Utah Pins 1970s Murder on Ted Bundy

DNA connects serial killer Ted Bundy to the death of a Utah teenager, authorities announced Tuesday, exactly 52 years after her body was discovered in the woods by a hunter. Investigators are satisfied that Bundy was responsible for killing 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in 1974, Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said at a news conference. Besides DNA evidence, Smith's death had the hallmarks of Bundy's "pattern, motive, means, and opportunity," Olson said. Investigators were able to close the cold case by making crucial DNA connections between Smith and Laura Ann Aime, another Bundy victim whose case was resolved last April in Utah County.

"This case demonstrates the importance of preserving evidence," said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera, per the AP. "With every case closure, may we stomp the memory of Ted Bundy out," Utah County Sgt. Mike Reynolds added. Bundy has been dead since 1989, but the tally of his confirmed victims continues to grow due to advances in DNA testing. He killed at least 30 women and girls in multiple states in the 1970s, and many more escaped or survived with injuries. This file was updated following the news conference.