The case began with missing-person reports and now includes aggravated murder, obstruction and desecration counts.
SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Utah prosecutors have charged Matthew Jacob Leonard with 11 crimes after police said his mother and a Salt Lake City man vanished from a Springville home and evidence showed both were killed there.
The charges mark a shift from search to prosecution in the disappearance of Sarah Johnson, 50, and John Waldron Handricks, 50. Leonard, 28, is charged in 4th District Court with 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. The bodies of Johnson and Handricks had not been located, leaving investigators to pursue both a criminal case and a continuing search.
The aggravated murder counts accuse Leonard of killing two people who were last seen with him at Johnson’s Springville home on March 20. Johnson was Leonard’s mother, and court records say they lived in the same residence. Handricks lived in Salt Lake City and had been reported missing there. Witnesses told police Johnson and Leonard picked up Handricks in Salt Lake City either late March 19 or early March 20. The group returned to Springville, where Johnson and Handricks eventually went into the home to sleep. Leonard later entered the house, according to witness accounts summarized in charging documents.
The five firearm counts stem from what witnesses and police say happened inside the house. One witness told investigators they heard five gunshots after approaching the front door because Leonard had not answered calls. Another witness remembered loud bangs. Police later searched the home and said they found five empty .22-caliber shell casings in a bag in Leonard’s bedroom. Detectives also found a bullet lodged in drywall in Johnson’s bedroom. Investigators said Leonard had acknowledged the bag belonged to him and had made differing statements about a .22-caliber firearm. Prosecutors included those details in the charging papers as support for the firearm-related counts.
The obstruction and desecration counts reflect what investigators allege happened after Johnson and Handricks disappeared. Detectives said Johnson’s bedroom showed blood spatter, blood pooling and blood residue under baseboards and in flooring seams. They also said there were signs of attempted cleanup. Police reported possible blood stains in the back of Leonard’s SUV. A witness said the SUV had been backed up to the front door of the residence with the tailgate open after March 20. Investigators also cited a March 28 bonfire where Leonard allegedly burned a cut-up mattress, furniture and other items after telling a witness not to look at them.
The charges were filed after an investigation that began with missing-person reports. Johnson was reported missing March 26. Police said Leonard filled out missing-person paperwork and told officers it was normal for his mother to disappear. He also tried to call her while officers were present, according to an affidavit. Handricks had separately been reported missing from Salt Lake City. On April 6, Johnson’s father contacted Springville police with information that a family member had received messages saying Johnson had been shot and that her body had not been found. Police described the report as unconfirmed while they gathered more evidence.
By April 11, detectives had obtained a search warrant. Leonard was arrested that day during a traffic stop with assistance from a SWAT team while officers searched the home and vehicle. Inside Johnson’s bedroom, forensic investigators said a small stain tested positive for human blood. They reported a possible blood-spatter pattern on a wall and blood residue between the floor and baseboards. After removing parts of the flooring, detectives found what they described as a large amount of blood. In charging documents, investigators said two separate pools of blood showed substantial injury to two people. No public document reviewed said either body had been recovered.
Phone records became another part of the state’s case. Police said Johnson’s and Handricks’ phones were turned off within two minutes of each other on the morning of March 20 and had not been turned back on. Leonard’s phone was off for about 12 hours that same day, according to investigators. A few days later, phone data placed Leonard for about 16 hours in a remote area near Fruitland in Duchesne County. Investigators have not publicly stated what they believe happened there. The location remains one of the case’s unresolved points as police continue to seek Johnson and Handricks.
The prosecution also comes against the backdrop of a separate criminal case involving Leonard. Police said he was arrested March 9 on an electronic communication harassment charge after allegedly sending repeated messages and making repeated calls to his girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child. Officers said some messages included threats of self-harm. A protective order was filed March 13. Leonard pleaded guilty to the harassment charge April 7, one day after police received the report that Johnson and Handricks may have been shot. That prior case is separate from the murder charges but appears in reports describing the weeks before the disappearances.
In Springville, police said the investigation remains active. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Sarah Johnson and John Handricks during this extremely difficult time,” the department said. Leonard is presumed innocent unless convicted. The next steps include court proceedings on the 11 charges, forensic review of evidence from the bedroom, SUV and burn site, and continued efforts to locate Johnson and Handricks. Police said they remain committed to finding answers in the case.
Author note: Last updated May 8, 2026.