ST. GEORGE, Utah, June 19, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials have shared more details about the arrest of Mia Bailey, the only suspect in the fatal shooting of a man and woman Tuesday evening in a Washington residence.
Washington City Police Lt. Kory Klotz shared more facts in a news conference with reporters. Klotz recounted that the victims were found deceased after a call to dispatch just after 7 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators identified Bailey, a transgender woman previously known as Collin Bailey, as the sole suspect in the case.
Bailey, 28, was recorded leaving the scene in a yellow Kia Soul, and information was shared with the public about the car and Bailey, who is 5 feet 10 inches tall and slim at 130 pounds, and was still armed.
Early Wednesday, Bailey was spotted in St. George, and a containment area was set up, but Bailey managed to escape, in part due to the darkness and heavy shrubbery, Klotz said.
“Come daylight, we had more citizens waking up and seeing information that was posted last night,” he said. “We started to get calls from all over the county in reference to the vehicle and possible sightings of Mia. So our citizens did great.”
The arrest
Just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, a call came giving an exact location, against a wall near someone’s residence.
“And at that point, we started our negotiation tactics with Mia,” Klotz said. Multiple agencies were on scene, “trying to get the best outcome for Mia and our community, so that we can keep everybody safe. We were able to talk her into leaving the gun where she was at. The gun was clearly visible to us.”
After a couple hours and with that agreement, Bailey put the gun down and walked over to officers, who took her into custody, Klotz said. She was placed under arrest. Klotz said multiple charges will be coming, to include the two aggravated homicides.
Asked by a reporter if he could confirm the victims were Bailey’s parents, Klotz said he could not release any victim information without talking to the families to see what details they wanted released.
Klotz thanked the St. George Police Department, his coworkers and other agencies involved for working toward the most peaceful outcome.
“We want to keep our community safe. That’s what keeps us going.”
