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SPANISH FORK — A man and woman were found dead inside a home in Spanish Fork on Tuesday in what police are calling a double homicide, and the couple's son has been taken into custody as a person of interest.
Police said they received a call for a welfare check on a home near 1400 S. 2250 East at 12:17 p.m. A coworker of one of the residents grew concerned and called police after the person had not shown up to work for two days, Spanish Fork Police Lt. Cory Slaymaker said in a prepared statement.
Officers tried to contact the residents by cellphone with no success. They then connected with family members who provided a key to the home, but the key did not work, the statement says.
At 1:45 p.m., officers found an unlocked window and entered the home. Slaymaker said officers located a 58-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman, both deceased, inside the home.
Police have not said how the man and woman died.
Officers started searching for the couple's 26-year-old son, Tryston Robert Erickson, who they believe is a "person of interest," Slaymaker said.
During the investigation, the phone of the woman who was found dead pinged near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, about 5 p.m. A vehicle was missing from the home and police suspected the phone might be inside that vehicle, according to Spanish Fork police.
Officers contacted Grand County Sheriff's Office in Colorado, which helped locate the vehicle near Kremmling, Colorado. They initiated a traffic stop and a pursuit ensued, Spanish Fork police said in a statement.
Police made contact with the driver after the pursuit. He identified himself as Erickson and was taken into custody, according to police. He is being held in the Grand County Jail in Colorado.
Police said they will not release the names of the man and woman who were found dead until the medical examiner confirms their identities.
According to Utah court records, Erickson has faced several misdemeanor and felony drug and theft-related charges dating back to 2015.
In 2016, he pleaded guilty to receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, a third-degree felony; and causing an accident involving property damage and driving on a suspended license, both class B misdemeanors. In that case, he was accused of stealing his father's vehicle, crashing into a home and then leaving the scene while impaired, according to court records. He was sentenced to serve up to five years in prison.
