Ted Bundy claims another victim four decades after being sentenced to death

George Bunn
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:38:56 +0000

Ted Bundy has claimed another victim four decades after his execution after new analysis closed a 54-year-old case.

Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith declared the case officially closed on Wednesday following a breakthrough in DNA research that provided irrefutable evidence linking Bundy to the murder of Laura Ann Aime in 1974.

Ms Aime, went missing on the night of October 31, 1974, after leaving a party alone to make a purchase from a convenience store, the Utah County Sheriff's Office said.

Her body was found by two college students on Thanksgiving Day that year, according to authorities, who added her body was found tossed several feet from the highway near State Road 92 in the American Fork Canyon.

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Investigators found her body bound, beaten and unclothed, with evidence suggesting methods consistent with Bundy's established pattern of violence.

Although the serial killer acknowledged his involvement in Aime's death prior to his 1989 execution, he offered no specific details about the crime. Authorities at the time deemed this verbal admission insufficient grounds for closing the investigation.

The Utah County Sheriff's Office and Utah County Attorney's Office refused to accept Bundy's confession alone, determining the available evidence and forensic capabilities of that era would not have secured a conviction.

The case therefore remained officially open, with other potential perpetrators not formally excluded.

The breakthrough came courtesy of technology acquired by Utah's state crime laboratory in 2023, which permits DNA extraction from samples that are small, degraded by time, or contaminated with genetic material from multiple individuals.

Forensic analysts had meticulously preserved evidence from the original investigation, enabling them to identify portions most likely to yield viable DNA samples, according to Beau Mason, Commissioner for Utah Department of Public Safety.

This advanced equipment allowed scientists to isolate a single male DNA profile from bodily fluids recovered from the victim. When submitted to a national law enforcement database, the profile matched Bundy's genetic record.

Mr Mason indicated this confirmed DNA profile could now assist other agencies investigating unsolved cases long suspected of being Bundy's handiwork.

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Sergeant Mike Reynolds noted that another case linked to the serial killer is also approaching closure, suggesting additional families may soon receive similar answers.

Michelle Impala, who was just 12 when her elder sister was killed, expressed gratitude to investigators and the media for maintaining interest in the case after more than five decades.

"It's really quite amazing that people are even still interested in Laura's case," she remarked. "I know that Laura would be really happy to know that it's been closed. Just to know that Ted Bundy is gnashing his teeth in hell... that's what they deserve."

Ms Impala recalled sharing a bedroom with her sister on the family farm and riding horses together, remembering how Laura would feed her horse red liquorice treats.

One of America's most notorious serial killers, Bundy terrorised multiple American states between 1974 and 1978, with at least 30 confirmed murders attributed to him.

He escaped custody twice before his final capture in Florida, where he killed two sorority house students and a 12-year-old girl.

His execution took place on January 24, 1989.

Budy's final words before his execution in Florida's electric chair were: "I'd like you to give my love to my family and friends."