DNA closes Utah cold case 52 years after teen's death
DNA from a 1974 Utah murder victim now confirms Ted Bundy as the killer.
DNA has now linked serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 murder of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in Utah. Investigators matched DNA from Smith's case with evidence from another Bundy victim, Laura Aime, whose case was resolved in April.
Bundy died in 1989, but advances in DNA technology continue to connect him to more victims. Bundy killed at least 30 women and girls across multiple states in the 1970s.
This case shows why preserving evidence over decades matters.
- Melissa Ann Smith, 17, murdered 1974
- Victim and year
- 52 years from discovery to case closed
- Time to closure
- At least 30 women and girls
- Confirmed Bundy victims
- 1989, electric chair in Florida
- Bundy's execution
Why it mattersDNA advances let police solve old murders and tally the victims of serial killers, even ones long dead.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but advances in DNA testing could help detectives solve Australian cold cases.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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