Authorities in Utah have identified a man suspected of killing three women as Ivan Miller. Two of the women were found dead on a hiking trail and a third was found dead in a residence, authorities said.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office released Miller’s name on social media around 10:30 a.m. local time. More details about Miller were not shared.
The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that it received confirmation that the suspect was captured early Thursday morning.
Utah’s Department of Public Safety said that investigators used license plate cameras and other tools to track Miller through southern Utah, into Northern Arizona and eventually into Colorado in one of the victim’s vehicles. Colorado law enforcement found it abandoned in Pagosa Springs. After a brief search, Colorado law enforcement took the suspect into custody without incident, the department said.
He remains in custody in Colorado, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said. There was no ongoing threat or other suspects, the Department of Public Safety said.
The department said it received a call about two bodies found on a hiking trail on Wednesday. As investigators looked into their deaths, a third victim was found in a residence in the town of Torrey. The department said it was processing two crime scenes.
The women’s names were being withheld pending notifications of their next of kin, the DPS says, but one was in her 30s, another in her 60s and the third was in her 80s.
The was no early word on how the women died or what relationship there was among them, if any, CBS Salt Lake City affiliate KUTV reported earlier.
The DPS previously asked for the public’s assistance in locating a 2022 white Subaru Outback with license plate U560YF. It’s not clear who the vehicle belongs to.
While the suspect was on the loose, law enforcement had urged residents in Torrey and the surrounding area to “take extra precautions, such as locking doors, remaining at home or with others, and being vigilant about surroundings,” as well as reporting suspicious activity to 911.
Officials from the Wayne County School District said classes were canceled for the rest of the week “out of an abundance of caution and concern for student and public safety,” KUTV reported. The district said counselors will be in place to support students when they return.
Torrey is near Capitol Reef National Park and the mountains of Fishlake and Dixie National Forests.
