Moab community members will come together for support at a candlelight vigil after the murder of two local women. The vigil will be held on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 8:15 p.m. outside of Moonflower Community Cooperative, where one of the victims worked.
Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner were found dead in the South Mesa area of the La Sal Loop Road on August 18. Since August 14, friends and family had been searching for the couple, who reportedly often camped in the mountains. The Medical Examiner’s office ruled gunshot wounds as the cause of death for both women and a homicide investigation is ongoing.
Despite considerable fear in the community after the double murder, statement from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office that asserted that there is “no current threat to public safety.” When the Moab Sun News asked for further details, spokesperson Shan Hackwell said that investigators believe the killings were “an isolated incident.”
Some social media comments have speculated on whether the shootings were motivated by hatred against the LGBTQ community. Sheriff Steven White said investigators “aren’t ruling anything out at this time.”
A GoFundMe campaign started for the family of Kylen Schulte exceeded its goal of $15,000 in just one day. As of Saturday, Aug. 21, the page had raised over $28,000.
The fundraising page says Kylen Schulte’s father, Sean-Paul Schulte, wants Kylen to be laid to rest in Montana next to her brother, who was killed in a gun accident in 2015 when he was 15 years old. Money raised through the fund will go toward burial expenses and travel expenses for Sean-Paul Schulte, and also to the family of Crystal Turner.
