week in Aspen.
With the understanding that authors have generally focused on the fugitive himself, Conrad's desire was to tell this story from the perspective of law enforcement. He tracked down, interviewed, or corresponded with thirty-six individuals who had participated in the manhunt or had crucial details concerning the event.
He puts the reader in the field: on horseback as a member of the sheriff's posse, behind the wheel of a police car as the streets of Aspen are searched, on foot in the mountains surrounding town, and in the chairs in dispatch-making the tough decisions.
Representatives from the Pitkin County Sheriff's Department, Aspen Police Department, Aspen-Pitkin County Communications Center, Colorado State Highway Patrol, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation have all shared their memories in this gripping yet campy volume.
The community's strange mix of disbelief and humor in Aspen was palpable as law enforcement members headed into the hills, in search of America's most notorious serial killer.
Ric Conrad thrives on taking deep dives into little-known stories in American history. He enjoys the research process: sifting through primary source documentation, interviewing witnesses, and assembling the narrative jigsaw pieces to provide his readers with a detailed exploration of the story "they thought they knew." Conrad's book, "Code 1244: The 1986 Mount Hood Tragedy," chronicles a high school field trip gone horribly wrong. The author spent over four years conducting research and interviewing forty people who were intimately connected with the story. The book remains the definitive source on the second-worst mountaineering tragedy in the nation's history. In the summer of 2022, Conrad was the consultant for a podcast based on Code 1244. "Against the Odds: Trapped on Mount Hood," was a five-episode immersive series broadcast by Wondery (Season 15, Episodes 1-5). Wondery boasts 23.8 million unique listeners. Code 1244 is currently being made into a three-part docuseries on a major streaming platform. The author is serving as the project's technical consultant. Conrad's book, "Six Days in Aspen: The 1977 Manhunt for Ted Bundy," tells the story of America's most notorious serial killer, escaping from custody in the resort community of Aspen, Colorado. Conrad noticed that books, documentaries, and feature films had always glossed over this manhunt. He set out to discover what happened during that memorable week in the Roaring Fork Valley. He interviewed or corresponded with, thirty-six individuals who had participated in the manhunt or had crucial details concerning the event. The oral history, gleaned from his interviews, "accurately captures the planned measures, as well as the chaos, that followed those two memorable words-Bundy escaped!"
