Utah officials link Ted Bundy to 1974 killing of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith through DNA

Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said the Utah State Crime Lab found that a DNA profile recovered from Smith's body matched one recovered in the case of Laura Ann Aime, another 17-year-old killed in 1974 whose case was resolved earlier this year, AP and USA Today reported. Olson said the DNA, together with evidence of pattern, motive, means and opportunity, established Bundy's responsibility.

Bundy was executed in Florida in 1989. Investigators said they are still working on the case of Nancy Wilcox, who disappeared in Utah in 1974.

Why it matters: The case shows how preserved evidence and newer DNA testing are still closing decades-old killings.