True-crime author Ann Rule dies at age 83

Her daughter, Leslie Rule, said her mother was surrounded by loved ones before she died. The book has sold more than 2 million copies, and Rule went on to publish dozens of bestselling tomes over the decades.

Rule died on Sunday, July 26, at the Highline Medical Center in Burien, Wash., a spokesperson for CHI Franciscan Health said in a statement. Rule was moved to hospice care the day before her death.

“She had congestive heart failure and many other health issues”, Leslie wrote.

Her books, all of which were bestsellers and according to her publishers remain in print, largely drew on true crime cases around Washington state and the Pacific north-west.

Ann Rule is a true crime writer best known for “The Stranger Beside Me“, about serial killer Ted Bundy, as well as her book about child murder Diane Downs, “Small Sacrifices” – among many other titles. On her website, it says that she wrote more than 1,4000 articles, mostly on criminal cases.

She aided the Green River Task Force as that group sought another Seattle-area serial killer, passing along tips that her readers shared.

Rule was born in 1931 in Lowell, Michigan, to a schoolteacher and a football, basketball and track coach.

According to FOX 13, prosecutors recently filed theft charges against Rule’s two sons, accusing them of taking thousands of dollars from their mother’s account.

Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand.