Eight people, including five children ages 4 to 17, were found shot to death in a southwest Utah home, according to the Enoch City Police Department.
Investigators believe 42-year-old Michael Haight shot himself after killing seven others in the home, according to a Jan. 5 update. The victims are all members of the same family, police say.
The discovery was made Wednesday when police were called for a welfare check at a home on North Albert Drive in Enoch City, police said. The neighborhood of single-family homes is about 245 miles south of Salt Lake City.
“Concerned family and friends contacted police after not hearing from the victims,” police said.
“Officers entered the residence at approximately 4 p.m. and discovered three adults and five children deceased inside. ... Each appeared to have sustained gunshot wounds,” police said.
Investigators have not provided details of how the killings played out, but “evidence suggests” Michael Haight killed himself after shooting his family.
The two other adults killed were Haight’s wife, 40-year-old Tausha Haight, and her mother, 78-year-old Gail Earl, police said.
“The minors were the Haights’ children: A 17-year-old female, 12-year-old female, 7-year-old female, 7-year-old male and 4-year-old male,” police said.
Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson released a statement saying the dead were well known in the city and it may take days “to come to an understanding of what happened,” the AP reported.
“Many of us have served with them in church, in the community and gone to school with these individuals,” Dotson told said. “This community at this time is hurting. They’re feeling loss, they’re feeling pain and they have a lot of questions.”
The Iron County Schools Parents Group shared a letter from the school district on social media, noting the five children were enrolled “in every school level.”
“This loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school district, especially our students,” the school officials wrote.
“At our schools, we will have counselors available for any student who may need or want help or assistance surrounding this loss. Students should report to the counseling center or their school administrative offices to access that support.”
Enoch City is a town of about 7,500 people, just north of Cedar City.
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