UTAH INVESTIGATORS LINK TED BUNDY TO MELISSA ANN SMITH'S MURDER

Utah investigators said DNA evidence linked Ted Bundy to the 1974 murder of Melissa Ann Smith and that they are closing the investigation. Hunters found Smith's body on 27 October 1974 in woodland bordering Salt Lake and Summit counties. Authorities said her body showed signs of rape and torture. Summit County Sheriff Kacey Bates said developments in another Utah cold case brought Smith's investigation back into focus.

In April, Utah County investigators identified Bundy as Laura Ann Aime's killer using a DNA profile. Investigators said they used the same profile to establish the link to Smith's murder. A Utah County detective said in April that investigators had shared the profile with other departments to help examine further cases. Smith was the daughter of a local police chief. Bundy confessed to 28 murders before Florida executed him in 1989, and investigators have linked him to at least 30 killings across the United States.

Utah County Sgt Mike Reynolds said investigators were examining further cases involving Bundy in the state. Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera praised detectives for preserving evidence from Smith's case, saying it “demonstrates the need to preserve evidence even when decades pass”. Rivera said advances in forensic work allow investigators to revisit old cases. The director of the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services said in April that the state had 444 unsolved death investigations, including 258 homicides. Rivera told victims in other cold cases “that there is hope out there”.