Investigator Who Helped Solve Ted Bundy's 52-Yr-Old Murder Case Died 16 Days Before DNA Breakthrough Was Announced

A Utah detective who assisted in solving a 52-year-old murder linked to serial killer Ted Bundy died just 16 days before authorities announced the breakthrough. Summit County Sheriff's Lieutenant Alan Siddoway, 62, died of pancreatic cancer on 11 October.

On 27 October, investigators confirmed that DNA evidence helped identify Bundy as the murderer of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, whose body was discovered in Utah in 1974. During the Park City announcement, Sheriff Kacey Bates credited Siddoway's work on the long-running investigation.

How Did Alan Siddoway Help Solve the Case?

According to public records, Siddoway spent nearly 42 years with the Summit County Sheriff's Office, serving as a lieutenant, captain and medical death investigator. His obituary, published by Walker Mortuary, confirmed that he died at home in Rockport after battling pancreatic cancer.

He joined the department in January 1985 and spent three decades investigating deaths, working directly with grieving families. According to local broadcaster KPCW, Bates credited Siddoway with helping resolve Smith's murder after working closely with Utah County investigators over the previous year.

At Tuesday's news conference, Bates remembered a quotation Siddoway frequently shared, attributed to Voltaire, 'To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth.' Utah County Sheriff's Sergeant Mike Reynolds also dedicated the closure of Smith's case to the late investigator. Siddoway had been honoured earlier in October when a search-and-rescue centre in Kamas, Summit County, Utah, was named after him in recognition of his service.

How Did DNA Link Ted Bundy to Melissa Smith?

Smith, the daughter of Midvale Police Chief Louis Smith, disappeared on 18 October 1974. A hunter discovered her body nine days later in Summit Park in northern Utah, near the boundary between Summit and Salt Lake counties.

Bundy had long been suspected, but investigators lacked sufficient evidence to close the case. That changed after Utah authorities linked him to the 1974 killing of another teenager, Laura Ann Aime, through forensic testing. Officials announced that finding in April 2026.

Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson said the Utah State Crime Lab matched DNA recovered in Smith's investigation with evidence from Aime's case on 14 July 2026. 'This DNA evidence, when considered alongside evidence related to pattern, motive, means and opportunity, establishes that Ted Bundy was responsible for Melissa Ann Smith's murder,' Olson told reporters.

The DNA match preceded Siddoway's death. What he missed was the public announcement closing the investigation on the 52nd anniversary of the discovery of Smith's body in Summit Park.

What Happens After the Ted Bundy Case Breakthrough?

Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said the result demonstrated why police must preserve old evidence, even when an investigation remains unresolved for decades. Smith's surviving relatives were informed but declined to attend the news conference, according to Summit County officials.

Bundy was executed in Florida in 1989 after convictions for three murders. Other suspected crimes remain under investigation, including the disappearance of Utah teenager Nancy Wilcox in 1974.

For Siddoway's colleagues, the announcement recognised an investigator who spent decades helping families find answers but died before hearing the result made public and formally presented to the community.