DNA Evidence Confirms Another Victim Of Serial Killer Ted Bundy In 1974 Cold Case

Authorities in Spanish Fork, Utah, announced on Wednesday that they have definitively linked serial killer Ted Bundy to the murder of a teenager in 1974, closing the 52-year-old cold case.

Jan. 24 marked 37 years since Ted Bundy was executed in Florida after being convicted of more than a dozen murders. Though his exact number of victims is still up for speculation, authorities were able to close one cold case thanks to DNA evidence.

Per Sorina Trauntvein of WTNH, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office announced that DNA evidence linked Bundy to the 1974 murder of Laura Ann Aime, who was 17 at the time of her murder.

Police collected DNA from Aime's body and put it in the Combined NDA Index System, per Trauntvein. They got a positive match with Bundy's DNA, providing closure for Aime's family and friends more than 50 years later.

According to the Utah Department of Public Safety's website, Aime was reported missing on Oct. 31, 1974. Hikers discovered her body off an embankment in American Fork Canyon Road, Utah, a few weeks later.

If Bundy were alive, authorities would have sought the death penalty for the murder of Aime, said Sheriff Mike Smith.

Ted Bundy's Confirmed Victims Count is 20

To date, authorities have linked 20 murders to Ted Bundy. He confessed to 30 murders, though officials haven't been able to definitively link him to some of those crimes.

In 2015, DNA evidence helped police link Bundy to the 1974 murder of 17-year-old Debra Jean Kent in Utah. With the advancements in technology, authorities could still confirm more of Bundy's victims in the coming years.

Bundy managed to escape from prison twice. He was finally captured for good after a police officer in Pensacola, Florida, pulled Bundy over for a stolen vehicle. After a brief struggle, the officer arrested Bundy, finally putting an end to his cold-blooded crimes.