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The US Marshals warned John Freeman Colt may have been drifting from campground to campground in a handful of Western states. So, Utah deputies have arrested a dangerous fugitive and sex offender in Wayne County. Point to be noted that 42-years old Colt escaped from a Kansas mental facility, where he was part of a sexual predator treatment program earlier this year. The FBI considered Colt as sexually violent and dangerous and he was involuntarily committed to the mental institution after serving a 5-year prison term for sex crimes, burglary, and attacking police. He escaped from the Larned State Hospital after donning a staff uniform and fake ID badge and successfully talking his way through a series of 5 secured doors.

The Marshals said his last known whereabouts were in Scott City on June 30 and he was believed to have been camping out at the state and national parks in Utah, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Texas. It was still unclear whether his path through Utah intersected with 2 other high-profile incidents linked to parks in the state, including the double murder of Kylen Schulte, Crystal Turner, and the Gabby Petito case. Schulte and Turner were found shot to death and partially disrobed near their campsite outside Moab, Utah, on Aug. 18. The couple had last been seen alive leaving Woody’s Tavern on Aug. 13. The couple had informed friends earlier that a suspicious man was sneaking them out near their campsite and that they wanted to move.

A local business owner, Cindy Sue Hunter was the first to discover Schulte’s body off the trail. She said, “We don’t think they got a chance to. We think they were ambushed”. The double slayings shocked the small community, which has a population of just over 5,000 but sees a huge number of visitors passing through. The sheriff’s office said that local businesses and anonymous donors are offering a $20,000 reward for information that could crack the case. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 435-259-8115. The area sees numerous visitors, but few crimes. Rental cars and hotel rooms were hard to find this week for cross-country travelers, vans, RVs, and other vehicles are seemingly everywhere.