DNA Links Ted Bundy to Utah Teen's 1974 Murder, Officials Say
More than five decades after a Utah teenager was found dead in the woods, authorities say new DNA testing has confirmed what many long suspected: serial killer Ted Bundy was responsible.
Officials announced Tuesday that Bundy killed 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in 1974. The announcement came exactly 52 years after her body was discovered.
A Cold Case Finally Closed
Smith, whose father was the police chief in Midvale, just south of Salt Lake City, vanished on Oct. 18, 1974. She had been at a pizza parlor and a restaurant before she disappeared, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Nine days later, a hunter found her body in the woods in Summit County, east of Salt Lake City. Her killing remained one of Utah's most haunting unsolved cases for half a century.
For decades, the case was listed as cold. Now, investigators say a "highly similar DNA profile" linked to Bundy was found in evidence collected during Smith's autopsy, Utah County Sgt. Mike Reynolds said, according to PBS NewsHour.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said investigators are satisfied Bundy was responsible. She said Smith's death had the hallmarks of Bundy's "pattern, motive, means and opportunity."
How New Technology Cracked the Case
The breakthrough was made possible by advances in forensic science. In 2023, Utah's state crime lab got new technology that can pull DNA from samples that are small, degraded or mixed with other genetic material, The Associated Press reported.
Investigators compared DNA found on Smith with DNA from another Bundy victim, Laura Aime, and with Bundy's own DNA, which has been kept on file in Florida.
Aime's case was resolved in April, when officials announced that DNA evidence linked Bundy to her murder in Utah County. Aime, who was also 17, disappeared on Halloween night in 1974 after leaving a party to walk to a nearby convenience store, less than two weeks after Smith vanished. Hikers found her body about a month later. Investigators also found DNA connections between the two cases.
"This case demonstrates the importance of preserving evidence," said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.
Reynolds put it more bluntly. "With every case closure, may we stomp the memory of Ted Bundy out," he said, according to ABC News Australia.
Smith's Family
Smith's parents have since died. Officials said they contacted her remaining relatives, none of whom still live in the area. The family declined to attend the news conference or speak with reporters.
Bundy's Trail of Violence
Bundy was living in Salt Lake City and attending law school at the University of Utah when Smith and Aime were killed. He killed at least 30 women and girls across several states in the 1970s, and many others escaped or survived his attacks with injuries. Authorities say he had victims in Washington, Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Florida.
He was executed in Florida's electric chair in 1989 for the 1978 murders of two women at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University. In his final days, he confessed to a number of killings, including some that were previously unknown. Not all of his confessions have been confirmed.
Investigators in Utah aren't done yet. They are now working to solve the death of 16-year-old Nancy Wilcox, who is considered another likely Bundy victim in the state. Wilcox disappeared in the Salt Lake City area in October 1974, just weeks before Smith, and her body has never been found.
For families who have waited decades for answers, Smith's case is a reminder that new technology can still bring long-buried truths to light.
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