Murders of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner

Two days before the two women were reported missing, Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito were stopped by officers of the Moab City Police Department. This fueled speculation of a connection between the cases.[2] The women had been married April 20, 2021 and often camped with their pet rabbit.[3]

Schulte and Turner were last seen the night of August 13, 2021 at a bar in Moab around 9:30 pm.[4] The women were described as being deeply in love with focus and attention majorly on each other and that no one had followed them out of the bar.[5] After the couple had been out of contact for three days, a local friend received a phone call from Schultes father, who lives in Montana, that the couple had moved their campsite due to a "creeper dude" that they were scared of.[3] The friend went looking for the couple's campsite in the La Sal Mountains near Moab on August 18, 2021 and was on the phone with Schulte's father when she discovered Schulte's remains.[6][4]

The friend later told reporters that she feared for her safety after discovering Schulte's remains and called police and did not continue to search for Turner, as her remains were also discovered and also happened to be right near Schulte's remains.[7] Both women were discovered undressed from the waist down in a creek close to the campsite, with multiple gunshot wounds on their backs, sides and/or chests.[8]

Responding police found a Kia Sorento, a camping tent, long term camping tools and supplies and a make shift rabbit shelter when they arrived at the scene.[4] They obtained a search warrant for another vehicle; a 1987 Ford Econoline that had been left in the parking lot and later towed. Inside the Ford they found personal documents and a Bible.[8]

In October 2021, authorities released an affidavit for a search warrant that had been signed in September 2021 and executed within twenty-four hours. It included investigation into a cell tower at Jimmy Keen Flats, near the campsite between August 13 and August 15 only for phones within a two mile radius of the crime scene.[9][10]

An anonymous local business contractor and a local private lending company have both offered separate $10,000 rewards for any information about the case as of November 2021.[5]

A news release by the Grand County Sheriffs Office claimed that there was no believed current danger to the public. This claim was met with skepticism by friends of the couple who believe the statement was to protect the tourism industry while investigating the case.[3] Others have raised speculation that the deaths of Laundrie and Petito are connected to the case, although law enforcement have ruled out the connection between the two cases.[9]

Schulte's family started a fundraiser to help cover funeral costs for her and have directed others to a separate fundraiser for Turner after the fundraiser reached its goal.[4]