Utah closes 1974 Melissa Ann Smith murder case

Utah authorities have closed the 1974 murder investigation into 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, concluding that Ted Bundy was responsible after DNA evidence from another case matched evidence recovered from her body. Summit County Sheriff Kacey Bates announced the closure on October 27, 2026, the 52nd anniversary of the discovery of Smith’s body. Hunters found her in Summit County, near the border with Salt Lake County. Her mother had reported her missing on October 18, 1974. Authorities said the case had remained open, and no suspect had been officially named at the time. Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said the Utah State Crime Lab found that the YSTR DNA profile from Smith’s body matched the profile recovered in the investigation of Laura Ann Aime, another 17-year-old killed in Utah in 1974. Olson said the DNA evidence, considered with evidence relating to pattern, motive, means and opportunity, supported investigators’ conclusion that Bundy killed Smith. Officials did not release the underlying laboratory report at the announcement. The comparison became possible after investigators used evidence from Aime’s case, which Utah authorities linked to Bundy earlier in 2026...