A Delta man has been arrested following a 911 call from his mother reporting that her son was holding her and her husband hostage. Upon arriving at the residence, Millard County deputies discovered both parents deceased from knife wounds to the chest.
The incident began at 10:58 p.m. Saturday, when the woman called 911 to report that her son was attempting to force her and her husband into a shed. According to a news release from the Millard County Sheriff’s Department, the caller pleaded for help, stating her son was acting out, before the call went quiet following a perceived struggle. A deputy arrived on scene minutes later and encountered a male with blood on his hands and clothing. The deputy observed a male victim lying unconscious on the ground and ordered the subject to the ground at gunpoint. After restraining the subject, the deputy requested an ambulance and additional backup.
Officers from various locations in the county responded to assist. While officers performed CPR on the male victim, they located a second victim identified as the female caller. When medical personnel arrived, both adults were declared deceased. The victims were identified as 69-year-old Patricia Smith Riding and 62-year-old Neal Jeffery Riding of Delta. Investigators located a large, blood-covered kitchen knife near the back porch and the area where the male victim was found.
Rett Mikel Riding, 26, faces investigation for two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, all listed as first-degree felonies. Neal Riding was a 26-member of the West Millard Sheriff’s Posse Search & Rescue. The decedents were transported to the Utah office of the Medical Examiner in Taylorsville for autopsy. Rett Riding is currently being held without bail in the Millard County jail.
Multiple search warrants have been served on the suspect and the residence for the collection of evidence.
