Utah Authorities Link Ted Bundy to 1974 Killing of 17-Year-Old Melissa Ann Smith

Utah authorities announced Tuesday that DNA evidence ties serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 murder of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, more than 50 years after a hunter found her body. Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said at a press conference that the Utah State Crime Lab found the Y-STR DNA profile from Laura Aime's body matched the profile from Smith's body. She said that evidence, together with pattern, motive, means and opportunity, establishes Bundy was responsible. Summit and Salt Lake County investigators had led the Smith case, then partnered with Utah County after it made progress in a related case. Utah County closed the Aime case this year; Aime, also 17, vanished on Halloween 1974, and authorities linked her death to Bundy in April. Bundy was executed in Florida's electric chair in 1989 and has been linked to at least 30 killings in several states. A vial of his blood, drawn in 1978, was found in 2011 and its profile entered into the FBI database.

CBS News, the left-leaning outlet, leads with the DNA breakthrough and a growing tally of confirmed victims. It adds background on the 2011 discovery of Bundy's blood vial, the FBI database, the April Aime finding and the Chi Omega sorority murders. Its opening relies on the Summit County prosecutor's conclusion without quoting her. The Washington Examiner, on the right, leads with officials closing the cold case and details how the counties cooperated. It quotes Olson's statement on the Y-STR match and the supporting evidence, and it notes Bundy's execution 37 years ago and the states where he killed. Both agree on the core facts: Smith's age, the 1974 date, the DNA link and the Aime connection. They differ mainly in emphasis, with CBS focusing on forensic history and the Examiner on the investigation and the official's words. NewsNation's brief item largely matches both.