In the spring of 2021, the life of 28-year-old Caucasian female Erika Viola Kikker Miller came to a shocking and tragic end amidst a string of violence that spanned from Billings to the dense forests near West Yellowstone, Montana. On April 15, 2021, concern for a Billings resident led to a welfare check that would unravel a devastating series of events. Authorities discovered the body of 64-year-old Roxann Renee Watson, who had been beaten and strangled. The investigation quickly identified Watson's daughter, Erika Miller, and her 22-year-old boyfriend, Henry Porter, as persons of interest.
As law enforcement sought to question the couple, the situation escalated. Later that same day, officers from multiple agencies were engaged in a vehicle pursuit with Miller and Porter. The chase came to an end near West Yellowstone, approximately 230 miles from Billings, when Miller and Porter abandoned their vehicle and fled into the woods.
A perimeter was established by law enforcement, who then heard two distinct gunshots from the direction the couple had run. A search of the area by a K9 unit led to the discovery of Miller and Porter's bodies in the early hours of the following day.
The investigation determined that both Erika Miller and Henry Porter had died from single gunshot wounds to the head in what was described as an apparent murder-suicide. The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, which handled the investigation into their deaths, did not specify who they believed fired the fatal shots. In the days that followed, the grim discoveries continued. The body of another woman, 32-year-old Shanna Lynn Booth, was found in a Billings home owned by Erika Miller, further deepening the mystery and the tragedy of the preceding days. Her death was also deemed suspicious and connected to the violent chain of events.
