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Cold Case Closed
Utah authorities closed the 51-year-old cold case of Laura Ann Aime.
“Using forensic evidence and a full DNA profile of Ted Bundy, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office has now closed the case”
She disappeared on Halloween night 1974 after leaving a party to buy cigarettes.
Her bound, beaten, and naked body was found less than a month later.
Bundy had confessed prior to his 1989 execution but no physical evidence previously tied him.
New extraction techniques allowed isolation of a DNA profile that matched Bundy.
Details of the Crime
Aime was found on Thanksgiving Day by hikers in American Fork Canyon.
She had been strangled, raped, and murdered.
Investigators believed she had been kept alive for several days after abduction.
Bundy’s modus operandi was consistent with the evidence.
Bundy confessed but struggled to recall whether Aime was among his victims.
Impact and Reaction
Bundy was studying law at the University of Utah at the time of Aime's murder.
“We bring closure, hopefully, to the Aime family who have endured over 50 years in the loss of their loved one”
He went on to kill at least 30 women and girls across several states.
The case underscores how advances in forensic science can solve long-cold crimes.
The Sheriff's Office acknowledged the emotional toll on Aime's loved ones.