Ted Bundy Linked to 1974 Melissa Ann Smith Murder
New evidence connects serial killer to cold case decades after his execution, with details expected from Summit County authorities.
Sarah Connor
Ted Bundy has been linked to another unsolved murder from the 1970s.
Law enforcement officials will disclose further investigation details and formally close the cold case at a news conference on Tuesday. The Summit County Sheriff's Office confirmed the sheriff and county attorney will provide information regarding the investigation, its findings, and the decision to close the case.
Utah authorities long believed the prolific serial killer may be responsible for Smith's murder. She is understood to be his first victim in the Beehive State.
Bundy was executed by electric chair in Florida on January 24, 1989. He admitted to killing Debby Kent and Nancy Wilcox, but denied killing Nancy Baird.
When questioned about Aime and Smith, Bundy claimed he had a hard time 'placing the names' and could not recall encountering either of them. Not all of the cases Bundy confessed to in his final days have been verified, and not all of the alleged victims' bodies have been found.
In April, Utah faced 444 unsolved death investigations, including 258 homicides. Bundy is also believed responsible for the murders of Susan Curtis, who disappeared in 1975, and Deborah Smith, whose body was found in 1976.