According to authorities, a 22-year-old man went on a deadly rampage across the community, ambushing an elderly woman inside her home before murdering two other women who were hiking the Cockscomb Trail. The deadly rampage began at a home in Lyman where a woman in her 80s was found dead inside, and her vehicle had been stolen. Investigators continued processing crime scenes Thursday in Torrey and Lyman, Utah.
An investigation was launched after police received a call on Wednesday reporting two women found dead on a hiking trail, and authorities then discovered a third woman dead inside a nearby home. Two women were found dead on a hiking trail Wednesday afternoon, and a third woman was found dead at a home in Wayne County. The victims have not yet been publicly identified, but officials said they were in their 30s, 60s, and 80s.
The names of the three women have not yet been released. The victims are from 'the area' but are not related to each other, according to Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cameron Roden.
Authorities have not yet said whether the three victims knew each other or the suspect. A manhunt is underway in rural southeastern Utah after three women were found dead in separate locations. Authorities shut down local schools and warned residents to lock their doors while a suspect remains at large.
Schools in the Wayne County School District were closed Thursday and Friday. The Wayne County School District canceled classes for the rest of the week. Authorities asked the public to help locate a white 2022 Subaru Outback with license plate U560YF, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Authorities had earlier asked the public to help locate a white 2022 Subaru Outback with Utah license plate U560YF. The suspect fled across state lines in a stolen vehicle, triggering a multi-state manhunt that ended with his arrest in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, police report. Authorities followed a vehicle linked to one of the victims from Utah through Arizona and into Colorado.
The car was found abandoned in Pagosa Springs, which led police to the suspect. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the deaths of three women in rural southeastern Utah, officials confirm. The suspect was taken into custody early Thursday morning in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
Ivan Miller, 22, of Blakesburg, Iowa, was taken into custody early Thursday in Colorado and charged with three counts of aggravated murder. There are no ongoing threats to the public, and investigators have no outstanding suspects, the Utah Department of Public Safety states. However, there is conflicting information about the arrest timeline.
While some reports indicate no arrests had been made as of Thursday, other sources confirm Ivan Miller was arrested early Thursday in Colorado. Similarly, while some reports state the suspect has not yet been publicly identified, multiple sources name the suspect as Ivan Miller, 22, of Blakesburg, Iowa. Miller has no known previous connection to the victims.
A man from Iowa allegedly carried out a series of killings across Wayne County, Utah, leaving three women dead for stolen cars and credit cards. According to charging documents, Miller stayed the night in a shed at the elderly woman's home, saw her leaving in her Buick Lesabre, waited for her to return, hid behind a door, and shot her in the back of the head with a 1911 pistol while she was sitting watching television. The charging documents further allege Miller dragged her to an outbuilding and basement, tried to clean up the scene, took the car but did not like it, and wanted a different vehicle.
After that killing, Miller drove about 15 miles to a trailhead off State Route 12 between Torrey and Teasdale, court documents state. He parked near the trailhead where he saw a younger woman and an older woman get out of a white Subaru. He killed two women who were hiking together, one in her 30s and the other in her 60s, police report.
' Miller told investigators that he had hit an elk in Loa, Utah a few days ago, sold his truck to a tow company, and stayed in an area hotel for a few days. Miller said he went up to them and shot the younger one in what he thought was the chest, then shot the other one twice in the body, and stabbed her multiple times in the heart. The exact timeline of events from the elk crash to the arrests remains unclear.
According to Aftonbladet, Ivan Miller allegedly murdered Margaret Oldroyd, 86, Linda Dewey, 65, and her niece Natalie Graves, 34, on Wednesday near Capitol Reef National Park. ' According to Aftonbladet, Miller claimed to have shot the women to steal their cars and money, then return home to Iowa where he was due in court on burglary charges. Aftonbladet states that Miller made his first court appearance Friday in Pagosa Springs, wearing a yellow jumpsuit and shackles.
His attorney, Scott Van Zandt, said Miller would resist efforts to be moved to Utah and 'will be fighting this every step of the way,' according to Aftonbladet. Van Zandt said Miller 'does not wish to speak to law enforcement or to the press,' Aftonbladet reports. Wayne County prosecutors claimed that Miller already discussed the alleged murders and his motive in extended detail, Aftonbladet states.
Aftonbladet reports that Miller allegedly told investigators that he was stranded in Utah after crashing his tow truck into an elk and selling his damaged vehicle to a tow company. Oldroyd's next-door neighbor, Randy Jones, described her as 'the sweetest woman you'd ever meet,' according to Aftonbladet. Authorities allege Miller spotted Dewey and Graves at a trailhead outside Capitol Reef National Park as they got out of a white Subaru, Aftonbladet reports.
Prosecutors allege Miller approached the pair and shot Graves in the chest, then shot Dewey twice and stabbed her multiple times in the heart, according to Aftonbladet. Court documents allege Miller stole their car, took their credit cards, and used the older hiker's card to buy gas, Aftonbladet states. The women's husbands alerted law enforcement when they failed to return home, Aftonbladet reports.
Dewey and Graves' spouses said they were 'dealing with the shock of the devastating loss' and 'cannot comprehend why this happened,' according to Aftonbladet. Miller was arrested after license plate readers and vehicle tracking services traced him, Aftonbladet states. The current legal status and next steps in Miller's extradition and trial are not yet known.
Investigators have not disclosed what specific evidence links Ivan Miller to the crimes beyond his alleged confession.