The authorities detained a suspect in a triple homicide early Thursday, a day after three women were found dead in central Utah, the authorities said.
The suspect was taken into custody in Colorado, according to the Utah Public Safety Department. Investigators tracked the suspect, a man who had been using one of the victim’s vehicles, through southern Utah into northern Arizona and then Colorado. Law enforcement officials detained the suspect after the vehicle was found abandoned in Pagosa Springs, in southern Colorado.
Before the suspect was taken into custody, law enforcement officials in Wayne County, Utah, had asked the public to look out for a white 2022 Subaru Outback.
There were no other suspects, the department said on Thursday, and there was no ongoing threat to the public.
Two women were found dead on a hiking trail after dispatchers received a call on Wednesday afternoon, and the authorities found the body of a third woman at a residence in Wayne County while investigating, the public safety department said in a news release early Thursday. The women were not identified, but the department said they were in their 30s, 60s and 80s.
Details about the deaths remained unclear, but the Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the Utah Crime Lab were investigating two crime scenes in the Lyman and Torrey area, the department said.
Sandra Yi Barker, a spokeswoman for the F.B.I. field office in Salt Lake City, said the bureau was assisting with the investigation.
The investigation prompted officials in Wayne County to close its schools on Thursday and Friday, saying that they had done so “out of an abundance of caution and concern for student and public safety.” The authorities had asked residents in Torrey and surrounding areas to lock their doors and remain at home if possible on Wednesday.
Wayne County is home to fewer than 3,000 residents, according to the latestcensus data. It is a gateway for hikers and other tourists exploring nearby national parks, including Canyonlands National Park and Capitol Reef National Park. The popular Moab Valley is about 120 miles to the east.
Isabella Kwai is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news and other trends.
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