SOLVED UT - Laura Ann Aime, 17, Provo, October 31, 1974 *victim of Ted Bundy, resolved April 2026*

[Seattle1]

New DNA testing links 1974 unsolved death of Utah teen to serial killer Ted Bundy, sheriff says

Investigators long suspected that Bundy was responsible — police said he verbally acknowledged his culpability leading up to his execution — but the case remained open until they could be sure.

www.pbs.org

4/1/26

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — New DNA testing has definitively linked the unsolved death of a Utah teenager in 1974 to the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy, the local sheriff's office said Wednesday.

Laura Ann Aime, 17, went missing Halloween night 51 years ago after she left a party alone to go to a convenience store. About a month later, her body was found by hikers on the side of a highway in American Fork Canyon. Aime was bound, beaten and without clothing. Authorities said the evidence indicated that she had likely been kept alive for several days after her abduction.

Investigators long suspected that Bundy was responsible — police said he verbally acknowledged his culpability leading up to his execution in Florida in 1989 — but the case remained open until they could be certain.

 

[Seattle1]

New DNA testing confirms serial killer Ted Bundy killed a Utah teen in 1974

A Utah sheriff's office says DNA testing has definitively linked the unsolved death of a Utah teenager in 1974 to the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy.

apnews.com

4/1/26

Investigators long suspected that Bundy killed her — police said he confessed without providing any details before his execution in Florida in 1989 — but the case remained open until they could be certain.

“It’s really quite amazing that people are even still interested in Laura’s case,” her sister, Michelle Impala, said at a news conference Wednesday. “Know I speak for my family when I thank you, and thank you media, too, for even caring.”

[..]

Investigators had carefully preserved the evidence from Aime’s case, and forensic analysts were able to identify portions that seemed most likely to have usable DNA samples, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said.

The state crime lab got new technology in 2023 that allows investigators to extract DNA from samples even if they are small, degraded from age or contain DNA from multiple people, he said. That technology allowed them to identify a single male DNA profile, which they submitted to a national law enforcement database.

Bundy’s DNA was a match, Mason said.

 

[Seattle1]

DNA testing confirms Ted Bundy killed Utah teen in 1974 cold case

After more than 50 years, the unsolved murder of Laura Ann Aime, 17, has been definitively linked to the serial killer, the Utah County Sheriff's Office said.

www.nbcnews.com

4/1/26

Laura Ann Aime, 17, was last seen at a Halloween party on Oct. 31, 1974. She left the party to do a convenience store run and never returned, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.


Hikers found the woman's body about a month later, down an embankment just off a mountain road. It appeared she had been strangled and severely beaten, the office said.

Before his execution in 1989, Bundy admitted to killing Aime, Sheriff Mike Smith said Wednesday. But authorities declined to accept the confession and determined the case "was unable to satisfactorily convict Bundy based upon the evidence in possession and with the available investigative sciences for the time," the sheriff's office said.

 

[Seattle1]

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/01/us/ted-bundy-murder-laura-ann-aime-utah

4/1/26

 

[Seattle1]

Utah teen identified as victim of serial killer Ted Bundy

New DNA testing has solved the 51-year-old case of murdered teenager Laura Ann Aime, according to investigators.

www.bbc.com

Ted Bundy linked to Utah murder of 17-year-old girl after DNA test

Newly tested DNA evidence has connected notorious serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 murder of a Utah teen whose body was found naked, beaten, bound and dumped in Utah.

www.usatoday.com

DNA Confirms Ted Bundy Killed Utah Teen in 1974, Investigators Say

Mr. Bundy had confessed to killing Laura Ann Aime before he was executed in 1989. Investigators said DNA testing provided conclusive proof.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Seattle1]

4/1/26

Ted Bundy killed Utah’s Laura Ann Aime, evidence confirms​

 

[Seattle1]

Ted Bundy now officially linked to 1974 murder of Utah teen

The unsolved 1974 murder of Laura Ann Aime, long suspected of being one of Ted Bundy's victims, is now closed after Bundy was conclusively linked to the teen's death.

www.ksl.com

4/1/26

 

[Seattle1]

33K views · 200 reactions | The Utah County Sheriff's Office provides new information on the murder of Laura Ann Aime in 1974. | KSL 5 TV

The Utah County Sheriff's Office provides new information on the murder of Laura Ann Aime in 1974.

www.facebook.com

4/1/26

 

[Seattle1]

4/1/25

Former KSL reporter remembers Ted Bundy era​

 

[Seattle1]

4/1/26 - Press Conference

Ted Bundy is confirmed killer of Utah County teen, investigators say​

 

[Seattle1]

4/1/26

Ted Bundy killed Utah’s Laura Ann Aime, evidence confirms​

In addition to 2023 advanced DNA testing, the good Samaritan student (Ray) from 50 years ago also deserves credit here for discovering Laura's body, and going the extra mile to contact the ranger's office and take them to the location of her body.

It was late November, and a good chance the body would have soon been covered in snow and likely not discovered until the following year. Delaying the discovery could have had a negative impact on the preservation of the DNA evidence.