The site where Ted Bundy dumped the remains of Laura Ann Aime
Crime Scene Location in Salt Lake City, Utah
This is the site where serial killer Ted Bundy dumped the remains of Laura Ann Aime.
It is situated on Utah State Route 92 in American Fork, Utah.
Aime disappeared after leaving a cafe in Lehi on the night of October 31st, 1974.
Nearly one month later, on November 27th, two university students discovered her remains at the bottom of this creek bank in American Fork Canyon.
That morning, the students were out looking for fossils when one of them noticed Aime's naked body.
The 17-year-old was lying face down, about 10 meters from the interstate. A nylon stocking had been tightly wrapped around her neck.
Fearing that the perpetrator might still be in the area, the pair immediately left the scene and drove to the nearest ranger station.
During the investigation, it was determined that the young girl's killer had struck her over the head, raped her, and then strangled her to death. Following the brutal murder, the offender dumped her body down the side of this embankment.
Although Ted Bundy did not confess to Aime's murder, the transcript from his death row confession shows that he made no effort to deny it. Instead, he suggested that they could talk about it at a later stage.
The crime bore all of the hallmarks of one of his murders, including the victim profile. To add to this, tire track patterns in the immediate area proved to be a match with Bundy's Volkswagen Bug.
At the time of Aime's murder, Bundy was living in Salt Lake City and actively targeting women in the area.
Consequently, the authorities were certain of his involvement.
Laura Ann Aime: Crime scene location
The address and the GPS coordinates for this location are as follows:
Address
Utah State Route 92, Salt Lake City, Utah, UT 84004, USA
GPS coordinates
The latitude and longitude coordinates for the site are:
40.444871, -111.698120
Directions
The site is about half a mile east of the visitor center at Timpanogos Cave.
Photos
Photos of the site and other related images.
Aerial image
This is a labeled aerial image of the site. The yellow line highlights the trail that the two students were walking along when they spotted the body.
If you look closely, you will see that there are two pullout areas on either side of the dump site. One is at the entrance to the trail.
Tire tracks matching Bundy's Volkswagen Bug were recorded at one of these pullout areas.
The most plausible scenario is that he abducted Aime in Lehi or American Fork and then drove to this secluded spot outside of Salt Lake City.
The route in question is 10 miles long. It would have taken him roughly 20 minutes to drive to this location.
Aime's autopsy
Aime's autopsy revealed that her skull and jawbone were both fractured.
Judging by Bundy's M.O. in other attacks, it is likely that he incapacitated the teenager by striking her on the head with a crowbar.
The Knotty Pine cafe in Lehi
There are a number of conflicting reports about Aime's whereabouts on the night of October 31st, 1974.
A number of authors claim that she began her evening by attending a house party in Orem, while others make no mention of such a party.
However, almost every source states that she was at the Knotty Pine cafe for a period of time.
The cafe in question was situated at 130 West Main Street in Lehi.
Notably, the teenager did not stay here for long, as she soon decided to leave the cafe to hitchhike to Robinson Park.
Coordinates: 40.387934, -111.851240
Aime was reportedly seen at Robinson Park
One witness claimed that they saw Aime at Robinson Park in American Fork at around midnight.
This was the last time that anyone reported seeing her alive.
That night, it seemed as though she was constantly traveling from one place to the next. The most likely explanation for this is that she was a restless 17-year-old who was trying to find the best place to hang out.
This was long before you could text people and find out where they were or what they were doing. Because it was Halloween, it is likely that groups of teenagers were socializing and partying in different areas.
Robinson Park is 3.2 miles away from the Knotty Pine cafe. If Aime did walk to the park by foot, then it would have taken her roughly an hour to do so.
Due to the distance involved, it is plausible that she attempted to hitchhike back to Lehi after she was finished at the park. By that time, it was getting late, and the temperature in the area had dipped to 45 °F (7.2 °C).
If Bundy did pull his Volkswagen Bug over to the side of the road and offer Aime a ride, she may have been keen to accept his offer.
Coordinates: 40.376653, -111.796394
Route
This aerial photograph was taken in July 1977.
We have labeled the Knotty Pine cafe and Robinson Park, as well as the two possible routes that Aime may have taken that night.
It is the author's opinion that she chose the blue route. Not only is it slightly shorter, but it would have also had more traffic. If she intended on thumbing for a ride, then it stands to reason that she would have opted to walk along the busier route.
During the 1970s, the land between Lehi and American Fork was not as built-up as it is today. Because of this, it is also possible that Bundy spotted Aime and decided to creep up on her, much like he did in the case of Nancy Wilcox.
Aerial photographs from the time show there were a number of dirt roads, parking lots, and industrial areas that he may have forced her into.
Map Viewer
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This location belongs to the following categories:
Crime ScenesSerial KillersTed Bundy Utah LocationsTed Bundy LocationsClosest Locations
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