DNA evidence has linked notorious serial killer Ted Bundy to the murder of a Utah teenager more than five decades after her body was discovered by a hunter, authorities announced on Tuesday.
Although Bundy was executed in 1989, advances in DNA technology have continued to uncover evidence connecting him to previously unresolved killings. He is known to have murdered at least 30 women and girls across several US states during the 1970s, while numerous others survived attacks or escaped.
According to CNN, Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said investigators were confident that Bundy was responsible for the death of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in 1974. Her killing had remained an unsolved case for decades.
Olson said the DNA findings, combined with similarities between the circumstances of Smith’s death and Bundy’s established modus operandi, provided compelling evidence linking him to the crime.
Investigators eventually resolved the case by identifying significant DNA links between Smith and Laura Aime, another victim of Bundy whose murder was linked to him in April last year in Utah County.
Utah County Sergeant Mike Reynolds said forensic testing had identified a DNA profile closely matching Bundy’s in evidence collected during Smith’s autopsy.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera highlighted the importance of retaining forensic evidence, saying the case demonstrated how preserved evidence could help investigators solve crimes long after they occurred.
Authorities have contacted Smith’s surviving family members, although none of them currently lives in the area.
Reynolds said resolving cases involving Bundy was an important step towards bringing closure to victims’ families.
“With every case closure, may we stomp the memory of Ted Bundy out,” he reportedly said.
Bundy was executed by electric chair in Florida in 1989 after being convicted of murdering two women at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University in 1978.
In the final days before his execution, he confessed to several crimes, including some that had not previously been known to investigators. However, authorities have yet to independently establish his responsibility for every crime he claimed to have committed.
Investigators have also attributed killings to Bundy in Colorado, Idaho and Washington state, in addition to Florida and Utah.
Authorities are continuing efforts to resolve other suspected cases linked to the serial killer, including the disappearance and presumed killing of 16-year-old Nancy Wilcox in Utah, who is believed to have been among his victims.
