Investigators say forensic findings inside a bedroom turned a disappearance into a murder case.
SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Detectives searching a Springville home said they found blood beneath flooring, a bullet in a wall and shell casings in a bedroom, evidence prosecutors now cite in a double-murder case against Matthew Jacob Leonard.
The case centers on what investigators say was left behind inside the home of Sarah Johnson, 50, after she and John Waldron Handricks, 50, vanished in March. Leonard, 28, Johnson’s son, is charged with killing both of them even though their bodies have not been located. Prosecutors say the physical evidence, witness accounts and phone records support the charges. Defense filings and a next court date were not available in the reports reviewed.
According to charging documents, the search of Johnson’s bedroom produced several findings that moved the case beyond a missing-person inquiry. Forensic investigators first located a small blood stain that tested positive for human blood. They then found possible blood spatter on a wall in the northeast corner of the room. A bullet was lodged in drywall on the north wall about 2 feet from the floor. When detectives removed baseboards, they observed blood residue between the flooring and the bottom of the boards. Other reports described blood in the grooves between flooring planks and large pools of blood against separate walls.
Police said samples from the blood pooling tested positive for human blood. The size and placement of the stains led detectives to conclude that two people had suffered substantial injuries in the room. Investigators also said the scene showed signs of attempted cleanup. Those details are important because Johnson and Handricks remained missing, leaving police without bodies at the time charges were filed. In documents, detectives said the volume of blood, the bullet evidence and the attempted cleanup supported the belief that Johnson and Handricks were dead and that their bodies had been moved from the home.
Other physical evidence linked the case to a firearm, according to investigators. Detectives said they found five empty .22-caliber shell casings in a bag in Leonard’s bedroom, and police said Leonard acknowledged the bag belonged to him. Witnesses had reported hearing five gunshots or loud bangs on the morning Johnson and Handricks disappeared. Police also said Leonard gave shifting explanations about a .22-caliber firearm when asked about it, first saying it was in his closet and later saying he had given it to his grandfather. The charges include five counts of felony discharge of a firearm, matching the number of shots described by witnesses and shell casings cited by investigators.
The search extended beyond Johnson’s bedroom. Investigators said they found possible blood stains in two areas in the back of Leonard’s SUV. A witness reported seeing the SUV after March 20 backed up directly in front of the residence with the tailgate open. The witness account became part of the state’s theory that the bodies were removed. Detectives also reviewed phone data showing Leonard’s phone was turned off for about 12 hours on March 20. Days later, the data placed him for about 16 hours in a remote area near Fruitland in eastern Utah. Police have not said that Johnson’s or Handricks’ remains were found there.
Investigators also focused on a March 28 bonfire. A witness told detectives Leonard brought items to burn and said the witness could not look at them. The listed items included a mattress cut into two pieces, furniture and a bag of miscellaneous property. Detectives later recovered mattress pieces and a smashed cellphone from the burn site. Police also said Johnson’s and Handricks’ cellphones were turned off within two minutes of each other on the morning of March 20 and had not been turned on again. Together, prosecutors say, those details show an effort to hide what happened after gunfire was heard in the home.
The missing-person portion of the case began several days after the alleged shooting. Johnson was reported missing March 26, and Leonard filled out a missing-person packet while officers were investigating. An affidavit says Leonard told police it was normal for Johnson to disappear and tried to call her with officers present. Handricks, who lived in Salt Lake City, also had been reported missing. Police later determined Johnson and Handricks were last seen with Leonard at the Springville home on March 20. Witnesses said Johnson and Leonard had picked up Handricks in Salt Lake City late March 19 or early March 20 before returning to Springville.
Authorities said the first major break came April 6, when Johnson’s father contacted Springville police. Court documents say he reported that a family member had received messages saying Johnson had been shot and that her body had not been found. Police called the information unconfirmed at first. Detectives then found witnesses who placed Johnson, Handricks and Leonard together at the home. Those witnesses said Johnson and Handricks went inside to sleep, Leonard later followed, and the gunshots or loud bangs were heard after witnesses approached the front door to ask Leonard for a ride.
Leonard was arrested April 11 during a traffic stop as officers executed the search warrant at the home. He was first booked for investigation of two aggravated murder counts and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors later filed 11 charges: two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of abuse or desecration of a dead human body and five counts of felony discharge of a firearm. Springville police said, “We are committed to pursuing justice and finding answers in the case.” The search for Johnson and Handricks remains part of the investigation.
Author note: Last updated May 8, 2026.