Serial killer Ted Bundy is linked to another Utah teenager's 1974 killing through DNA testing

DNA has now connected notorious serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 murder of another Utah teenager, authorities announced on Tuesday. This revelation comes exactly 52 years after the discovery of Melissa Ann Smith's body in the woods, which had long remained an open cold case. Bundy, who died in 1989, has been responsible for the deaths of at least 30 women and girls across multiple states during the 1970s, with a total count likely higher due to the growth of DNA testing capabilities.

Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson confirmed that Bundy was responsible for Smith's death, bringing closure to a case that had baffled investigators for decades. The breakthrough came through DNA evidence found on Smith and Laura Aime, another of Bundy's victims whose case was resolved last April in Utah County. Bundy's DNA had been on file in Florida, where he was convicted and ultimately executed, providing crucial proof of his guilt.

Investigators determined that Smith's death exhibited clear signs of Bundy's "pattern, motive, means, and opportunity," further supporting the link between the notorious killer and the 17-year-old victim. Utah's state crime lab played a pivotal role in this case, having recently acquired advanced technological capabilities that enabled them to make this remarkable connection nearly 50 years after the original crime.