Unsealed search warrants reveal man near Kylen and Crystal’s campsite with possible bloody clothing

GRAND COUNTY, Utah— Multiple unsealed search warrants for the same man from Grand County provide details and pieces of evidence in the double homicide of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner.

The search warrants were previously sealed until Feb. 18, citing, “As the nature of this crime is severe and the potential jury pool is small this investigator fears that the release of this warrant could potentially taint the jury and cause legal issues for the prosecution or defense during trial.”

Court documents reveal that a man identified in the search warrant was pulled over for a traffic stop on Aug. 17, 2021, just one day after Schulte and Turner were reported missing. The report outlines an odd encounter between police and this man in that traffic stop and states, “he was so unnerving that the veteran law enforcement officer decided not to write the speeding ticket as he did not want to take his eyes off of him.”

KSL has not named this person of interest, because he hasn’t been arrested and calls to detectives have gone unanswered.

Private investigator Jason Jensen said, “This means that they’ve been aggressive since one because this was a warrant sought on the 18th day that they found Kylen and Crystal murdered.”

Jensen has been working with Kylen Schulte’s family and said this is reassuring since detectives have remained quiet with them and the media. 

Schulte and Turner were found dead at their campsite on Aug. 18, 2021, with multiple gunshot wounds. Their deaths have been named a homicide by police.

After the bodies of Schulte and Turner were recovered, police issued a search warrant for this man’s vehicle and interviewed him at his place of work, Moonflower Market. Schulte also worked at Moonflower Market though the man said he had never worked directly with her. As law enforcement left the market, they were informed that this man had only worked for the market since Aug. 16, but had frequented the market before and even given a cashier that was not Schulte a red rose.

During the interview, the law enforcement officer noted that the man’s “demeanor was similar to people that I have had interactions with who had untreated mental health issues.” When asked if he had murdered Schulte and Turner, the man said no.

He could not account for his times or whereabouts for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night other than to say that “he would travel to a spot that he often slept at, as it was away from people. He described the location that he would normally sleep at as 100 to 300 yards up the Loop Road from the Moab Overlook on a dirt road, and that he had left a blanket there.”

Law enforcement located the place the man referenced, finding two blankets and a jacket with what appeared to be blood on it. The police gathered the items as potential evidence. The area of these items would have been passed by Turner and Schulte on their way to their campsite.

“If it didn’t result in a charge or a conviction, depending on how much time has passed, it tends to mean that the fruit of their search was nothing,” Jensen said.

He said the man isn’t in jail now, months later, there’s a good chance he was cleared.

According to court documents, this same man was often seen around town and known to sleep in his vehicle. One party even stated she had asked him to leave her business as he “makes unwanted advances towards women and makes them feel uneasy.”

The unsealing of these search warrants may mean that police are no longer investigating the man listed. Jensen added it is also possible that detectives are gathering more evidence before making an arrest. He also pointed out that The Grand County Sheriff’s office said in a news release that they were looking into more than one person of interest.

The two women were last seen at Woody’s Tavern and law enforcement was told that Schulte mentioned to her friends that a “creepy guy” had been around their camp and intimidated them and went on to say that if something happened to them that they were murdered.

In a second search warrant, a specific phone number registered with AT&T was requested. The search warrant states that “A single Samsung cellphone was recovered at the scene and is currently in evidence.”

However, no other cell phone was ever recovered from the scene and investigators know of another phone number used by both victims. According to court documents, “As only one cellphone has been recovered we are currently searching for another phone that was known to be possessed by one or both victims.”

According to the search warrant, investigators believe “The information stored by the service provider/carrier of this number could provide information about the whereabouts of the phone as well as other information that may lead to a suspect.”

The second search warrant was previously sealed until Feb. 22.

In a third search warrant, video surveillance from Woody’s Tavern from Aug. 11- Aug. 17 was requested for the investigation of the Schulte and Turner homicides.

The search warrant was sealed until Feb. 21 because if left unsealed it could “pose a serious impediment to the investigation.”

A search warrant is a court document that shows investigative efforts of law enforcement, it does not state the guilt or innocence of the party involved.