Utah authorities have linked another 1974 cold-case murder to the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy, who was executed for his crimes in 1989. Summit County authorities said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon that DNA evidence connected Bundy to the killing of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith.
Glimpse Into Ted Bundy’s Crimes
Ted Bundy was convicted of three murders in Florida, but admitted to 30 murders across several states, including Utah, Colorado, Washington, and North Florida, between 1974 and 1978, before he was executed.
However, police are convinced that he committed closer to 100, and with modern DNA testing, they have been able to connect more killings to him, including Melissa Ann Smith and 17-year-old Laura Ann Aime, which police announced earlier this year.
Bundy was a sick man who relished the spotlight and found joy in the harm he brought to many women and their families. He was first arrested on August 16, 1975, after being pulled over by a Utah officer, who conducted a search of his vehicle.
The officer found handcuffs, a crowbar, rope, and masks in the Volkswagen Beetle, and Bundy was later convicted of the aggravated kidnapping of Carol DaRonch. While serving his sentence, he was extradited to Utah to stand trial for the murder of nurse Caryn Campbell.
Bundy acted as his own attorney, and he successfully escaped for the first time through the courthouse’s second-story window on June 7, 1977.
More Cases Solved Through DNA Testing
The Utah State Crime Lab successfully connected DNA evidence from Aime’s body, which was found in a wooded area 27 days after her disappearance on November 27, 1974, to that of the late Bundy in April of this year. Months later, they were able to match samples found on Smith’s body to the serial killer, and authorities say that both murders occurred the same year.
“Although Ted Bundy is no longer alive to face prosecution, advances in forensic science and continued dedication of law enforcement professionals have helped provide answers in a case that has remained unsolved for over 50 years,” Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said at Tuesday’s news conference.
“Most importantly, we remember Melissa Ann Smith and the somber significance of finally bringing this investigation to a close.”
Three months after Aime’s case was closed, Olson said that the Utah State Crime Lab’s forensic officials began testing the DNA on Smith’s body and quickly got a match. The Summit County attorney said the positive DNA evidence was “considered alongside evidence related to pattern, motive, means and opportunity,” which pointed to Bundy as the culprit.
Summit County Sheriff Kacey Bates asserted that Bundy had always been a primary suspect in Smith’s murder, saying “although there was much speculation regarding a suspect at the time, a suspect was never named, and the case was never officially closed.”
More Victims to Come
Officials announced earlier this year that they are working through more cold cases and have suggested that three of them from the mid-1970s are likely to be victims of Bundy, but it has yet to be confirmed. Those victims include 16-year-old Nancy Wilcox, 15-year-old Susan Curtis, and 17-year-old Deborah Smith.
Although Bundy did not confess to killing these women, they are suspected victims due to the geographical location as well as their physical appearance. Survivor Kathy Kleiner Rubin shed some light on the serial killer, saying that he had always portrayed himself “as the good guy.”
“Then at night, he would turn into another thing,” Rubin told PEOPLE in 2023. “That’s when he would go hunting for women. He killed most of his victims in their bedrooms at night. He wanted to take their souls and keep them, not face them and fight them.”
