Advances in genetic testing have connected infamous serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 death of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in Utah. Authorities officially announced the breakthrough on Tuesday, resolving a cold case more than five decades after a hunter discovered her body. DNA connects serial killer Ted Bundy to the death of a Utah teenager, authorities announced Tuesday, more than 50 years after her body was discovered by a hunter.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson confirmed at a news conference that investigators are confident Bundy killed Smith. She noted that beyond the new genetic evidence, the teenager’s death perfectly matched Bundy’s established “pattern, motive, means and opportunity.”
Law enforcement closed the case by matching DNA from Smith’s autopsy to evidence gathered from Laura Aime, another Bundy victim whose Utah County case was solved in April. Utah County Sgt. Mike Reynolds explained that a virtually identical DNA profile linked to Bundy was identified during the re-examination. Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera emphasized that “this case demonstrates the importance of preserving evidence.”
Authorities have notified Smith’s surviving next of kin, though none currently reside in the local area. Commenting on the progress, Reynolds stated, “With every case closure, may we stomp the memory of Ted Bundy out.” Investigators are now focusing efforts on resolving the disappearance of 16-year-old Nancy Wilcox, who is also believed to be one of his victims in Utah.
Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair in 1989 following his conviction for the 1978 attacks at Florida State University’s Chi Omega sorority house, which left two women dead. Although he admitted to killing at least 30 women and girls across states including Utah, Florida, Colorado, Idaho, and Washington—with numerous other victims surviving or escaping—some of his death-row confessions remain unconfirmed. But the tally of his confirmed victims continues to grow due to advances in DNA testing, bundy has been dead since 1989. According to he killed at least 30 women and girls in multiple, In the 1970s, and many more escaped or survived with injuries. Including to some crimes that were previously unknown to police, he gave a series of confessions in his final days.
