DNA Confirms Ted Bundy Killed Laura Aime in 1974

Advanced DNA testing has confirmed that notorious serial killer Ted Bundy murdered 17-year-old Laura Ann Aime, who vanished from a Halloween party in Utah County on October 31, 1974, authorities announced Wednesday.

Aime was last seen leaving the gathering in Lehi to buy cigarettes at a nearby store. Her naked body was discovered about a month later, on November 27, by hikers along an embankment near American Fork Canyon Road. She had been raped, strangled, bound and beaten, with evidence suggesting she may have been held alive for several days after her abduction. The case remained unsolved for decades despite long-standing suspicions that Bundy was responsible.

Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith detailed the breakthrough during a news conference, explaining that new forensic techniques, developed in partnership with the Utah Department of Public Safety crime lab, analyzed bodily fluids collected from Aime's body. The testing separated mixed DNA profiles to isolate a single male contributor, which matched a profile of Bundy on file from Florida. "We can now say, without a doubt, Ted Bundy did kill Laura Ann Aime," Smith said. "This case is now officially closed."