New DNA testing links teen's 1974 death to serial killer Ted Bundy
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- New DNA testing has confirmed that Ted Bundy was responsible for the 1974 murder of 17-year-old Laura Ann Aime, who disappeared after leaving a Halloween party in Utah and was found dead a month later.
- Bundy had previously confessed to the killing without providing details, but the case remained open until modern forensic technology allowed investigators to extract usable DNA from preserved evidence.
- Bundy, linked to at least 30 murders across multiple states in the 1970s, was known for his charm and handsomeness, which contrasted with his brutal crimes targeting young women.
- The Utah crime lab's new DNA technology, acquired in 2023, enabled the identification of Bundy's DNA profile from aged and degraded samples, which can now assist in other unsolved cases possibly connected to Bundy.
- Bundy’s criminal history includes multiple arrests, prison escapes, and a series of violent attacks culminating in his execution in 1989; the new DNA match brings closure to Aime’s family after decades of uncertainty.
