A Colorado woman and her 6-year-old son were found dead in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah, this week in what appears to be a murder-suicide, law enforcement officials said.
Park rangers responded to a suspicious vehicle parked in a no-camping area near Shafer Trail in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, the San Juan County, Utah, Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Park rangers found an unresponsive 6-year-old boy in the vehicle and started life-saving measures, but the boy was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.
The woman was found dead outside of the vehicle.
Both were reported missing by family in Colorado on Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff Lehi Lacy on Saturday confirmed to JS that the woman and her son were also from Colorado.
The sheriff’s office is not identifying the woman or boy out of respect and will release the names once the agency gets permission from the family, Lacy said.
The investigation is ongoing, but “based on all evidence so far, this case is being investigated as a homicide and suicide,” sheriff’s officials said.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
