Ted Bundy linked to 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith killing in Utah, 52 years later
Utah authorities used advanced DNA technology to connect Bundy to the October 27, 1974 slaying of the daughter of a local police chief.
Authorities in Utah say advanced DNA technology has linked Ted Bundy to the killing of a 17-year-old girl whose body was discovered by hunters 52 years ago.
New forensic links to a 1974 slaying
Investigators determined that Melissa Ann Smith — the daughter of a local police chief — was found on 27 October 1974 with evidence of rape and torture. Utah law enforcement used upgraded DNA methods to connect Bundy to her death.
Officials explained that work earlier this year on a separate cold case played a key role: in April, authorities in Utah concluded that teenager Laura Ann Aime was another victim of Bundy. Evidence recovered and analyzed in the Aime investigation was later used to help resolve the Smith case.
The newly identified link adds one more homicide to the known crimes of Ted Bundy, one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century. The developments come more than five decades after Smith’s body was found by hunters.
Investigators did not immediately release further forensic details or say whether additional charges or actions will follow, but described the case as another example of how modern DNA techniques can close decades-old mysteries.
Photo: press material from the event
