Aunt and niece shot dead hiking in ‘their favourite place on earth’
An aunt and her niece were shot dead by a suspected serial killer who wanted a better car, police have claimed.
The bodies of Linda Dewey, 65, and Natalie Graves, 34, were discovered at the Cockscomb Trailhead near Utah’s Capitol Reef national park.
A third victim, Margaret Oldroyd, was discovered dead inside her home in Lyman.
The suspect, Ivan W Miller, was arrested by officers and has been charged with murdering all three women.
He was held at a jail in Colorado before being returned to Utah, KSL News reported.
A statement from the victims’ families paid tribute to them both, describing Ms Dewey as a ‘loved deeply’ wife, mother, grandmother, daughter and sister while Ms Graves was described as ‘joy, sunshine and beauty embodied’
The statement read: ‘Our family is dealing with the shock of the devastating loss of two members of our family who were bonding over the beauty of a hike in one of their favourite places on earth–cherished by them and the community, considered to be a safe sanctuary.
‘They were murdered. We cannot comprehend why this happened.
‘We need time to mourn, love each other and be with our family and friends.
‘We are at a loss for words that can describe what we are feeling and cannot publicly express our sadness and devastation at this time.’
According to court documents, Miller had stayed the night in a back shed at Ms Oldroyd’s home.
He then allegedly entered her home and shot the 86-year-old in the back of her head with a pistol while she was watching television.
Miller hid her body in the basement and drove off in her General Motors Buick LeSabre car.
But after deciding he didn’t like his stolen vehicle, he soon encountered Ms Dewey and Ms Graves, and shot them both with the view to snatching their car.
The pair were later discovered by their partners before police tracked down Miller in Colorado on Thursday using number plate readers.
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement: ‘The suspect of a triple homicide in Wayne County, Utah, is in custody early Thursday morning after investigators tracked him in one of the victims’ vehicles.
‘The vehicle was tracked through southern Utah into northern Arizona and eventually into Colorado. Colorado law enforcement located the vehicle abandoned in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and after a brief search, took the individual into custody without incident.’
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