At a Glance

• DNA evidence has linked serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 killing of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in Utah.

• Investigators confirmed the connection more than 50 years after Smith’s body was discovered.

• Authorities said the case highlights the importance of preserving forensic evidence.

• Bundy was executed in Florida in 1989 after being convicted of two murders.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Evidence Preservation: “This case demonstrates the importance of preserving evidence.” — Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.

• Cold Case Investigation: “With every case closure, may we stomp the memory of Ted Bundy out.” — Sergeant Mike Reynolds, Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

• Focus Area: Advances in DNA testing have helped investigators resolve a decades-old murder case and add to the confirmed record of Bundy’s victims.

Utah authorities announced Tuesday that DNA evidence connects Ted Bundy to the killing of Melissa Ann Smith, whose body was discovered by a hunter in 1974. The Summit County prosecutor’s office said investigators were satisfied that Bundy was responsible for her death.

Smith was 17 when she was killed. The case remained unresolved for decades until investigators compared forensic evidence from her autopsy with DNA recovered from another Bundy victim.

Sergeant Mike Reynolds of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said investigators identified similarities between Smith’s case and the killing of Laura Aime. The DNA analysis identified a highly similar Y-chromosome profile, a type of DNA passed through the paternal line and found in males.

Utah County officials presented the DNA findings to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office on October 7. Authorities have contacted Smith’s next of kin, none of whom still live in the area.

Bundy killed at least 30 women and girls across several US states during the 1970s, while other victims survived attacks. Investigators have continued examining older cases as forensic methods improve, although not all crimes Bundy discussed before his death have been independently confirmed.

Bundy was executed by electric chair in Florida in 1989 after being convicted of killing two women at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University in 1978.

FYI

A cold case is a criminal investigation that remains unresolved for an extended period, often because evidence or leads were insufficient to identify a suspect. Advances in DNA analysis can allow investigators to revisit preserved biological evidence and compare it with profiles developed in later investigations.

Y-chromosome DNA analysis focuses on genetic material passed along the paternal line. It can help narrow investigative possibilities, but a matching or highly similar profile must be interpreted alongside other evidence to establish a case-specific conclusion.