A suspect has been arrested in connection with the deaths of three women in rural area of Utah after authorities tracked him across several states and into Colorado, officials say.
The suspect, who has not yet been publicly identified, was taken into custody early Thursday morning in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
Lt. Cameron Roden, a spokesman for the Utah Highway Patrol, said there is no indication that the suspect had a connection with any of the victims.
Authorities located the suspect after following a vehicle linked to one of the victims from Utah through Arizona and into Colorado. The car was found abandoned in Pagosa Springs, which led police to the suspect, KUTV reported. Additional details were not available.
“There are no ongoing threats to the public, and investigators have no outstanding suspects,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
The arrest came hours after authorities launched an urgent manhunt following the discovery of three bodies in what officials described as a homicide investigation involving multiple crime scenes in Wayne County.
An investigation was launched when emergency dispatchers received a call Wednesday reporting two women had been found dead on a hiking trail. Authorities then discovered a third woman dead inside a nearby home in Wayne County.
Roden said the husbands of the two women who had been hiking together called authorities after they found their wives Wednesday afternoon.
Officials have not released the victims’ identities but said the women were in their 30s, 60s and 80s. They have not say what led them to find the third woman, or if there was any relationship between all three.
The Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the Utah Crime Lab continued processing crime scenes Thursday in the communities of Torrey, Utah and Lyman, Utah.
Authorities had earlier asked the public to help locate a white 2022 Subaru Outback with Utah license plate U560YF that was believed to be connected to the case.
The killings rattled the sparsely populated county, where officials urged residents to remain indoors, lock their doors and keep lights on overnight while the suspect was still being sought.
The Wayne County School District canceled classes for the rest of the week “out of an abundance of caution and concern for student and public safety.” Officials said counselors will be available to support students when schools reopen.
After the suspect was taken into custody in Colorado on Thursday, officials said there is no longer an ongoing threat to the public and no suspects remain outstanding.
Wayne County, home to fewer than 3,000 residents, is a gateway for visitors heading to nearby national parks including Capitol Reef National Park. The investigation remains ongoing.
