The site where Laura Ann Aime was found

Crime Scene Location Salt Lake City, Utah

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This is the site where serial killer Ted Bundy dumped the remains of Laura Ann Aime.

It is situated off Utah State Route 92 in American Fork Canyon, Utah.

Aime was a 17-year-old who disappeared after leaving a café in Lehi on the night of October 31, 1974.

Approximately one month later, two university students discovered her remains at the bottom of this creek bank.

A police photograph of Aime's crime scene. — Detectives at the site. Credit: Captain Borax on YouTube.

Discovery

On the morning of November 27, two students were searching for fossils in the area when one of them noticed Aime's body on the bank.

She was lying facedown, about 10 meters from the highway. A nylon stocking had been tightly wrapped around her neck.

Fearing that the perpetrator might still be in the area, the pair left the scene and drove to the nearest ranger station.

An aerial map highlighting the relevant locations. — The students were walking along the yellow trail when they spotted the body. Two pullout areas are present on either side. The route between this location and American Fork is 10 miles long.

Investigators determined that Aime's killer had struck her over the head, raped her, and then strangled her. Following the murder, the offender dumped her body down the side of this embankment.

Photos of Laura Ann Aime and newspaper articles about the murder. — Aime was born in Lehi, Utah, on August 21, 1957. The police initially presumed that the body belonged to Debra Jean Kent, who had gone missing 19 days earlier.

Bundy

Although Bundy did not confess to Aime's murder, the transcript from his death row confession shows he made no effort to deny it.

Instead, he suggested that they could talk about it at a later stage.

A partial transcript of Bundy's death row confession. When questioned about Aime, Bundy asks, 'Who?' before pausing and saying, 'We will have to do this some other time.' — During the confession, it was noted that Bundy had admitted to killing 5-7 women in Utah.

The crime bore all the hallmarks of one of his murders, including the victim profile.

Additionally, tire track patterns in the immediate area matched his Volkswagen Bug.

Aime's autopsy report. — The autopsy revealed that her skull and jawbone were both fractured. Given Bundy's modus operandi, it is likely he incapacitated the teenager by striking her on the head with a crowbar.

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.

A pullout area on the road. — There are several pullout areas on this road that Bundy may have utilized during the crime.

Disappearance

There are conflicting accounts of Aime's movements on the night of October 31, 1974. Some sources say she began the evening at a house party in Orem, while others make no mention of such a gathering.

Most sources agree, however, that she spent time at the Knotty Pine Café at 130 West Main Street in Lehi.

The Knotty Pine Cafe in Lehi. — Aime spent some time at this café in Lehi.
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Aime did not stay at the café for long, as she was reportedly eager to hitchhike to Robinson Park in American Fork.

One witness claimed they saw Aime at the park around midnight. If correct, this was the last time she was seen alive.

Robinson Park on Google Street View. — Robinson Park.
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That night, Aime appeared to be traveling between multiple locations. The most likely explanation is that she was searching for social gatherings. Because it was Halloween, groups of teenagers were lsocializing in different areas.

Robinson Park is 3.2 miles away from the Knotty Pine Café. If Aime walked to the park, it would have taken her roughly an hour.

Given the distance, it is plausible she tried to hitchhike back to Lehi after visiting the park. By that time, it was getting late, and the temperature had dipped to 45°F (7.2°C).

A 1977 satellite photo showing her possible routes. — This aerial photograph was taken in July 1977. The Knotty Pine Café, Robinson Park, and the two routes she may have taken that night are highlighted.

The blue route shown on the map above is slightly shorter and had more traffic, which would have been advantageous if her intention was to hitchhike.

During the 1970s, the land between Lehi and American Fork was not as developed as it is today.

2026 update

Although authorities believed Bundy was responsible for Aime's murder, they declined to close the case because he failed to provide corroborating details.

In 2023, the Utah state crime lab acquired new technology that can extract DNA from degraded samples. Forensic investigators were able to analyze semen swabs taken from Aime's body and submit them to the national CODIS database.

On April 1, 2026, the Utah County Sheriff's Office announced that advancements in DNA technology "confirmed irrefutably" the presence of Bundy's DNA on Aime's body.