Suspect in custody after 3 women found dead in Utah, 2 on hiking trail, authorities say

Credit: piqsels

A suspect is in custody after three women were found dead in Utah, two of them on a hiking trail, authorities said.

The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that it received confirmation that the suspect was captured early Thursday morning. No details about the suspect or their capture were shared.

The sheriff’s office said additional information will come from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the state’s Department of Public Safety, who led the hunt for the suspect.

The Utah Department of Public Safety 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 multiple 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.

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.