Authorities in the U.S. state of Utah have officially closed a 51-year-old cold case after modern DNA technology confirmed that a murdered teenager was a victim of serial killer Ted Bundy. Seventeen-year-old Laura Ann Aime went missing on Halloween night in 1974 after leaving a party. Her body was found about a month later by some hikers in the mountainous area of American Fork Canyon.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office announced that new DNA analyses "conclusively confirmed" the presence of Bundy's DNA on the victim's body.
Although Bundy had previously admitted to killing the girl before his execution in 1989, he provided no details about the crime. For this reason, investigators decided to keep the case open until they obtained irrefutable evidence, reports the BBC.
"This case is now officially closed," declared Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith during a press conference. He added that if Bundy were still alive, prosecutors would seek the death penalty against him.
Ted Bundy is considered one of the most notorious serial killers in U.S. history, having killed at least 30 women between 1974 and 1978, while being suspected of many other victims. He operated by gaining the trust of women in public places, often feigning injury, to lure them into isolated areas where he committed his crimes.
At the time of Laura Aime's murder, Bundy was living in Salt Lake City and studying law at the University of Utah. He was initially arrested in 1975 for kidnapping but managed to escape from prison twice in 1977 before being finally captured in 1978.