Crime · Summit County
DNA Links Ted Bundy to 1974 Killing of Utah Teenager in Summit County
Authorities announced Tuesday that DNA evidence connects serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 death of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, whose body was found in Summit County, Utah, nine days after she disappeared. Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said investigators are satisfied Bundy killed Smith based on DNA found on her and another victim, Laura Aime, whose case was resolved last April in Utah County. The breakthrough relied on new technology acquired by Utah's state crime lab in 2023 that can extract DNA from small or degraded samples. Officials noted the closure does not end all Bundy-related investigations, including the 1974 death of 16-year-old Nancy Wilcox still being worked by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.