Authorities in Utah have uncovered a tragic scene, discovering the bodies of three women in the same county, with one man now in custody, according to state law enforcement.

Ivan Miller, aged 23, is facing charges for carrying a concealed knife and gun, as reported by the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office.

The incidents took place on Wednesday, at a residence and on a hiking trail in Wayne County. This information was shared by the Utah Department of Public Safety during a press briefing on Thursday morning, following Miller’s arrest by officers in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

“Utilizing License Plate Reader Cameras and vehicle tracking techniques, law enforcement successfully located the suspect,” the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office detailed in a press release issued subsequently.

The identities of the victims have not yet been disclosed. However, Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cameron Roden confirmed that all three women were local residents.

The first victim, in her 80s, was found deceased in her home in the small town of Lyman. The other two victims, aged in their 30s and 60s, were discovered along a hiking trail near Capitol Reef National Park. This area is located approximately 15 miles south of Lyman, close to the small town of Torrey and off State Route 12.

Authorities believe each of the victims was killed simply because the defendant wanted to steal their vehicles.

“There’s nothing to suggest they were targeted specifically,” Roden said during the press conference. “Other than just for convenience.”

The victims’ manner of death has also yet to be released.

While the timeline of the slayings is not yet complete, law enforcement believes Miller first entered the octogenarian’s home, killed her, and stole her car. Then, he allegedly drove to the trailhead where he killed the other two women and stole their vehicle.

The younger women’s bodies were found first, Roden said. Around 4:30 p.m., their husbands went looking for them after they did not return home from their hike and called police. Investigators quickly found the older woman’s car near the second murder scene and traced it back to her residence, where her body was discovered.

A multi-state and multi-agency manhunt ensued. The FBI used license plate readers and what Roden referred to as “integrated tracking services” to track the second stolen car through southern Utah, northern Arizona, and finally into southern Colorado.

Around 11:10 p.m. Wednesday, local police in the Mile High State were alerted that the car wanted in connection with the killings was in the Pagosa Springs area, according to local law enforcement.

A brief search quickly turned up the second stolen vehicle, previously identified by law enforcement on Facebook as a white 2022 Subaru Outback.

“A Pagosa Springs police officer found the vehicle within the city limits,” the police department said in a statement. “The vehicle was then abandoned in Centennial Park in the downtown area.”

A few hours later, Miller was found.

“Upon a frisk of Miller, he was found in possession of a concealed handgun and large knife,” the police department’s statement went on. “Miller was arrested for possession of concealed weapons. A subsequent interview linked Miller to the deaths in Utah.”

Miller, who hails from Iowa, has no prior connection to the area, Roden said. It is presently unclear how long the defendant was previously in Utah before the alleged killing spree occurred.

On Thursday, Roden said the investigations at both crime scenes are ongoing and that formal charges are being prepared so the defendant can be extradited to Wayne County.

“Our community is grieving today following the tragic deaths of three women in Wayne County yesterday,” Torrey Mayor Mickey Wright said in a statement. “On behalf of the Town of Torrey, I extend my deepest condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims. This is a heartbreaking moment for our small, close‑knit community.”

Late Thursday, Miller was indicted on three counts of aggravated murder.

Each of the victims were allegedly shot to death using .45 caliber bullets, according to the charging document obtained by Law&Crime. One of the victims was also stabbed “multiple times” in the “heart,” prosecutors allege. Notably, law enforcement also cited the presence of 20-gauge shotgun shells at both crime scenes.

The defendant for his part, said he only used a handgun and a knife to kill the three women, according to the indictment. He allegedly went on to say he “needed the money” when justifying the killings.

But the indictment contains another dimension to the alleged motive.

“Miller confessed that it ‘had to be done’ but he did not like to do it,” the charging document reads. “Miller described one of his alleged victims as having blue or purple hair, and that they were ‘lesbians.’ Miller claimed that all of the alleged victims were shot with the 1911 handgun. When asked what he had done with the knife he had used, Miller produced the knife during the interview.”