‘Are we still Safe?': Saratoga Springs community struggles for clarity after double homicide

Yahoo

29-05-2025

SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah () — The Saratoga Springs Police Department provided a small update to
In an email from police on Wednesday, the Saratoga Springs Police Department said detectives have developed several leads, and they are actively and diligently investigating this case.
In March, two people were shot and killed at a Saratoga Springs home on Willowbrook Lane and two months later, some neighbors are still wondering why they haven't received more of an update from the police.
'I wish we had more information,' neighbor Chris Bernier said.
The information known from the Saratoga Springs Police Department is this:
Two individuals were shot inside of a house near Willowbrook Lane in Saratoga Springs. One was 8-year-old Eli Painter, who died on scene, and the other was 43-year-old Jessica Lyman, who died after being transported to the hospital.
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A 17-year-old girl made the initial call to the police after arriving home. She told police she saw both Lyman and Painter unconscious on the floor and covered in blood.
'We've never had anything like this happen before,' Bernier said.
Bernier has lived near Willowbrook Lane for just over five years, and he says some neighbors, including himself, have many unanswered questions about the shooting.
'Are we safe in our neighborhood, is this a one-time thing, do we need to be extra careful now?' Bernier asked.
Retired Deputy Chief of Police and private investigator Chris Bertram says these kinds of investigations sometimes take longer than expected because of the intensity of the case.
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'They're waiting to get digital evidence back, forensic evidence back, and trying to put all the puzzle pieces together to say what type of death investigation this is,' Bertram said.
Bertram suspects as investigations go forward, officials might not want to say much — in fear of tipping off the suspect or making an incorrect statement too fast.
'As time goes on, we might understand better why they kept that information quiet. On the other hand, if they keep it quiet and something else happens there's big consequences to that,' Bertram said.
This is an ongoing investigation, and Saratoga Springs police say that because of how sensitive this case is, no further information can be released to the public right now.
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