The family of an aunt and her niece who were found dead on a Utah trail earlier this week said Friday that they can’t comprehend why the women were slain in a pair of killings allegedly committed by a stranger in search of money.

In a statement, a family spokesperson for Linda Dewey, 65, and Natalie Graves, 34, said the women 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 were murdered,” the spokesperson said. “We cannot comprehend why this happened.”

Authorities have charged Ivan Miller, 22, with aggravated murder in their deaths Wednesday. He was charged with the same crime in the fatal shooting of Margaret Oldroyd, 86, who is not related to Dewey or Graves. Oldroyd’s relatives could not be reached for comment Friday.

The bodies of the three women were found at two locations in South Central Utah.

Charging documents filed Thursday in Utah allege that Miller, of Blakesburg, Iowa, confessed to the killings. He allegedly told authorities that “he did it because he needed money” after hitting an elk in Loa, Utah, selling his truck to a local tow company and staying at a hotel for a few days, according to the documents.

Miller said he shot Oldroyd in the head as she sat down to watch TV in her home in Lyman, then took her Buick but realized he didn’t like the car, the documents allege. He drove to a nearby trail, where he encountered Graves and Dewey and shot them, the documents allege.

Miller allegedly said he stabbed Dewey when she continued to move.

He abandoned the Buick, according to the documents, and took a Subaru that belonged to Dewey or Graves. The husbands of Dewey and Graves later found their bodies near a trail head and called authorities, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.

Miller was arrested hundreds of miles east, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, after authorities tracked the location of a stolen key fob, the documents state.

Scott Van Zandt, a public defender representing Miller, said during a court hearing Friday that his client does not want to speak to police or media, the Associated Press reported.

A representative for the Colorado State Public Defender did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment Friday night.

In the family statement, Dewey was described as a wife, mother, grandmother and sister with a large extended family all over the world.

“She was loved deeply and loved her family deeply,” the statement says. “She was the heart of our family.”

Graves, a wife, daughter and sister, was “adored by her many friends and extended family members. She was joy, sunshine and beauty embodied.”

“We need time to mourn, love each other and be with our family and friends,” the statement says. “We are at a loss for words that can describe what we are feeling and cannot publicly express our sadness and devastation at this time.”

Southern Utah shipment is part of the faith’s yearlong celebration of the Declaration of Independence.

Schmaltz’s 24 goals this season are a new career-high. He’s been a consistently strong presence and has taken on more responsibility with the switch from wing to center. His goal on the power play came just eight seconds into the man-advantage and opened the scoring early in the second period. In addition to his goal, he had an assist on Utah’s second goal of the game. Tourigny discussed Schmaltz’s maturity following the win.

“He’s a mature person, mature man,” Tourigny explained. “He really wants to make a difference. I always say about Schmaltz, (he’s) a gamer. He wants to play in those moments, and I think he’s excited about where our team is at, and he wants to be a big part of it, and he is. He’s a huge leader for us.”

Utah held Philadelphia to 16 total shots: four in the first period, seven in the second, and five in the third. The Mammoth showed their strong defensive game in the win.

“I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we’re defending hard,” Schmaltz said. “We’re playing with a lot of pace, not giving them time and space, frustrating them, and making them force plays, and then we turn it over and go the other way.”

On the flip side, against a stingy Philadelphia defense, Utah generated 23 shots including 14 in the second period. Schmaltz spoke to what led to the increased opportunities in the middle frame.

“A little bit more direct,” Schmaltz shared. “I think our transition game was really good. We were catching them, kind of hemming them in. Good line changes and just rolling them over and shooting a little bit more.”

In addition to Schmaltz’s goal, Captain Clayton Keller scored his 19^th of the season seven and half minutes after his linemate’s tally to increase the score to 2-0. Michael Carcone’s empty net goal with 1:48 left in regulation secured the 3-0 win.

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

• The Mammoth’s power play went 1-for-2 against the Flyers. Utah has scored seven power play goals in seven games (7-for-18, 38.9%). On the other side of special teams, the Mammoth’s penalty kill went 3-for-3.

• JJ Peterka played his 300^th NHL game. Peterka was selected 34th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and is the ninth player from his draft class to reach the milestone. He is also just the eighth German-born forward in NHL history to accomplish the feat.

• Keller has recorded 11 points in his last seven games (2/2-3/5: 3g, 8a), finding the scoresheet in six of those contests.

• With two assists tonight, Dylan Guenther has posted his second straight multi-point outing (3/3 at WSH: 1g, 1a) and his third in five games (2/25 vs. COL: 2g).

Utah has won the first two games of a five-game road trip. Up next, the Mammoth travel to Columbus and face the Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

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