● Editor’s note: This story contains violent and disturbing information. Reader discretion is advised.
WAYNE COUNTY, Utah, March 6, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Department of Public Safety has identified the three women shot and killed in Wayne County, while arrest documents for the suspect, Ivan Miller, detail what he allegedly told investigators about the shootings and his motives.
The bodies of Linda Dewey, 65, and her niece, Natalie Graves, 34, were found near a hiking trail Wednesday afternoon by their husbands, who then reported the discovery to dispatch, according to a DPS news release.
The first woman killed, and last to be found, was Margaret Oldroyd, 86, who was located at a nearby residence. She had no known connection to the other two women.
Miller, 22, of Blakesburg, Iowa, was arrested Thursday in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, after a multi-hour, multi-state manhunt. He now faces three counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in charges filed by the Wayne County Attorney’s Office.
Miller’s movements
According to a Utah Department of Public Safety timeline, Miller told investigators after being advised of his Miranda rights that he struck an elk near Loa on Saturday, Feb. 28, disabling his truck. He said he later sold the vehicle to a tow company and stayed for several days at a hotel in the area.
During further questioning, Miller admitted to killing someone and stealing a car, according to the arrest document. Investigators also said he was found with banking and credit cards belonging to all three victims.
According to the charging document, Miller told investigators he arrived in Lyman, Utah, and spent the night in a shed behind Oldroyd’s residence. He said he saw a Buick LeSabre there, watched Oldroyd leave, then entered the home, hid behind a door and shot her in the back of the head with a 1911 handgun while she sat watching television.
The document says Miller later dragged Oldroyd to an outbuilding and then into the basement, where he left her. He told investigators he then took the car, but decided he did not like it and wanted to find another vehicle.
Miller told investigators that in his search for another vehicle, he eventually came upon Graves and Dewey as they got out of a white Subaru at a trailhead near Teasdale Road and Cocks Comb, near Loa. He said he approached the two women and shot Graves in what he believed was the chest, causing her to fall. He then shot Dewey twice in the torso and, when she was still moving, stabbed her multiple times in the chest.
Miller told investigators he then dragged the two women to a ditch and laid them next to each other.
“Miller said he did it because he needed money. Miller said that he took their credit cards and used the older woman’s card to buy gas. Miller said that his intent was to get back to Iowa, and stopped in Pagosa to get gas when he saw the police officer and drove to the back of the building where the vehicle was found, and (he) stayed in the area to see if he could get his car back.”
Miller was arrested and booked into the Archuleta County jail, where he will await his planned extradition to Utah for trial.
Utah DPS said investigators used a tracking device in the stolen vehicle, along with automated license plate readers and real-time monitoring, to follow Miller as he fled through southern Utah, briefly entered northern Arizona and ultimately drove into southern Colorado, where he was taken into custody.
“Miller confessed that it ‘had to be done’ but he did not like to do it. Miller claimed that all of the victims were shot with the 1911 handgun.
“When asked what he had done with the knife he had used, Miller pulled the knife out during the interview.”
Multi-agency effort
The Utah DPS shared condolences with the families of the victims.
It also thanked all the agencies that came together to work on the case.
“In less than 12 hours, Utah law enforcement, in partnership with Colorado and Arizona agencies, apprehended a triple-homicide suspect through a multi-agency effort,” the news release says.
“The swift resolution of this case was achieved through the collaborative efforts of multiple agencies. DPS State Bureau of Investigation agents and the DPS Crime Lab processed multiple scenes, working shoulder-to-shoulder with local partners who gathered evidence and provided support to the grieving families.
“This achievement was made possible by the vital contributions of the Wayne, Archuleta, Sevier, and Kane County Sheriff’s’ Offices, the FBI, the BLM, the Page (Ariz.) Police Department, and the Pagosa Springs (Colo.) Police Department. Ultimately, the proactive communication of all surrounding agencies allowed us to locate the suspect, proving that when tragedy strikes, Utah’s strength lies in our historic partnerships and commitment to justice.”
Gephardt Daily will share additional information on the case as it is released.
