Featured: Jessica Lyman and Eli Painter (GoFundMe). Scene: The 200 block of Willowbrook Lane in Saratoga Springs, Utah, where both victims were tragically shot on March 28, 2025 (KTVX).
Recently disclosed search warrants reveal distressing details leading up to the tragic shooting of a local mother and her young son in their home earlier this year, according to Utah police. Text exchanges, handwritten notes, and other data have been central in shedding light on the moments preceding their deaths.
The Saratoga Springs Police Department reported to Law&Crime that no arrests have been made regarding the murders of Jessica Lyman, 44, and her 8-year-old son Eli Painter at their residence on the 1200 block of Willowbrook Lane on March 28. Information and digital evidence collected from various electronic devices were subject to search warrants, which had been previously sealed for 90 days. These documents, now released to the public, provide an account of the events that allegedly led to the deaths of Lyman and Painter.
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According to cops, Lyman and her 15-year-old son exchanged hostile text messages between one another in the days and months leading up to the murders.
“I wish I died in your stomach,” the teen said in one text, according to the search warrants.
“F— off hoe,” he wrote in another. “Do you know how insignificant you really are to my life? Very insignificant.”
A written note found in the boy”s bedroom after the killings allegedly said, “This is a murder story,” per the warrants.
Officers had been called to the home by Lyman’s 17-year-old daughter, who found her mom and brother’s bodies. When they arrived, cops allegedly encountered the 15-year-old and asked him if there were any “weapons” in the home.
“[The boy] responded that he wasn’t aware of any ‘guns’ inside the home,” according to the police warrants. “At that point, [the boy] had not been told by EMS or Police Officers that the incident involved a gun or gunshot wounds.”
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An autopsy later confirmed that Painter died from two gunshot wounds to the head, while Lyman suffered a single gunshot to the head and died at the hospital.
Asked on whether anyone was being considered a suspect, a Saratoga Springs Police public information officer told Law&Crime on Wednesday that no one was in custody and that she couldn’t reveal whether authorities had any persons of interest. Questions have swirled locally on whether the suspect is a danger to the community and could harm others, with media outlets highlighting the little amount of information that’s come out from police so far.
“We are focusing on the investigation,” said PIO AnnElise Harrison. “That’s what we feel is most important, to make sure we are investigating and holding those responsible accountable.”
Family members have created a GoFundMe and released a statement through police, saying they “recognize the complexity of emotions surrounding this situation.”
“It has been over three months since a tragic act of gun violence took the lives of our beautiful daughter and sister, Jessica Lyman, and our precious 8 year old grandson and nephew, Eli Painter,” the family said Tuesday night. “Not a moment passes that we don’t feel the weight of this unimaginable loss. Our family is forever changed. While we continue to wait for answers, we remain hopeful that justice will be served and those responsible will be held accountable.”
