• What Happened: Three women were found dead Wednesday at two separate crime scenes in Wayne County, Utah, near Capitol Reef National Park, prompting a multi-state manhunt that locked down schools and shuttered businesses across the region.
  • Why It Matters: The suspect, 22-year-old Ivan Miller of Blakesburg, Iowa, had zero known connection to the victims or to Utah. He stole one victim's vehicle and fled through Arizona into Colorado before being caught.
  • Bottom Line: Suspect is in custody. The threat is over. Three families are not.

Three women are dead, and a small Utah community is in shock after a stranger with no known connection to anyone in the area killed them across two separate crime scenes Wednesday afternoon.

Two women were found dead on an unidentified trail near Capitol Reef National Park Wednesday afternoon. A third victim was found dead inside a Wayne County home. Their husbands had called to report they found their wives on the hiking trail around 4:30 p.m. after the women failed to return home from their hike. It is believed the woman found in the home was killed before the two victims on the trail.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office put out an immediate public warning, urging residents to lock doors, stay home, and remain with others.

Schools shut down for the rest of the week. The Wayne Community Health Center, Kazan Memorial Clinic, and the Wayne County Courthouse in Loa all closed as the manhunt intensified.

Law enforcement tracked a suspicious vehicle at the scene to 22-year-old Ivan Miller of Blakesburg, Iowa. Miller had stolen the vehicle from one of the victims on the trail. The vehicle was tracked through southern Utah into northern Arizona and eventually into Colorado, where it was found abandoned in Pagosa Springs. After a brief search, Miller was taken into custody without incident. He was found in possession of a concealed handgun and a large knife.

Investigators found Miller had no known connection to Wayne County or to any of the women killed, and no motive had been established. The FBI, Bureau of Land Management, and multiple neighboring county sheriff's offices all assisted in the investigation.

"Our community is grieving today following the tragic deaths of three women in Wayne County," said Torrey Mayor Mickey Wright. "This is a heartbreaking moment for our small, close-knit community."

The victims have not yet been identified pending next of kin notification. The first two victims were women in their 30s and 60s. The woman found in the home was in her 80s.

Utah DPS confirmed there is no longer an ongoing threat to the public.