2 women were ‘bonding over the beauty of a hike’ when they were killed in Utah, family says
Aunt and nephew’s family Those found dead on a Utah road earlier this week He said on Friday that he could not understand why the women were killed in a pair of murders allegedly committed by a stranger in search of money.
In a statement, A family spokesman for Linda Dewey, 65, and Natalie Graves, 34, said the women “bonded over the beauty of hiking in one of their favorite places in the world, cherished and considered a safe haven by them and the community.”
“They were killed,” the spokesman said. “We can’t understand why this is happening”
Authorities charged 22-year-old Ivan Miller with aggravated murder in the deaths Wednesday. He was also charged with the same crime in the shooting death of 86-year-old Margaret Oldroyd, who was unrelated to Dewey or Graves. Oldroyd’s relatives could not be reached for comment Friday.
The bodies of three women were found at two locations in South Central Utah.
Natalie Graves and Linda Dewey (Taylor Graves/Natalie Graves; Alan Dewey/via AP)
(Taylor Graves/Natalie Graves; Alan Dewey)
Charging documents filed Thursday in Utah allege Miller, of Blakesburg, Iowa, confessed to the murders. After hitting a deer in Loa, Utah, selling his truck to a local towing company and staying at a hotel for several days, he allegedly told authorities he “did it because he needed money,” according to documents.
According to the documents, Miller said he shot Oldroyd in the head while he was sitting at his Lyman home to watch television, then bought the Buick but realized he didn’t like the car. He drove to a nearby trail, where he encountered Graves and Dewey and shot them, according to documents.
Miller allegedly said he stabbed Dewey as he continued to move.
He ditched the Buick and took a Subaru owned by Dewey or Graves, according to documents. Dewey and Graves’ husbands later found their bodies at the top of a road and called authorities, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Miller was arrested hundreds of miles east, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, after authorities tracked the location of a stolen keychain, according to the documents.
Authorities are conducting an investigation into the Thursday deaths of Linda Dewey and Natalie Graves at a trailhead near Teasdale, Utah. (George Frey / AP)
(George Frey)
Public defender Scott Van Zandt, who represents Miller, said at a hearing Friday that his client did not want to talk to police or the media, the Associated Press reported.
A representative for the Colorado State Public Defender did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment Friday night.
In the family statement, Dewey was described as a wife, mother, grandmother and sister with a large extended family around the world.
“He was deeply loved and loved his family deeply,” the statement said. “He was the heart of our family.”
A wife, daughter and sister, Graves was “beloved by her many friends and extended family members. She was the embodiment of joy, sunshine and beauty.”
“We need time to grieve, to love each other, and to be with our family and friends,” the statement reads. “We cannot find the words to describe how we feel and are unable to publicly express our sadness and devastation at this time.”
This article was first published on: NBCNews.com
