Investigators implicated Ted Bundy in the 1974 Utah killing of a 17-year-old girl
Authorities announced Tuesday that DNA evidence links Ted Bundy to the 1974 murder of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in Utah. Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said investigators were satisfied Bundy was responsible. Utah County Sgt. Mike Reynolds said a highly similar DNA profile linked to Bundy was found in evidence from Smith’s autopsy.
More context
On Tuesday, authorities said DNA now implicates Ted Bundy in Smith’s 1974 Utah killing, 52 years after a hunter found the 17-year-old’s body in the woods. Olson said the case evidence had persuaded investigators that Bundy killed Smith, after it remained unsolved for decades. Olson said the killing also bore the hallmarks of Bundy’s “pattern, motive, means and opportunity.”
According to Utah County Sgt. Mike Reynolds, testing of Smith’s autopsy material produced a DNA profile that closely matched Bundy’s. Investigators connected the case to that of Laura Aime, another Bundy victim whose case Utah County officials resolved in April. Bundy was executed in 1989 and killed at least 30 women and girls. Authorities are also working to solve the death of 16-year-old Nancy Wilcox, considered another likely Utah victim.
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Reporting
- ABC News (Australia) — DNA links serial killer Ted Bundy to death of teenage girl in 1974 - ABC News
- BBC News — Serial killer Ted Bundy linked to teenage girl's murder after 52 years
- CBS News — Serial killer Ted Bundy linked to another Utah teenager's cold case murder through DNA testing, prosecutor says - CBS News
- PBS News — Authorities say serial killer Ted Bundy is responsible for the 1974 murder of another Utah teenage girl | PBS News
- WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore — Ted Bundy linked to another Utah teen's 1974 murder: Prosecutor - WBAL
- The Guardian — DNA links serial killer Ted Bundy to 1974 murder of Utah girl
Verifier’s note
ABC News Australia, BBC, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, WBAL, and The Guardian report that DNA evidence linked Bundy to the 1974 killing of Melissa Ann Smith, matching the proposed claim. These reports were published on October 27–28, 2026, so the event is current.