Triple homicide suspect arrested in Colorado after women found dead on Utah hiking trail and in home
(CNN) — A man suspected of killing three women during a multistate trip has been arrested after authorities “tracked him in one of the victims’ vehicles,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said.
The grisly discoveries of the bodies in Wayne County on Wednesday spurred a multicounty manhunt, prompting schools to close and businesses to shutter while an unknown killer was on the loose.
The suspect, 22-year-old Ivan Miller of Blakesburg, Iowa, was arrested Thursday after the vehicle “was tracked through southern Utah into northern Arizona and eventually into Colorado,” Utah DPS said.
“Colorado law enforcement located the vehicle abandoned in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and after a brief search, took the individual into custody without incident,” the agency said. “There are no ongoing threats to the public, and investigators have no outstanding suspects.”
The tragedy has bewildered law enforcement in both states, as investigators are unsure why Miller traveled to Utah or why the three women were killed.
“We’re still fairly early on (in the investigation) and still processing the scenes,” Utah Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Cameron Roden told CNN. “So at this point, it would be too early to say any motive for this.”
The suspect appeared to have “no connections to the victims and no connections to the area that we’re aware of,” Roden said.
The hikers’ husbands found their wives’ bodies
Wayne County, about 200 miles south of Salt Lake City, is sparsely populated with about 2,500 residents, according to the US Census. But the area is popular with hiking and outdoor enthusiasts because of nearby Capitol Reef National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Fishlake National Forest.
The case started when authorities received a call Wednesday afternoon about “two deceased females located on a hiking trail” in Wayne County, Utah DPS said.
The two women in their 30s and 40s were friends. Their concerned husbands found their bodies, Roden said.
“During the course of the investigation, a third victim was located deceased at a residence in Wayne County,” DPS said.
Authorities believe the suspect first went to the home in Lyman and killed an elderly resident in her 80s. He then stole her vehicle and traveled to the trailhead in the Torrey area, where he killed the two younger women, Roden told CNN.
The Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the Utah Crime Lab are hoping to uncover more clues as they process the crime scenes.
Miller remains detained in Colorado on a weapons-related charge. He has a court hearing scheduled for Friday afternoon in Archuleta County. Records show he will be represented by a public defender.
The suspect is expected to be extradited to Utah afterward, Roden said.
A tranquil community shaken
Many homes, businesses and schools were either locked down or shuttered Thursday morning as investigators scoured the scenic landscape for a suspect.
Authorities urged residents to take extra precautions, “such as locking doors, remaining at home or with others,” DPS said.
The Wayne Community Health Center, Kazan Memorial Clinic and Wayne County Courthouse in Loa closed because of the manhunt earlier Thursday, CNN affiliate KSL reported.
The Wayne County School District announced it would be closed for the rest of the week and will “have counselors in place to support students when we are back in session next week.”
While the victims’ families will be forever scarred by this inexplicable tragedy, Roden said he hopes the rest of the community feels some relief now that a suspect has been captured.
“I know the town was very nervous. They canceled schools and a lot of the services that were going on at the time,” he said. “But we hope now that the individual is in custody, that brings a little bit of closure, and they can start to hopefully go back to normal.”
CNN’s Andi Babineau, Cheri Mossburg and Sara Finch contributed to this report.
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