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MOAB — A man who police say had constant thoughts about killing people and showed signs of extreme racism in addition to paranoia is the person responsible for killing two Moab women in 2021.
That's the conclusion of the Grand County Sheriff's Office, which announced in May that Adam Tomer Pinkusiewicz, 45, was their main suspect in the August 2021 shooting deaths of Kylen "Ky" Carrol Schulte and her wife, Crystal Turner.
Thursday, the sheriff's office held a press conference to go over a detailed timeline of events of the case and talk about the evidence collected that points to Pinkusiewicz being the killer. Pinkusiewicz died by suicide in a motel in Waterloo, Iowa, in September of 2021, a little over a month after Schulte and Turner were killed and before police could question him.
Just before his death, Pinkusiewicz admitted to a man, his "significant other," that he had killed two women, said Unified police detective Carrie Rigby, one of the co-lead investigators in the case. The Unified Police Department worked closely with the Grand County Sheriff's Office in the investigation.
Specifically, Rigby said Pinkusiewicz's significant other said Pinkusiewicz told him that he shot two women inside a tent, even though their bodies were found in a creek. Rigby said that was significant because it was information that only the killer would know.
On Aug. 12, 2021, a man believed to be Pinkusiewicz pulled up next to the women's campsite in the La Sal Mountains and set up "uncomfortably close" to them, Rigby said. That night, the women were laying in a hammock and spotted Pinkusiewicz "creeping around" the camp area. But there was no confrontation and the incident was not reported to police, Rigby said. The women described the man next to their campsite as having a beard and no shirt.
Schulte, 24, and Turner, 38, who were recently married, lived a "van lifestyle," camping at various places at night rather than having a permanent home.
On Aug. 13, 2021, the camper next to them briefly left the area and came back with groceries, Rigby said. Investigators later confirmed that Pinkusiewicz had bought groceries that day. He also sent an email that day to family members that police described as a "goodbye" letter.
Later that night, the women told friends about the "creepy camper" and made the comment that if they didn't show up for work to look for them. But Rigby says the comment was more of a joke and neither the women nor their friends seemed overly concerned about him.
Schulte and Turner were last seen by friends on Aug. 13, 2021, about 8:45 p.m., leaving a tavern in Moab to return to their campsite. Police believe they arrived at their campsite about 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 14.
On Thursday, Rigby revealed that "surveillance from a nearby area" was found that recorded the sound of gunshots and screams at 11:48 a.m. on Aug. 14. Police were not specific about where the audio was recorded. But detectives believe that is when the women were shot.
Schulte and Turner were reported missing two days later after not showing up for work, and their bodies were found in a creek near their campsite on Aug. 18, 2021.
Some of the key pieces of evidence collected were the slugs from the shots that killed the women. Rigby said they contained a red rubber tip, something she said was extremely unique to what she typically sees during homicide investigations.
Another key piece of evidence was surveillance photos of a Toyota Yaris recorded leaving the area about one hour after when the murders are believed to have occurred. The vehicle caught Rigby's eye because it's not one typically used by campers in that area.
Rigby said investigators came up with a list of possible theories for who killed the women and even briefly considered the "Brian Laundrie theory." Laundrie was responsible for killing Gabby Petito before he also died by suicide. Laundrie and Petito's traffic stop near Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021 — which was recorded on body camera video by police — received worldwide attention.
But Rigby said investigators believed the evidence pointed more to the "creepy camper." Shortly after the murders, police learned that Pinkusiewicz, who had a beard and worked at the same McDonald's as Turner, had suddenly left the area without collecting his last paycheck right after the women's deaths. Investigators also learned that Pinkusiewicz was in the La Sal Mountains and that he drove a Toyota Yaris.
Rigby said Pinkusiewicz was one of many persons of interest in the investigation just one or two weeks after the women's bodies were found.
Although Rigby said there was no evidence that Turner and Pinkusiewicz got into any type of confrontation at work or even worked the same shift, police say Pinkusiewicz became heated during an argument with two managers on the night of Aug. 8, 2021, and was asked to leave work.
After the killings, the women's phone went "dark" until Aug. 16, 2021. Furthermore, investigators searching data in Pinkusiewicz's phone after his death learned that he deleted nearly all of the photos and any content related to him living in Moab, she said. He also deleted his Facebook app and Google history. Police were, however, able to recover notes allegedly written by Pinkusiewicz.
Rigby said they showed "extreme signs of racism," "problems with anger" and "talking about raping and killing other people and how it is a constant thought on his mind."
By Aug. 17, 2021, police believe Pinkusiewicz was in Telluride, Colorado. Ten days later, he arrived in Waterloo, Iowa. On Sept. 18, 2021, Pinkusiewicz sent another "goodbye" message to his family, and on Sept. 24, 2021, he died by suicide.
Rigby said when detectives tracked down Pinkusiewicz's significant other and went to question him, he immediately knew why they were there. He said Pinkusiewicz had told him that he shot and killed two women in a tent, one of them was a co-worker whom he didn't like because she was "bossy." When the significant other attempted to pull up a news story on Schulte's and Turner's deaths on his phone, he said Pinkusiewicz took the phone away from him.
Police were able to recover Pinkusiewicz's vehicle and say his family has been cooperating with the investigation. However, much of his possessions were not saved and Pinkusiewicz's body was cremated. One of the items investigators were able to recover was a receipt for a gun that Pinkusiewicz purchased in 2019. Rigby said the gun matches the type believed to have been used in the murders.
When asked Thursday if she believes Pinkusiewicz targeted the women and whether the murders were premeditated or if he killed them after a chance encounter in the mountains, Rigby said only Pinkusiewicz knows that.
