Two men whose wives did not return from a hike in Utah’s south-central desert arrived at the trailhead Wednesday to find both women dead and a car missing, spurring a multi-state search that led investigators to a third body before they arrested a suspect Thursday in Colorado.
An Iowa man has been charged with aggravated murder in the deaths of the two hikers and a third woman authorities say he killed inside her home after he spent a night in a shed on her property. There was no indication that the man had any connection to the victims, said Lt. Cameron Roden of the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Ivan Miller, 22, told investigators after his arrest that he killed the three women to steal their cars and credit cards because he needed money to get back to Iowa, charging documents show.
He had hit an elk a few days earlier in a tiny Utah farming town near Capitol Reef National Park and was without a vehicle after selling his truck to the tow company.
After staying in hotels for a few days, Miller slept in the woman’s shed. He stole her Buick after shooting her from behind while she was watching TV, Wayne County prosecutors allege.
Miller, of Blakesburg, Iowa, told authorities that he quickly realized he did not like the Buick and wanted a different vehicle, according to court documents.
He parked it at a trailhead about 10 miles from the first victim’s home, saw two women get out of a Subaru and killed them before taking the car, the documents state. He attempted to conceal their bodies in a dry creek bed, prosecutors allege.
The husbands called 911 and waved down a ranger after finding their wives shot and stabbed at the trail, which is used mostly by locals and partially shielded from the road by piñon and juniper trees, according to officials and court documents.
Officials identified the hikers as aunt and niece Linda Dewey, 65, and Natalie Graves, 34, and the woman killed in her home as Margaret Oldroyd, 86. The hikers had no known connection to Oldroyd.
Victim remembered as ‘the sweetest woman’
Authorities found Oldroyd’s body in a cellar under a shed on her property after identifying the owner of the stolen Buick left at the trailhead, according to court documents.
Police used yellow tape to cordon off the brick home in Lyman and an outbuilding while investigators gathered evidence Thursday.
Oldroyd’s next-door neighbor of 20 years, Randy Jones, described her as “the sweetest woman you’d ever meet” and said he was shocked by her death.
Oldroyd had a love of yard work, always keeping her flowers and lawn watered and neatly manicured. She used to work at a local grocery store stocking shelves, Jones said. And when Jones helped rid her yard of skunks, she’d bring him a cake as a thank you.
“Out here in rural counties, we all take care of each other,” Jones said.
In recent years, he didn’t see his neighbor leave home much except to attend religious services and pick up groceries. But every now and then, she would come over to Jones’ house, sit with him and visit his horses.
Suspect tracked across state lines
Investigators have not found a motive for the killings and do not believe the suspect targeted the women for any reason other than “convenience,” Roden said. Investigators were still looking into when Miller arrived in Utah and what he was doing prior to the killings.
Authorities used license plate readers and vehicle tracking services to follow Miller’s path, from Utah through northern Arizona and into the mountain town of Pagosa Springs in southwestern Colorado, where he abandoned the stolen vehicle, Roden said. He was found after a short search.
According to online jail records, Miller was being held on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor. He was arrested in Colorado with a large knife and a .45 caliber pistol, according to court documents, and was scheduled to make his first court appearance in the state Friday afternoon.
Miller is being represented at the hearing by the Colorado Public Defender’s office, said Justin Bogan, who heads the office in the judicial district that covers Pagosa Springs. Bogan declined to comment further. Voicemail messages left at listings for possible relatives of Miller were not immediately returned on Thursday.
Authorities were working to bring Miller to Utah to face the murder charges.
The Associated Press left a message for the public defender’s office in Utah late Thursday afternoon.
Before a suspect was in custody, Wayne County residents were asked to remain vigilant and schools were closed Thursday. Officials asked for help finding a white Subaru Outback but warned people not to approach it.
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