Family remembers woman kidnapped by Ted Bundy 51 years ago on Halloween

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — It’s been over 50 years since Ted Bundy went on his killing spree across Utah. 50 years of mourning the victims. Now, new generations are getting involved.

It was October 31st, 1974.

17-year-old Laura Ann Aime was at a Halloween party in Utah County. Some said she went to get a pack of cigarettes after. But wherever Laura went, that night would be the last time anyone would see her alive.

“Laura didn’t live with the family at the time,” Tara Stucki said. “She was kind of a free spirit and was off with friends at the time.”

Tara is Laura’s niece. Her aunt died before she was ever born, but she has heard many of the details from other family members.

“I think my aunt knew she was going to die, because my mom always said she told her parents that when she dies, not to bury her in a dress,” Tara remembered. “I think she just kind of knew that he was going to take her life.”

The “he” she mentioned? Ted Bundy.

Bundy was a law student at the University of Utah in the 70s. He continued his killing spree in the Beehive state. He murdered several Utah women. It’s believed Lara was the third on that list.

“He approached her multiple times before,” Tara said. “He kind of stalked her before taking her.”

That Halloween night in 1974, investigators believe Bundy kidnapped Laura and took her up American Fork Canyon. They reported she was strangled, raped, and murdered.

A little more than three weeks later, hikers found her body on Thanksgiving Day.

No one knew who was responsible at the time, but of course, we’ve learned the infamous killer’s name since.

Tara said that it has changed her life. As a mother of four herself, she said what happened to her aunt has made her more protective of her own kids.

“Especially my daughter,” she said. “I don’t want her going out at night. I just think we live in different times too now, so we have to be more safe.”

On the day that marks 51 years since Laura’s disappearance, Tara said her hope is for people to remember the victims as much as they do the killer.

“They did have families,” she said. “We still forever go on.”

Watch more Utah Uncovered on News4Utah+

Join ABC4’s evening anchor Sarah Murphy in Utah Uncovered, a segment featuring exclusive interviews and in-depth breakdowns painting the full picture of Utah’s notable criminal cases.

Watch on the News4Utah+ app, free on your smart TV, in the Utah Crime Files video category.