Utah man kills family, including five children, before killing himself: police
All eight victims had gunshot wounds, and the children were between the ages of 4 and 17
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Enoch, Utah, police said a 42-year-old man killed seven family members, including five children, before killing himself.
Officers were called to a home on North Albert Drive to conduct a welfare check after family and friends reported not hearing from the victims, police said Thursday in a press release.
Police continue their investigation at a home where eight family members were found dead in Enoch, Utah, on Thursday. Officials said Michael Haight, 42, took his own life after killing his wife, his mother-in-law and the couple's five children. (AP Photo/Sam Metz)
When officers entered the home at about 4 p.m., they found three adults and five children dead inside the residence.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}UTAH POLICE FIND EIGHT DEAD PEOPLE, INCLUDING 5 MINORS, INSIDE HOME
All eight people appeared to have gunshot wounds, police said.
Evidence found during the investigation suggests the suspect, 42-year-old Michael Haight, took his own life after killing seven others in the home.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A home where eight people were found dead in Enoch, Utah, is pictured on Thursday. The southern Utah community was struggling for answers after police found eight people from one family, including five children, shot to death in the small town. (Ben B. Braun/The Deseret News via AP)
The other seven people inside the home were Haight’s wife, Tausha Haight, 40, and Tausha’s mother, Gail Earl, 78.
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Haight’s children were also inside, including a 17-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl, a 7-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy and a 4-year-old boy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"While this intense investigation is ongoing, investigators currently believe there are no suspects outstanding," the press release read.
The Associated Press reported that Tausha Haight filed for divorce from Michael Haight just two weeks before police found the family dead.
Sharon Huntsman, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Cedar City, Utah, leaves flowers outside a home where eight family members were found dead in Enoch, Utah. (Ben B. Braun/The Deseret News via AP)
"This community is feeling remorse, feeling pain. There are friends and neighbors and family members who are hurting because of this incident," Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson said in a video on Wednesday night. "We don’t know why this happened and we’re not going to guess. We’re going to continue the police investigation."
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The investigation will consist of collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and performing autopsies on the eight bodies, police said.
"We join with all who are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and want to express our condolences to the family and friends of the victims," police added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During a press conference on Thursday, police said they had previous interactions with the family but did not elaborate, according to the AP.
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Enoch has a population of about 8,000 and is located nearly 250 miles south of Salt Lake City.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The home where the victims were found was in a new subdivision with new homes, overlooking Enoch.
The ground was covered in snow, and the home where Earl and the Haights were found was decorated with Christmas lights.