EASTHAMPTON — An Easthampton woman heavily involved in the Valley’s arts community as a dancer and board member of the Northampton Community Arts Trust died last week while hiking in Utah — one of three people killed in what authorities describe as a triple homicide.
After Natalie Graves, 34, and her aunt, Linda Dewey, 65, failed to return from a hike while visiting Utah on March 4, their husbands found them dead at a trailhead in Torrey. This discovery led to a multi-state search and the arrest of a suspect in Colorado.
An Iowa man, Ivan Miller, 22, is accused of the aggravated murder of three women whose bodies were found in Wayne County, Utah. In addition to Graves and Dewey, a third woman, Margaret Oldroyd, 86, was killed in her home.
Born in Salt Lake City, Graves later moved to Easthampton with her husband, Taylor Graves, where they “immersed themselves in a creative, artistic community,” according to her obituary. Natalie Graves attended the University of Utah and met Taylor while they were students. They were inseparable for 16 years, the obituary said.
Natalie started dancing when she was 5 years old, later attending the University of Utah where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in modern dance, and a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Healthcare Administration.
A GoFundMe has been started for Taylor Graves by Joseph Kolchinsky, CEO and founder of tech company OneVision of Boston, where Taylor Graves works. Kolchinsky could not be reached for comment.
The GoFundMe post states, “For those who knew them, it was clear that Taylor and Natalie shared a rare and profound bond … To lose a partner who was truly his [Taylor Graves] ‘everything’ is an incomprehensible tragedy, and our hearts go out to Taylor, his family, and everyone affected by this senseless act of violence.”
Kolchinsky donated $5,000 to the fund, which has surpassed $38,000 in just five days. The post says funds will be given to Taylor Graves to help with expenses related to his wife’s death and the finalization of her estate.
According to Natalie Graves’ LinkedIn, she worked at Clario, a clinical trial data management company in Boston. She also worked at the Huntsman Cancer Institute as a member of the cancer clinical trials team. “She was proud of her work helping people facing difficult times,” the obit said.
In a statement shared with The Wayne & Garfield County Insider, a publication that serves the two counties in Utah, Linda Dewey’s family said, “Our family is dealing with the shock of the devastating loss of two members of our family who 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. We cannot comprehend why this happened.”
The statement says Dewey had family all over the world and was “loved deeply and loved her family deeply. She was the heart of our family,” and Natalie Graves was “adored by her many friends and extended family members. She was joy, sunshine and beauty embodied.”
The statement asks the media to give the family privacy during this time, “when we need to be with each other and need time and space to process what has happened.”
“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,” it says.
The statement directs people to the Cockscomb Trailhead, where the women were hiking in Utah, to memorialize them. Photographs of the two are placed at the trailhead.
Attempts to reach several members of the Pioneer Valley’s arts community were unsuccessful on Wednesday. A member of the Northampton Community Arts Trust declined to comment at this time, citing privacy for the family.
Arrest, investigation
Miller, 22, of Blakesburg, Iowa, told investigators that he killed the three women to steal their cars and credit cards because he needed money to get back to Iowa, according to charging documents. There was no indication that he had any connection to the victims, according to Lt. Cameron Roden of the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Prior to the alleged killings of the three women and being arrested in Colorado, Miller had hit an elk several days earlier near Capitol Reef National Park, leaving him without a vehicle after selling the one he was driving. Miller killed Oldroyd first in her home in Lyman, Utah, according to court documents. He shot her from behind while she was watching TV, Wayne County prosecutors allege, then stole her Buick.
Miller then traveled 10 miles from his first victim’s home in Lyman, parking near a trail that Graves and Dewey were about to hike. Seeing Graves and Dewey get out of a Subaru, he allegedly killed them before taking the car, according to court documents. Prosecutors allege Miller attempted to conceal their bodies in a dry creek bed.
Miller told authorities that he realized he did not like the Buick and wanted a different vehicle, according to court documents.
Taylor Graves and Dewey’s husband found their wives shot and stabbed before calling 911 and waving down a ranger. The trail is used mostly by locals, according to officials and court documents.
Investigators have not found a motive for the killings. They were still looking into what Miller was doing in Utah prior to the killings, according to Roden.
Authorities used license plate readers and vehicle tracking services to follow Miller’s path, from Utah through northern Arizona and into the mountain town of Pagosa Springs in southwestern Colorado, where he abandoned the stolen vehicle, according to Roden.
According to online jail records, Miller was being held on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon. Miller was arrested with a large knife and a .45 caliber pistol, according to court documents, and was scheduled to make his first court appearance in the state on Friday, March 6.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.