Man Slept in Stranger's Shed, Shot Her as She Watched TV Before Killing 2 Others on Utah Trail Officials say an Iowa man charged in the deaths of three women in Utah confessed to the killings, claiming he “it had to be done” but expressed reluctance. Court documents filed Thursday detail his alleged statements to law enforcement. Ivan Miller, 22, is accused of shooting the victims with a .45-caliber handgun and stabbing one multiple times. The documents allege he committed the acts because he needed money. The three women killed were Margaret Oldroyd, 86; Linda Dewey, 65; and Natalie Graves, 34. Dewey was Graves’ aunt, though there is no known link between her and Oldroyd, who was the first victim. The bodies were discovered Wednesday near Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah. The victims did not appear to have prior connections to Miller, according to a Utah Highway Patrol spokesperson. Oldroyd’s body was found in a cellar beneath a shed on her property in Lyman. Miller is alleged to have stayed the night in the shed, then entered her home when she left. He waited behind a door, shot her in the back of the head as she sat to watch television, and dragged her to the basement. He took her Buick but later wanted a different vehicle. Miller told authorities he parked near a trail and saw two women—described as one younger and one older—exit a white Subaru. He approached them and shot both, the documents say. When the older woman continued moving, he stabbed her in the heart multiple times with a knife. He then placed the women in a ditch, side by side. Miller is alleged to have taken the victims’ credit cards and used one to buy gas. The husbands of Dewey and Graves reported finding their bodies at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday and contacted authorities.#ivan_miller #capitol_reef_national_park #margaret_oldroyd #linda_dewey #natalie_graves
A Killing Spree in Utah Rattles a Region and Puzzles Officials Three women were found dead in separate locations, authorities confirmed on Thursday. A multi-state manhunt led to the arrest of a suspect, though the motive behind the killings remains unknown. When two women failed to return from a hike in central Utah’s red-rock desert on Wednesday, their husbands went to the trailhead to search for them. They discovered a grim scene: both women were dead, and one of their cars was missing, officials said. Investigators soon uncovered a third body, that of a woman in her 80s who had been murdered earlier in the day at her home in Lyman, a small farm town about 10 miles from the trailhead. The seemingly random killings of three women in a remote part of rural Utah, near Capitol Reef National Park, triggered a chaotic search that spanned four states. Residents in the area grew fearful, taking up arms and staying awake to watch for signs of danger. The suspect was apprehended early Thursday morning by police in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where a 22-year-old man from Iowa, Ivan Miller, was arrested in connection with the murders. The crimes occurred more than 300 miles away, and he was charged with three counts of aggravated murder, a felony that could result in the death penalty in Utah. It was unclear whether he had legal representation at the time of his arrest. Lt. Cameron Roden of the Utah Department of Public Safety stated that the suspect had no known ties to the victims and showed no apparent connection to the state. According to court documents, Miller confessed to the killings, telling investigators, “it had to be done.” On Thursday evening, authorities identified the victims as Margaret Oldroyd, 86, Linda Dewey, 65, and Natalie Graves, 34.#utah #ivan_miller #capitol_reef_national_park #lyman #utah_department_of_public_safety
Utah’s scenic canyons and national parks became the site of a chilling tragedy when officials in Torrey, a small town in Wayne County, responded to a pair of distraught men who had discovered the bodies of their wives—friends who had vanished during a hike on a nearby trail. The grim discovery set off a multi-state manhunt and led to the identification of a third victim, a woman in her 80s, prompting authorities to close schools for two days. The suspect, 22-year-old Ivan Miller of Blakesburg, Iowa, was arrested on Thursday after his stolen car was tracked from southern Utah into northern Arizona and eventually Colorado. Utah DPS confirmed he faces three counts of first-degree aggravated murder. According to an indictment, Miller allegedly confessed to the killings, claiming he acted out of financial desperation. Law enforcement emphasized he had no known ties to the victims or the area. The investigation began when officials received a call on Wednesday afternoon about two deceased women found on a hiking trail. Bullet casings and shotgun shells were recovered at the scene, and a third victim was later discovered at a residence in Wayne County. The victims’ identities have not been disclosed. Prior to the killings in Torrey, Miller allegedly murdered an older woman in her home about 15 miles away in Lyman, Utah. Court documents state he had been staying at a hotel after hitting an elk with his truck, which he sold to a tow company. He spent the night in the victim’s shed before entering her home when she left. Miller waited until she returned, then shot her in the back of the head while she watched TV. He cleaned the scene, dragged her body to a cellar under the shed, and later stole her vehicle. Miller then traveled to the Torrey trailhead, where he killed two women in their 30s and 40s.#wayne_county #torrey #ivan_miller #blakesburg #utah_dps
