SPANISH FORK, Utah (KUTV) — The death of a Lehi teen has been definitely connected to the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
Laura Ann Aime was 17 when she first went missing on Halloween night in 1974. Her body was found by hikers less than a month later, undressed and in an embankment near American Fork Canyon Road.
Her case was listed by the Utah Department of Public Safety as an unsolved homicide. While at the time it could not be definitively proven, Bundy confessed to her death on the evening before his execution.
During a press conference Tuesday, more than 50 years after Aime’s murder, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said it had finally been definitively proven Bundy committed the murder.
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“Although Bundy did claim that he committed the murder of Laura, the confession he gave was deemed to be not enough evidence to close the case and rule out any other party having had committed this crime, as had been speculated at the time,” said Sheriff Mike Smith. “Fortunately, we have had new forensics techniques become available through our partnership with the Utah Department of Public Safety crime lab that made the closure of this case possible.”
Smith said the Utah County Sheriff’s Office would have pursued the case to the fullest extent and pushed for capital punishment and the death penalty if Bundy were still alive today.
Sgt. Mike Reynolds said the Sheriff’s Office got the confirmation from the state forensics in early March. Reynolds said the Sheriff’s Office investigative team had “one or two shots” on some of the evidence, including body fluids found on Aimee’s body.
“With cold cases, we face quite a bit of particular challenges. Some of those steeper challenges in comparison to other critical cases are the integrity of the evidence,” said Reynolds. “Because we had professional officers back in 74 and because we have professional CSI, we are able today to hold that evidence 52 years, almost, later.”
Laura’s sister, Michelle, said that her family was appreciative of the evidence team for following through with the case to closure.
In total, Bundy confessed to 30 victims – including seven others in Utah – but it is believed there may have been many more.
Sheriff Smith said the forensic breakthrough will help close any open cases related to Ted Bundy. Sgt. Reynolds added that one other case is also close to closing, but did not provide further details aside from it not being a Utah County victim.
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