Over 50 years after the tragic death of 17-year-old Laura Ann Aime, investigators have officially closed the cold case, utilizing modern DNA technology to confirm that infamous serial killer Ted Bundy was her murderer.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) announced that semen swabbed from Aime’s remains in 1974 was recently tested and matched directly to Bundy’s DNA profile stored in a Florida database.
Aime disappeared on Halloween night in 1974. Witnesses reported seeing the teenager leave a local party alone to visit a convenience store, but she never made it back. Nearly a month later, her body was discovered discarded alongside a highway in American Fork Canyon.
According to authorities, Aime had been severely beaten, bound, and left naked. Investigators concluded that she was ultimately strangled with a nylon stocking and believed she was kept alive for several days following her initial abduction.
The horrifying details mirrored the known modus operandi of Bundy, who was studying law at the University of Utah during the time of Aime's disappearance. Although Bundy vaguely acknowledged his culpability in the days leading up to his 1989 execution—having confessed to the murders of roughly 30 women across several states—the case remained officially unsolved pending definitive proof.
That definitive proof arrived after the UCSO reopened a string of cold cases in 2025, applying new forensic advancements to reexamine decades-old evidence.
"The results were magnificent, as they confirmed irrefutably that DNA evidence recovered from Laura’s body verified the existence of DNA belonging to Bundy," the UCSO announced in a press release.
In a recent press conference, Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Reynolds addressed the enduring trauma the murder inflicted on the community and Aime's loved ones.
"Laura Aime is the quintessential daughter of Utah County," Reynolds stated. "We felt the pain the family feels when she was taken. We felt the pain that you felt this whole entire time, and we've had the desire to deliver to you some type of healing, we can't really say closure."
While the DNA match brings an end to the half-century mystery, authorities remain focused on honoring the teenager's memory. Friends and family remembered Aime as a vibrant, outgoing free spirit who loved horseback riding, hunting, and the outdoors. She was celebrated for her deep warmth and generosity, often spending her own pocket money on candy just to see the joy it brought to her younger siblings' faces.