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Ted Bundy linked to 1974 Utah murder via DNA
Authorities in Utah have officially linked notorious serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 murder of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith. The breakthrough came through advanced forensic DNA testing, which allowed investigators to connect evidence from Smith’s case to another homicide involving Bundy that was resolved earlier this year.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson and Sheriff Kacey Bates announced the findings during a press conference, noting that the investigation into Smith’s death—which had remained a cold case for 52 years—is now closed. The decision was based on a combination of genetic matches and the victim's death exhibiting Bundy’s established criminal patterns, motives, and means.
Bundy, who was executed in Florida in 1989, is believed to have killed at least 30 women and girls across several states during the 1970s. The resolution of this case was made possible by new laboratory technology implemented in 2023, which can extract usable DNA from small or highly degraded samples.
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Laura Ann Aime · Melissa Ann Smith · Summit County · Summit County Sheriff's Office · Summit County Sheriff’s Office · Ted Bundy · Utah