EXCLUSIVE: Utah residents believed they were looking for woman during manhunt for trans killer after reports identified him as ‘Mia’

Bailey, 28, has confessed to arriving at the home of his parents, Joseph and Gail Bailey, before shooting and killing both of them. He also allegedly shot through a door at Cory Bailey, his brother. A shelter in place order was issued by police due to the ensuing manhunt, with police telling Washington City residents that they were on the look out for a woman who was "armed and dangerous."

Washington City resident Kelsie Halls spoke to The Post Millennial about the confusion that residents had when they found out they'd been looking for a woman but it was a man who was the suspect. When asked about the confusing messaging, she said that on the evening of June 18, all they were hearing from authorities was the name. "It was all just Mia Bailey, Halls said.

"So, I 100% thought that it was a girl that we were looking for," Halls added. "So that night that it happened, I like, was okay, go lock the doors or whatever. And I told my husband, like, oh, it's, it's some girl that killed her parents. And then I went to bed and then woke up the next morning still thinking that it was a girl that had killed her parents." Halls said she had "several friends who thought that it was a female" that was on the loose.

After Bailey was apprehended, a resident who lived near to the Bailey home sent a text message to Utah pundit, Eric Moutsos, saying, "Now our family did know he was a man, but some families in the neighborhood thought a woman was on the loose." The resident said that "One woman was taking a walk this morning and saw this guy walking in between some lots but just thought it was some random guy. Not looking for a guy, she said nothing to the authorities."

On the morning following the shooting, the St. George Police Department released a notice reading: "ALERT- Those living in the Bloomington Hills and Fort Pierce area! A suspect of a double homicide that occurred in Washington City on 6/18/24 was last seen in the area of Quarry Ridge & River Road. The suspect was seen heading west through the wash. THE SUSPECT IS CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS. She was last seen wearing blue skinny jeans, light blue or white T-shirt, and has dark hair. She is 5’10”and 130 pounds. We ask that those in the affected area shelter in place and call police if you see anything suspicious."

However, the night before, around 11:50 pm, Utah's Washington City Police Department identified Bailey as a "transgender male transitioning to a female." A mugshot with Bailey wearing short hair in a feminine cut, another showing long hair, and a photo of a vehicle were all released in efforts to find the suspect. The statement from the St. George police used only pronouns referring to Bailey as "she" and did not give sex in the description. This was unlike the Washington City Police which identified Bailey as transgender prior to the post from the Washington City Police. After the police notice was released, some outlets, such as KSL News Radio initially published an article that used the picture from the St. George Police media release.

St. George Police Department notice on Facebook

The misinformation about the suspect's identity also made its way to local media. KSL News Radio initially reported that Bailey was female, running the headline "Police look for woman suspected in double homicide in St. George," as well as the photo with Bailey presenting as a woman. The headline was later changed to read "suspect" instead of woman as the manhunt continued. Bailey was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated murder and was unremorseful about the shooting, telling police, "I would do it again. I hate them."