Authorities in Utah have apprehended a man in connection with the suspected deaths of his mother and her friend, both of whom have been reported missing.

Matthew Leonard, aged 28, initially reported his 50-year-old mother, Sarah Johnson, as missing on March 26, according to details from the Springville Police Department. On April 6, law enforcement disclosed that Johnson was last seen at her Springville residence on the evening of March 20, alongside 50-year-old John Handricks. Handricks was also reported missing out of Salt Lake City, Utah. After investigating the scene and gathering witness statements, police suspect that Johnson and Handricks “may have been shot and killed.”

Several weeks after their disappearance, Leonard was taken into custody, facing charges of two counts of aggravated murder.

Court documents, as reported by local NBC affiliate KSL, revealed that Leonard had been on law enforcement’s watchlist in the weeks leading up to the disappearance of his mother and Handricks. On March 9, Leonard was detained and charged with harassment via electronic communication. He had allegedly bombarded his girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child, with numerous texts and calls. Despite being instructed to cease, he continued with “11 messages and 11 calls… all within an hour and a half after being asked to stop.”

Police reported that some messages contained self-harm threats, and Leonard exhibited signs of paranoia in the days that followed. Consequently, his girlfriend sought a protective order against him on March 13.

When Handricks was reported missing to Salt Lake City authorities on March 23, the informant mentioned his last sighting with Johnson on March 20. On March 26, police questioned Leonard regarding Handricks’ presence with his mother. That same day, Leonard proceeded to fill out the necessary documentation to officially report Johnson as missing.

Leonard pleaded guilty to the harassment charge on April 7, the day after Springville police said they received “unconfirmed” information that Johnson and Handricks were dead. According to the court documents, it was Johnson’s father who told police that his granddaughter apparently got a text from her friend that said Johnson “had been shot and the body had not been located.”

Police said witnesses saw Johnson and Handricks at the Springville home with Leonard on March 20, “one of whom heard possible gunshots inside the residence.”

According to the court documents, detectives executed a search warrant at the home on April 11. While investigating inside the house, detectives said they found “evidence of blood, shell casings, and a bullet slug.” In Johnson’s bedroom, they observed blood “in the grooves between flooring planks.” Large pools of blood were allegedly present in the same room against two separate walls, leading detectives to believe that the victims were deceased. The detectives noted that there was an attempt to clean up the blood and said they believed Leonard “disposed of the bodies.”

Leonard was arrested the same day. He is currently being held at the Utah County Jail without bail.

KSL reported that the Utah County Attorney’s Office requested additional time to gather evidence before formally charging Leonard with two counts of aggravated murder. He is also facing pending charges of possession of a substance with intent to distribute, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, prohibited dangerous weapon conduct, and obstruction of justice. His next court date was not available.