Infamous serial killer Ted Bundy was found responsible through DNA evidence for the murder of a 17-year-old Utah girl who disappeared in 1974 before her naked body was found days later, state authorities announced at a news conference Tuesday.
The breakthrough in the investigation into Melissa Ann Smith’s death comes months after Utah County detectives confirmed in April that Bundy killed another Utah girl, 17-year-old Laura Ann Aime, in 1974.
Bundy confessed to killing Laura in a series of confessions before being executed in 1989 for two of his murders.
Laura was last seen at a Halloween party, before being found dead and severely beaten in late November 1974.
It was only this year, however, that new DNA testing confirmed Bundy’s account.
Bodily fluid extracted from Laura’s body matched Bundy’s known DNA profile, law enforcement said at the time.
This discovery triggered the closure of the investigation into Smith’s homicide.
The Y-STR DNA profile recovered from Laura’s body genetically matched that found on Melissa’s body.
“This case demonstrates the importance of preserving evidence, even after decades,” Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said Tuesday. “We have the opportunity to review these cases again and again. »
Between 1974 and 1978, Bundy went on a violent rampage, sexually assaulting and killing at least 30 women across the American West and Florida.
“The voices and cherished memories of Melissa Ann Smith and Laura Ann Aime and others involved in these cases resonate louder than the hatred and sedition of the man who took their lives,” Utah County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Mike Reynolds said Tuesday. “With every case closed, may we erase the memory of Ted Bundy.”
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