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Queer Couple Killed During Camping Trip Were Freaked Out By 'Weirdo'

Queer Couple Killed During Camping Trip Were Freaked Out By 'Weirdo'

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The newlyweds communicated to friends about a man who scared them in the campground before they went missing.

True

UPDATE: The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Utah State Bureau of Investigation are now working with the Grand County Sheriff's Office to help solve the murder of Kylen Schulte and wife Crystal Turner after the two were found shot dead in their van after going missing for four days while on a camping trip in Utah.

"Just know that everything is being done that we can possibly do; that is why we have asked for the additional resources. We want to make sure we do it thorough. We do it complete and we do it right," Grand County Sheriff Steven White told Salt Lake City TV station KSTU.

ORIGINAL: A newlywed couple camping in their van was found shot dead last week in Utah, and police are looking for an oddly behaving man who they had earlier reported to friends was "freaking them out."

The bodies of Crystal Turner, 38, and Kylen Schulte, 24, were found in the South Mesa area of the La Sal Loop Road in Grand County. The couple had been missing for four days, and a friend of the family discovered their bodies inside their van Wednesday, August 18. Friends and family had organized a search, concerned about a man in a nearby campsite.

"Kylen and Crystal told close friends that there was a weirdo camping near them that was freaking them out!" Schulte's father, Sean-Paul Schulte, posted to his Facebook. "And that they should move campsites. Now they have been missing for over 4 days and nights!"

The pair had only been married for four months before they were discovered in their van by Cindy Sue Hunter, reportedly a friend of the family, last week. A person who was on the phone with her when she found the bodies said Hunter would be "scarred for life" over the experience.

A grieving Schulte used Facebook to thank Hunter for finding his girls, and also apparently rescuing the couple's pet rabbit, Ruth.

Hunter responded later to say it was "the desperation of your pleas for help" via Facebook along with the "presence of your voice over the phone gave me the strength and courage needed to find them."

Schulte had earlier posted pics to her Facebook of the van they used for camping in the area.

The Grant County Sherriff's Office said in a statement the preliminary investigation by the Medical Examiner's Office "determined the cause of death to be from gunshot wounds."

A GoFundMe page to cover the cost of funeral expenses described Schulte as "a true free spirit that lived for the joy in her heart" rather than hatred. It went on to note the couple "found their way from the best campsite to the next but always showed up for work with the best ethic and greatest intent."

Another commenter who had worked with Schulte said she never failed to brighten her day.

"She always made my day, invited me to hangout with her and we had some really amazing talks," they wrote. "This breaks my heart for you and everyone who had the privilege of loving her. I hope they find who did this."

Anyone with information that might aid the investigation is encouraged to contact the Grand County Sheriff's Office at (435) 259-8115.

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