Newly unsealed court records are pulling back the curtain on a disturbing double homicide in Saratoga Springs, where a mother and her 8-year-old son were found shot to death in their home in March. The victims, 44-year-old Jessica Lyman and her 8-year-old son, Eli Painter, were discovered on March 28 after a family member returned to the Willowbrook Lane townhouse. Police say the investigation remains very much active, and no arrests have been made. The newly revealed warrants detail items, notes, and digital trails that investigators believe could be key to finding whoever is responsible.
What the Warrants Reveal Inside the Home
The unsealed affidavits describe a series of unsettling discoveries in the home, including handwritten notes found in the 15-year-old boy's bedroom that referenced "serology," "DNA," and "firearm testing," along with another note that read "this is a murder story," according to ABC4. Investigators also reported finding intimate articles of Lyman's clothing in the teenager's room and documented a series of hostile text messages the boy had allegedly sent to his mother in the weeks leading up to March 28.
Masked Figure on Camera, Evidence Pulled From the House
Doorbell and security-camera video from neighbors shows an unidentified person moving between homes near the Lyman residence and, at one point, putting on what appears to be a white mask, the warrants state. Detectives later recovered a white-and-brown mask from inside the home that the documents say "resembles" the one seen in the footage, as reported by FOX13. Officers also seized two BB pistols, plate carriers, magazine pouches, and other gear listed as having evidentiary value, and the warrants note that no firearm matching the shootings had been found at that time, according to PEOPLE.
Teen's Account and Forensic Red Flags
The 15-year-old who lived in the townhouse was there when first responders arrived and told officers he had been asleep and did not hear anything, according to the warrants. The documents say he initially denied knowing about any guns in the home, reporting cited by KSL. ABC4's review of the newly unsealed affidavits says testing detected traces of gunshot residue on the teenager's clothing and that a treating doctor noted suspicious genetic material on Lyman and on bedding, details that police have not fully laid out in public statements.
Digital Footprints and a Widening Search
Court filings show detectives have sought records from cloud and device providers and collected doorbell-camera footage from neighbors as they worked to build a timeline of the killings, according to the Daily Herald. Warrants executed at family-connected addresses turned up phones and ammunition, and investigators have deployed drones and specially trained dogs to scour nearby marshland and riverbanks, Deseret News reports.
Ongoing River Dives, Federal Help, Still No Suspect
Months after the March shootings, the Saratoga Springs Police Department, working with FBI support, has continued targeted searches that include dives in the Jordan River and repeated requests for additional neighborhood video. Officials say no arrests have been made, according to KSL, and no suspect has been publicly identified, as reported by FOX13.
Family Grieves as Detectives Ask Public for Help
Lyman's relatives say they are cooperating with investigators and describe the loss as devastating, while community members have continued to mourn and share memories of Eli online, according to notes quoted by PEOPLE. Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the Saratoga Springs investigations unit at 801-766-6503, per Deseret News.
The newly opened records have raised as many questions as they answer, and investigators say lab work and digital forensics will be central to untangling what happened that night. Police continue to ask for tips and home-surveillance footage as the probe moves forward.
