The heartbroken families of two women murdered while hiking on their favorite trail have spoken out.
Linda Dewey, 65, and her niece Natalie Graves, 34, were allegedly killed by 22-year-old Ivan miller on Wednesday near Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.
Miller was arrested the next day in Colorado and allegedly confessed to the killings. Investigators said he claimed to have shot the women to steal their cars and money.
‘Our family is dealing with the shock of the devastating loss of two members of our family who were bonding over the beauty of a hike in one of their favorite places on Earth — cherished by them and the community, considered to be a safe sanctuary,’ they said in a statement obtained by KSL.
‘They were murdered. We cannot comprehend why this happened.’
The two women loved hiking in Wayne County, home to some of Utah’s most breathtaking views, but were tragically gunned down at the Cockscomb Trailhead.
The family’s tribute to Dewey remembers the the 65-year-old as ‘a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and had many extended family members and friends all over the world.
‘She was loved deeply and loved her family deeply. She was the heart of our family,’ they added.
Linda Dewey, 65, was gunned down alongside her niece on Wednesday as she got out of her car
Natalie Graves, 34, was shot dead at the Cockscomb Trail car park near Torrey, Utah, during a visit to her aunt and uncle
In a moving statement for Graves, the family remembers her as ‘a wife, daughter and sister, adored by her many friends and extended family members.
‘She was joy, sunshine and beauty embodied.’
The family added that they need time to mourn, saying words cannot describe the devastation they are feeling.
The horrific discovery of the two women’s bodies also led police to a third victim, 86-year-old Margaret Oldroyd.
Oldroyd’s next-door neighbor, Randy Jones, said he was shocked by her death and described her as ‘the sweetest woman you’d ever meet,’ according to the Associated Press.
The 86-year-old’s body body was found in her Lyman, Wayne County, home.
According to court documents, Miller allegedly shot her in the head, dragged her to the basement, and attempted to clean up the crime.
The 22-year-old stole Oldroyd’s Buick but decided he ‘did not like the car’ and started looking for a different one, the court documents said.
Miller allegedly shot local grandmother Margaret Oldroyd, 86, in the back of the head in her home and stole her car
Ivan Miller, 22, was charged with three counts of aggravated murder for allegedly killing three women in rural Utah
The two women were gunned down at the head of the Cockscomb Trail moments after they got out of the car. Miller allegedly dragged their bodies into a dry creek bed
Authorities said Miller then spotted Dewey and Graves at a trailhead outside Capitol Reef National Park as they got out of a white Subaru.
Miller approached the pair and allegedly shot Graves in the chest.
He then allegedly shot Dewey twice and ‘stabbed her multiple times in the heart’ after she kept moving, prosecutors claimed.
Court documents said that Miller stole their car, took their credit cards and used the older hiker’s card to buy gas.
The 22-year-old was was charged with three counts of first-degree felony murder and set his next Colorado court date for May 14, per KUTV.
