Utah Sheriff's Office Links Ted Bundy to Another 1970s Cold Case Homicide

Authorities in Utah announced Tuesday that serial killer Ted Bundy has been linked to another decades-old homicide, the 1974 murder of a 17-year-old in Summit County.

The Summit County sheriff and county attorney stated they would provide details regarding the investigation and the findings that led to the conclusion and decision to close the case.

The victim's name has not yet been released, though the death of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith in 1974 had previously been listed as a cold case.

Bundy, who was executed in Florida in 1989, has been posthumously connected to an increasing number of homicides due to advancements in DNA testing. He was convicted of killing at least 30 women and girls across multiple states in the 1970s, with many more escaping or surviving attacks.

In April, Utah authorities also attributed the murder of 17-year-old Laura Ann Aime, who disappeared on Halloween in 1974, to Bundy. Bundy's final days included a series of confessions, some of which revealed previously unknown crimes that authorities have since been working to confirm.