Suspect named in triple homicide case

A man who was a ‘person of interest’ in a triple homicide in rural La Paz County has now been named as a suspect in the murders, according to La Paz County Sheriff’s Office.

“We recently completed a preliminary analysis of some of the biological/physical evidence recovered from the crime scene. At this time, we have enough probable cause to identify Kitage Lynch as the primary suspect in this case,” Lieutenant Curt Bagby said.

The homicides, which were discovered on April 20th near Salome, AZ, apparently occurred several hours before Lynch was apprehended in Glendale, AZ in the early hours of the 21st. News outlets reported that he was acting erratically and shooting a firearm. He allegedly shot at Glendale and Phoenix P.D. officers as they responded to the scene.

Several hours before, Sheriff’s officials had found a brutal crime scene at a property on a remote stretch of Salome Road. Three senior citizens were dead in multiple homes on the property, with no apparent suspects or motives at first.

Up until now, Lynch’s connection to the crime scene in Salome was that he was reportedly found with one of the victim’s vehicles, which was missing from the property. That established him as a ‘person of interest’ in the killings, while evidence was processed by authorities in three different jurisdictions.

Now, Lynch is being named as the primary suspect in the homicides, with “probable cause” cited as the reason for the change. Typically law enforcement agencies make this change in approach when an item or items of evidence turns out to reveal a more substantial link to a crime. “The La Paz County Attorney’s Office will be handling the upcoming grand jury/indictment process,” Bagby added.

The victims were identified as Lester Lindsay (83) and his wife Ella (76) from Wenatchee, Washington, and Alice Boyd (81), from Bingen, Washington.

No motive or suspected motive has been released at this time.