Ted Bundy’s link to teen found dead in 1974 confirmed 37 years after his execution

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: A forensic DNA match has given Utah investigators a definitive answer in a teenage girl’s killing that remained unresolved for exactly 52 years. 

Authorities announced Tuesday, October 27 that Ted Bundy was responsible for the 1974 murder of Melissa Ann Smith, who was 17 when she was killed.

Bundy was executed in Florida in 1989, meaning the finding comes long after he could have faced questioning or prosecution for Smith’s killing.

DNA match finally gives answers!

The path to identifying Smith’s killer began with another Utah teenager, Laura Ann Aime. 

She disappeared on Halloween night in 1974 after leaving a party.

Her body was discovered on November 27, 1974, by hikers near American Fork Canyon. 

Bundy had been suspected of killing Aime for years. He had arrived at the University of Utah to study law shortly before her disappearance, and investigators had long examined his possible involvement in the case.

A major development came when DNA evidence recovered from Aime’s body was matched to Bundy through forensic testing and a DNA database.

That result helped Utah County investigators revisit other unsolved cases, including Smith’s. Investigators subsequently connected the DNA evidence from Smith’s case to the findings in Aime’s investigation.

Smith’s body was discovered by hunters on October 27, 1974, in a wooded area near the boundary between Summit and Salt Lake counties.

Investigators collected evidence at the time, and crucial material was preserved over the decades.

Detectives reexamined the evidence from Smith’s case alongside the DNA findings from Aime’s investigation. A highly similar DNA profile associated with Bundy was found in evidence collected during Smith’s autopsy, linking him to her killing.

Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said the DNA evidence was not considered in isolation. She said it was consistent with other evidence concerning the killer’s pattern, motive, means and opportunity, establishing Bundy’s responsibility for Smith’s murder.

The case highlights the importance of preserving evidence, even when an investigation remains unresolved for decades. 

Smith’s family gets long-awaited answer

Authorities have informed Smith’s family that the investigation has been resolved. 

Officials said they had been in contact with Smith’s next of kin, none of whom still live in the area.

Bundy’s death has not prevented investigators from examining whether he was responsible for other killings.

He confessed to multiple killings before his execution, but not every crime attributed to him was conclusively established.

Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair on January 24, 1989.