On March 28, 2025, 44-year-old Jessica Orton Lyman and her 8-year-old son, Eli Painter, were found with gunshot wounds in the family’s Saratoga Springs, Utah, townhome on North Willowbrook Lane. The 17-year-old daughter discovered them; Eli was pronounced dead at the scene and Jessica was airlifted to a hospital where she died on March 31, 2025. Investigators say there were no signs of forced entry and are treating the incident as a double homicide.

Police reviewed Ring doorbell footage showing an unclear figure approaching the home at 2:18 a.m. and later obtained a warrant to access the recordings. Unsealed search warrants show detectives are closely examining Lyman’s 15-year-old son, Noah, who was in the house and told officers he had been asleep and heard nothing. A search of his room allegedly turned up a handwritten note reading This is a murder story, two BB pistols, and a mask similar to the one in neighbor surveillance. Forensic review of Jessica Lyman’s phone reportedly revealed hostile texts from Noah in the months before her death. Two .22-caliber shell casings were recovered from the master bedroom; no murder weapon has been located.

Anyone who knew Jessica, Eli, or the family, or who has information about the figure on the doorbell footage, is asked to come forward.