In the late summer of 2021, the vibrant lives of Kylen Carrol Schulte, a 24-year-old White female, and her wife, Crystal Turner, were tragically cut short in the serene landscape surrounding Moab, Utah. The couple, who had been living a nomadic lifestyle out of their converted van, were found deceased on August 18, 2021, at their campsite in the South Mesa area of the La Sal Loop Road.
An investigation swiftly determined that both women had died from multiple gunshot wounds, turning a story of love and adventure into a homicide investigation.
In the days leading up to their deaths, Schulte and Turner had expressed concerns to friends about a "creepy man" who was camping near them and making them feel uncomfortable. Schulte had even sent a text message stating that if something happened to them, they were murdered. The couple was last seen alive on the evening of August 13, 2021, at a local tavern in Moab. When they failed to show up for work and ceased communication, a concerned friend, acting on a call from Schulte's father, discovered their bodies at their campsite. The women were found partially undressed in a nearby creek.
The investigation into the double homicide spanned several months, with law enforcement initially pursuing various leads. In May 2022, the Grand County Sheriff's Office publicly identified a suspect: Adam Pinkusiewicz, a former co-worker of Crystal Turner at a local McDonald's. Investigators learned that Pinkusiewicz had been in the La Sal Mountains area at the time of the murders and had left Utah shortly after. Before taking his own life in September 2021, Pinkusiewicz confessed to another individual that he had killed two women in Utah, providing specific details about the crime that had not been released to the public. He revealed that he had shot the women while they were inside their tent before moving their bodies.
The motive for the murders was attributed to Pinkusiewicz's dislike for Turner, whom he reportedly found "bossy." While Schulte's family had raised concerns about a potential hate crime due to the couple's same-sex relationship and Pinkusiewicz's alleged "animus" toward lesbians, investigators also discovered that Pinkusiewicz himself had been in a same-sex relationship. In January 2023, the Grand County Sheriff's Office announced that they were closing the case, concluding that Adam Pinkusiewicz had acted alone in the murders of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner. Though the case is officially closed, it could be reopened if new evidence emerges.
