A suspect wished in reference to the deaths of three women has been arrested after authorities “tracked him in one of the victims’ vehicles,” the Utah Department of Public Safety mentioned.
The grisly discoveries of the our bodies Wednesday in Wayne County spurred a multi-county manhunt, prompting colleges to shut and companies to shutter whereas an unknown killer was on the unfastened.
The suspect, whose identify has not been launched, was arrested Thursday after the automobile “was tracked through southern Utah into northern Arizona and eventually into Colorado,” Utah DPS mentioned.
“Colorado law enforcement located the vehicle abandoned in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and after a brief search, took the individual into custody without incident,” the company mentioned.
“There are no ongoing threats to the public, and investigators have no outstanding suspects.”
The case began when authorities obtained a name Wednesday afternoon about “two deceased females located on a hiking trail” in Wayne County, Utah DPS mentioned.
“During the course of the investigation, a third victim was located deceased at a residence in Wayne County,” the company mentioned.
The three women have been in their 30s, 60s and 80s. Their names haven’t been publicly launched as authorities attempt to notify their kinfolk, authorities mentioned.
Wayne County, about 200 miles south of Salt Lake City, is sparsely populated with about 2,500 residents, in accordance with the US Census. But the world is in style with hiking and outside fans due to close by Capitol Reef National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Fishlake National Forest.
Officials describe the case as a “homicide investigation.” But they haven’t mentioned how the three women died or whether or not there was any relationship between the victims found on the hiking trail and the girl found dead in the home.
The Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the Utah Crime Lab are processing two crime scenes in the Lyman and Torrey areas, the state’s public security company mentioned.
Before Thursday’s arrest, authorities urged residents to be vigilant and “take extra precautions, such as locking doors, remaining at home or with others,” DPS mentioned.
The Wayne Community Health Center, Kazan Memorial Clinic and Wayne County Courthouse in Loa closed due to the manhunt earlier Thursday, NCS affiliate KSL reported.
The Wayne County School District introduced it could be closed for the remainder of the week. The district mentioned it “will also have counselors in place to support students when we are back in session next week.”
NCS’s Cheri Mossburg, Andi Babineau and Sara Finch contributed to this report.