The site where Laura Ann Aime was found

Crime Scene Location 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.

Discovery

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.

Aerial image — The students were walking along a trail when they spotted the body (yellow line). If you look closely, you will see that there are two pullout areas on either side. One is at the entrance to the trail. Tire tracks matching Bundy's Volkswagen were found 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 Salt Lake City. The route in question is 10 miles long.

During the investigation, it was determined that the killer had struck her over the head, raped her, and then strangled her to death.

Following the murder, the offender dumped her body down the side of this embankment.

Laura Ann Aime — Aime was born in Lehi, Utah, on August 21st, 1957. Initially, it was believed 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.

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 his Volkswagen Bug.

Autopsy report — 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.

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.

Pullout — There are a number of pullout areas on this canyon road that Bundy may have utilized during the course of the crime.

Disappearance

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.

Aime did not stay here for long, as she reportedly left to hitchhike to Robinson Park in American Fork.

One witness claimed that they saw Aime at the park at around midnight. If they weren't mistaken, then this was the last time anyone saw her alive.

That night, it appears as though she was traveling from one place to the next. The most likely explanation for this is that she was a restless teenager 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. 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 on foot, then it would have taken her roughly an hour to do so.

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

It is the author's opinion that she chose the blue route in the map above. Not only is it slightly shorter, but it would have also had more traffic. If her intention was to hitchhike home, 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.