3 Utah women were killed at random for their vehicles, police say

TORREY, Wayne County — An Iowa man accused of killing three people in central Utah has no prior connection to his victims and no ties to the area, the Utah Department of Public Safety said Thursday.

Ivan W. Miller, 22, of Blakesburg, Iowa, is believed to have randomly killed three women in Wayne County — including a woman in her 80s at her home in Lyman, and two women who were hiking on a trail just off state Route 12 between Torrey and Teasdale. Miller was arrested early Thursday near Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

The victims appear to have been targeted only because Miller wanted to take their vehicles, said Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cameron Roden.

“There’s nothing to suggest they were targeted specifically,” he said. “Other than just for convenience.”

The names of the three women have not yet been released. Roden said they are from “the area” but are not related to each other.

Investigators are still putting together a timeline of Miller’s movements. They believe he first went to the elderly woman’s home, killed her and then took her car. Miller then drove about 15 miles to the hiking trailhead, where he killed two more women — described as being in their 30s and 40s — and then took their car.

The manner of death for each victim has not yet been revealed.

How Miller got to the elderly woman’s home was also still being investigated, Roden said.

The two women killed near the hiking trailhead were found by their husbands, who went looking for them after they failed to return home on time. The men called the police after finding their bodies. Responding officers found the elderly woman’s stolen vehicle nearby and traced it back to her home, where her body was discovered, Roden said.

Multiple agencies, including the FBI, then used technology such as license plate readers and “integrated tracking services” and tracked the car stolen from one of the two women in Torrey through southern Utah, into northern Arizona and eventually into southern Colorado, he said. That vehicle was found abandoned in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. After a brief search of the area, Miller was located and arrested without incident.

Officers in Colorado were notified Wednesday about 11:10 p.m. that the stolen vehicle wanted in connection with the three killings in Utah was in their area, according to a statement from Pagosa Springs police.

“A Pagosa Springs police officer found the vehicle within the city limits. The vehicle was then abandoned in Centennial Park in the downtown area,” the statement said.

About 2:40 a.m., Miller was located and detained.

“Upon a frisk of Miller, he was found in possession of a concealed handgun and large knife. Miller was arrested for possession of concealed weapons. A subsequent interview linked Miller to the deaths in Utah,” according to police.

Information about whether Miller was located inside a hotel, at a residence or in an outdoor area was not immediately available.

As of 9:30 a.m., Roden said investigators were questioning Miller in Colorado in an attempt to learn more about his crimes. Formal charges are also being prepared in Utah so Miler can be extradited back to Wayne County.

“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,” the Department of Public Safety announced Thursday. “There are no ongoing threats to the public, and investigators have no outstanding suspects.”

As word of the three deaths spread throughout Wayne County on Wednesday night, the sheriff’s office issued a statement “asking that all residents take extra precautions, keep lights on, keep doors locked, remain home or with others this evening if possible. Multiple law enforcement agencies are currently in the area.” Law enforcement agencies in surrounding counties issued similar messages.

All schools in Wayne County canceled classes for Thursday prior to Miller’s arrest “out of an abundance of caution.” Counselors will be available for students and teachers “when classes resume next week,” according to Torrey city administrators. The Wayne County Courthouse in Loa also announced it would be closed Thursday.

Torrey Mayor Mickey Wright issued a statement mid-morning Thursday and extended his “deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims. This is a heartbreaking moment for our small, close‑knit community.”

“Our community is grieving today,” he said. “I want to acknowledge the professionalism and rapid response of law enforcement during yesterday’s multi‑state search. Their work brought clarity and safety back to our community during an extremely difficult and uncertain day.

“Our community is strong. In the coming days, we will support one another, check on our neighbors, and ensure that those affected by this tragedy are not alone.”

This story will be updated.