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Melissa Ann Smith, daughter of a Utah police chief, was killed in 1974; 52 years later, DNA tests confirm Ted Bundy did it
DNA evidence has conclusively linked serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 murder of Melissa Ann Smith in Utah, solving a cold case after nearly 52 years.
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Melissa Ann Smith's body was found by a deer hunter in a remote forested area near Utah's Park City on October 27, 1974. Nearly 52 years later, a DNA investigation made a breakthrough in the case, linking serial killer Ted Bundy to the murder conclusively.
17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith was the daughter of the then police chief of Midvale, a suburb south of Salt Lake City, Utah. She was last seen on the evening of October 18, 1974, after leaving a friend at a pizza parlor in Midvale. She was found dead with marks of torture and rape on her body.
Authorities long suspected Ted Bundy was behind the murder. But so far, there was no confirmed evidence linking Bundy to the death. Two days before Ted Bundy's execution on October 24, 1989, he had vaguely mentioned Smith to Salt Lake County detective Dennis Couch. Smith had said he was unable to distinguish the names, unlike his 30 other victims, whom he identified.
On Tuesday, October 27, that changed as the Utah State Crime Lab announced a breakthrough in the cold case, thanks to a DNA profile match.
DNA evidence confirms Ted Bundy was behind Melissa Ann Smith's killing
Margaret Olsen, the attorney of Summit County, Utah, said at a press conference Tuesday that a DNA profile recovered from another of Ted Bundy's victims, Laura Ann Aime, matched Melissa Ann Smith's. The confirmation first came in July this year.
"This DNA evidence, when considered alongside evidence related to pattern, motive, means, and opportunity, establishes that Ted Bundy was responsible for Melissa Ann Smith's murder," attorney Olson said.
"Although Ted Bundy is no longer alive to face prosecution, advances in forensic science and the continued dedication of law enforcement professionals have helped provide answers in a case that has remained unsolved for over 50 years."
Stored evidence becomes key in unravelling deadlock
Key to the discovery and closure of the half-a-decade-old cold case was stored evidence and a tip last year. The Sheriff of Salt Lake County Rose Rivera revealed that a detective from Summit County reached out to her office with a lead in July 2025. The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office was able to locate the original reports on the investigation that eventually became key to the Ted Bundy link.
"We owe that to the families of these cold cases," the Sheriff said. Melissa Ann's Smith's family, however, refused to attend the press conference.
Ted Bundy confessed to murdering 30 women and girls between 1973 and 1978. Authorities suspect he may be linked to more deaths. Bundy escaped police custody twice in 1977, leading to multi-state manhunts for nearly a year.
He committed the Chi Omega murders, and the Kimberley Leach murders while on the run. He was arrested for the final time on February 15, 1978, in Florida.
10 years later, after multiple stays and appeals, Bundy was executed in the electric chair at the Florida State Prison in Starke on January 24, 1989. He was 42 then.
