New DNA testing links 1974 unsolved death of Utah teen to serial killer Ted Bundy, sheriff says

DNA testing has definitively linked serial killer Ted Bundy to the 1974 death of a Utah teenager, closing a five-decade-old cold case, according to the sheriff's office. Investigators had long suspected Bundy's involvement based on his verbal acknowledgment of responsibility before his 1989 execution, but lacked the forensic evidence needed to formally confirm the connection. The DNA match provides closure to the victim's family and adds another confirmed victim to Bundy's documented crimes. The case had remained officially open despite investigators' suspicions, illustrating the critical role modern genetic analysis plays in resolving decades-old murders. Bundy was convicted of dozens of murders across multiple states during the 1970s, though the true scope of his killing spree remains uncertain.