Authorities in the US have officially closed a case that has been open for more than five decades, after modern DNA technology confirmed the identity of a teenage girl as the victim of one of the most notorious serial killers in history.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office announced that 17-year-old Laura Ann Aime, who disappeared in October 1974, has been definitively identified as a victim of Ted Bundy.
The young woman had left a party on Halloween night and was reported missing. Her body was found about a month later by some hikers in a mountainous area.
According to authorities, new DNA testing confirmed "without a doubt" the presence of Bundy's genetic material in evidence collected from the scene.
Although Bundy had previously confessed to her murder before his execution in 1989, he had not provided details about the crime. For this reason, investigators kept the case open until definitive evidence was obtained.
"This case is now officially closed," Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith said during a press conference.
Ted Bundy murdered at least 30 women between 1974 and 1978, and is suspected of many more victims in several US states.
At the time of Aime's disappearance, he was living in Salt Lake City and studying law at the University of Utah.
Bundy was known for the way he gained the trust of victims in public places, often by posing as a victim or using personal charm, before leading them to secluded areas.
Authorities stressed that, if Bundy were still alive today, he would face the maximum sentence.
The case of Laura Ann Aime thus closes after 51 years, giving the family and community a belated form of justice for one of Utah's oldest unsolved crimes.