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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — New DNA investigating has definitively linked the unsolved decease of a Utah teen successful 1974 to the infamous serial slayer Ted Bundy, the section sheriff’s bureau said Wednesday.
Laura Ann Aime, 17, went missing Halloween nighttime 51 years agone aft she near a enactment unsocial to spell to a convenience store. About a period later, her assemblage was recovered connected the broadside of a road successful American Fork Canyon. She was bound, beaten and without clothing. Authorities said she had apt been kept live for respective days aft her abduction.
Investigators agelong suspected that Bundy was liable — constabulary said helium verbally acknowledged his culpability earlier his execution successful Florida successful 1989 — but the lawsuit remained unfastened until they could beryllium certain.
“It's truly rather astonishing that radical are adjacent inactive funny successful Laura's case,” her sister, Michelle Impala, said astatine a quality league Wednesday. “Know I talk for my household erstwhile I convey you, and convey you media, too, for adjacent caring.”
Bundy was 1 of the nation’s astir prolific serial killers, with astatine slightest 30 women and girls’ deaths linked to him successful respective states successful the 1970s. His murders — which occurred successful sorority houses, parks and elsewhere — acceptable the federation connected edge. Bundy’s apprehension drew wide fascination, successful portion due to the fact that galore considered him to beryllium charming and handsome.
Investigators had cautiously preserved the grounds from Aime’s case, and forensic analysts were capable to place portions that seemed astir apt to person usable DNA samples, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said.
The authorities transgression laboratory got caller exertion successful 2023 that allows investigators to extract DNA from samples adjacent if they are small, degraded from property oregon incorporate DNA from aggregate people, helium said. That exertion allowed them to place a azygous antheral DNA profile, which they submitted to a nationalist instrumentality enforcement database.
Bundy’s DNA was a match, Mason said.
That illustration tin present beryllium utilized by different instrumentality enforcement agencies who person agelong suspected Bundy of further unsolved killings, helium said, adding that much families could get akin closure.
“Laura Aime is the quintessential girl of Utah County,” Sgt. Mike Reynolds said. “We felt the symptom the household feels erstwhile she was taken. We felt the symptom that you felt this full full time, and we’ve had the tendency to present to you immoderate benignant of healing.”
Impala was lone 12 erstwhile her older sister died. Even with a five-year property gap, she said they were precise adjacent and did everything together. They shared a chamber connected the family's workplace successful Fairview, Utah, astir 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Provo.
“I'm a small kid conscionable pursuing her around, but we had a batch successful common," Impala said.
Impala reminisced astir about riding horses with her sister and watching Aime provender her equine licorice nibs.
“When she died, helium would not devour those anymore,” she said.
It’s not known erstwhile Bundy archetypal began his attacks, but by 1974, young women — galore of them assemblage students — began disappearing successful Washington state. Authorities were inactive investigating those cases erstwhile Bundy moved to Salt Lake City and began sidesplitting radical successful Utah, Idaho and Colorado.
At the clip of Aime’s killing, Bundy was studying instrumentality astatine the University of Utah.
In August 1975, helium was arrested for the archetypal clip successful transportation with the attacks. Police pulled him implicit and recovered incriminating items successful his conveyance including rope, handcuffs and a skis mask.
He was recovered blameworthy the pursuing twelvemonth of kidnapping and assaulting a teen successful Utah who had managed to get away. Bundy was sentenced to 15 years successful situation for that crime, and portion imprisoned helium was charged successful transportation with the earlier decease of a nursing student.
He was brought to Aspen, Colorado, for a proceeding successful that lawsuit successful 1977, and helium escaped custody by climbing retired a second-story courthouse model erstwhile helium was near unsocial for a time. He was caught aft astir a week, but escaped again six months aboriginal by breaking done the ceiling of a jail.
Bundy fled crossed the country, yet making his mode to Tallahassee, Florida. On Jan. 15, 1977, helium entered the Chi Omega sorority location astatine Florida State University, bludgeoning 2 women to decease with a ample subdivision and leaving 2 much severely injured. He past went to different location nearby, severely injuring different woman.
Less than a period later, helium abducted, sexually assaulted and killed a 12-year-old miss successful Lake City, Florida. Kimberly Leach was believed to beryllium his past unfortunate earlier helium was arrested again and executed years later.
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Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
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