Investigation continues after Wayne County triple murder suspect arrested
Mar 4, 2026, 9:40 PM | Updated: Mar 5, 2026, 3:53 pm
A residence in Wayne County where one woman was found dead on Wednesday. (Garna Mejia, KSL)
(Garna Mejia, KSL)
SALT LAKE CITY — A suspect has been arrested after three women were found dead in Wayne County, Utah, on Wednesday.
Lt. Cameron Roden with DPS said during a news conference on Thursday that a person was in custody in relation to the deaths of the three women. That person was identified by authorities as 22-year-old Ivan Miller from Blakesburg, Iowa.
Watch the press conference here:
According to Roden, husbands of two of the victims called to report they found their wives dead on a hiking trail around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, after the women failed to return home from their hike.
Officers who responded to the trail said they noticed a vehicle nearby that was suspicious and eventually discovered the vehicle was registered to a woman in her 80s who lived in Lyman. Roden said police went to the woman’s residence, where they found the body of a third victim belonging to the woman.
Roden said investigators believed the elderly woman was killed first at her residence, and then the hikers were killed at a trailhead located about 10 to 15 miles away from the residence.
Investigators were able to track Miller after they say he took a vehicle belonging to one of the women killed on the trail, then traveled through Utah, northern Arizona and ended up in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where he was arrested early Thursday.
“The investigations continue into Thursday morning as members of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the Utah Crime Lab process two crime scenes in the Lyman and Torrey area,” DPS said.
DPS said Miller was arrested without incident and there were no ongoing threats to the public.
Suspect’s recent history
According to KSL’s NBC affiliate in Iowa, the suspect was scheduled for arraignment on Friday, March 6, for burglary, theft, possession of a controlled substance and person ineligible to carry a dangerous weapon.
According to a document from the Iowa District Court for Davis County, Miller, is suspected of breaking into a cabin at a campground in December with the intention of staying there. He was released without bail in January on a promise to appear and was supposed to register for pre-trial supervision.
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As of Thursday’s news conference, Roden said investigators had not found reason to believe the victims were “specifically targeted,” and there were no connections found between the two hikers, who were in their 30s and 40s, and the elderly woman.
Investigators found Miller had no known relation to Wayne County, or the women who were killed, and police didn’t know why Miller was in Utah.
“We would like to thank the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Land Management, the Pagosa Springs (CO) Police Department, and the Archuleta, Sevier, and Kane County Sheriffs’ Offices for their support and assistance,” DPS said.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
This is a breaking news update. KSL’s original coverage continues below:
The suspect remains at large. The Utah DPS urges residents in Torrey and surrounding areas to take extra precautions such as locking doors, staying at home or with others, and being vigilant about surroundings.
On Wednesday afternoon, officials received a call about two women found dead on a hiking trail. As the investigation proceeded, Utah DPS confirmed that a third victim was found at a residence in Wayne County.
The identities of the victims have not been released, but according to DPS, they were women in their 30s, 60s, and 80s.
White Subaru Outback
Officials ask the public to be remain on the lookout for a white Subaru Outback, with Utah license plate U560YF.
Do not approach the vehicle. Instead call 911.
Wayne County closures
Out of an abundance of caution, the Wayne County School District said schools will be closed Thursday and Friday, March 5 and 6. The district will have counselors in place “to support students” when it resumes school next week.
The Wayne Community Health Center has announced that it, as well as Kazan Memorial Clinic, will be closed on Thursday.
FBI Salt Lake City weighs in
By 11 p.m. Wednesday night, the FBI in Salt Lake City said they were aware of the situation in Wayne County, and they are prepared to assist if requested.
Anybody with information is asked to call the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office dispatch line, at (800)-356-8757.
This story is developing and will be updated.
