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A Mormon family, including five children, was found shot to death inside their rural Utah home by the family patriarch Tuesday. The children’s father then targeted himself.
The bodies of Michael, 42, and Tausha Haight, 40, their five children and Tausha’s mother Gail, 78, were found Wednesday in the town of Enoch with gunshot wounds.
The children were only identified as three daughters, ages 17, 12 and 7, and two sons, ages 7 and 4. Police had been called to their home to conduct a welfare check on other family members.
It was later revealed that the massacre occurred shortly after Tausha filed for divorce from her husband, reports KSL. Until last week, Michael had been working as an insurance agent for Allstate.
A statement from Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson identified Michael Haight as the only suspect in the crime. Dotson said: “While this intensive investigation is ongoing, investigators currently believe there are no outstanding suspects.” Evidence suggests the suspect took his own life after killing seven other people in the home. The suspect is Michael Haight, 42.
The Haight family pictured together in June 2022 in the Kolob Canyons in Zion National Park in Utah
Tausha Haight’s mother, Gail Earl, 78, was also killed in the massacre, her husband, Boyd, died in 2020.
Online records show that Michael Haight worked as an insurance agent for Allstate and ran a financial services business out of the family’s home on North Albert Drive in Enoch.
fox salt lake city reports that Michael had recently quit his job at the insurance giant. The station also noted that Tausha filed for divorce on December 21.
At a news conference, Dotson said authorities entered the house around 4:00 p.m.
The alarm was first raised when Tausha failed to show up for an appointment, Dotson said.
At the same press conference, the town’s mayor, Geoffrey Chestnut, tearfully said that he was a neighbor of the Haight family and that their children played in their yard.
Authorities said law enforcement knew the family and had previously been to the home for unspecified reasons. None of those visits happened recently.
Neighbors of the family told KSL who were active members of the town’s Mormon community, describing them as “very welcoming.”
It has been revealed that Tausha, right, filed for divorce from her husband, Michael, on December 21.
Wellness checks are typically conducted when neighbors raise concerns or when people have not been seen for an extended period of time.
Tausha’s Facebook page is full of pictures of her family, the most recent showing her with her husband in June 2022.
His mother, Gail, lived with the family. Her husband, Boyd Jay Earl, died in 2020 at the age of 77. He was a Desert Storm veteran and was a Green Beret, according to his obituary.
A neighbor, Tina Brown, said Fox Salt Lake City: ‘Tausha was the kindest and most generous person and never said anything bad about anyone. She would give the shirt off her back for anyone and served the people tirelessly.
While another neighbor, Tom Deville, told the station: “I feel terrible, they were really nice people and I mean, it’s going to be one of those things that who knows.”
Tausha’s Facebook page is littered with pictures showing how her family has grown in recent years.
The family’s neighbors told KSL that they were active in the city’s Mormon community, describing them as “very welcoming.”
A neighbor, Tina Brown, told Fox Salt Lake City: ‘Tausha was the kindest, most generous person and she never said anything bad about anyone. She would give the shirt off her back for anyone and served the people tirelessly’
Dotson said earlier that the community was reeling from the news of the eight bodies and that the dead, all members of one family, were well known in the southern Utah city.
“Many of us have served with them in church, in the community, and gone to school with these people,” Dotson said in a video statement Wednesday night.
‘This community right now is suffering. They feel lost, they are in pain and they have a lot of questions,” Dotson added, noting that officials planned to release more information as it becomes available and the police investigation progresses.
We won’t know the mindset, the thoughts of the people who experienced this tragedy, but we can all pray that their families and neighbors and everyone comes to understand what happened in this place, probably in a day or two. , or maybe more,’ said Dotson, a lump in his throat at one point.
The bodies of three adults and five minors were found this Wednesday in the town of Enoch with gunshot wounds.
Law enforcement officers stand near the house. Police said they did not detect any threats to the public.
Police tape surrounds a crime scene in Enoch, Utah, where eight members of a family were found with gunshot wounds.
Enoch is a small town of about 8,000 people located 245 miles (394 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.
Wellness checks are typically conducted when neighbors raise concerns or when people have not been seen for an extended period of time.
All five children attended schools in the Iron County School District in Cedar City, authorities said in a letter sent to parents.
The letter posted on the school’s website read: “It is with deep regret that we inform you of a tragic loss to our school community.”
‘This afternoon of January 4th, eight members of a family residing in Enoch with five students in our schools tragically passed away.
“This loss is sure to raise a lot of emotions, concerns and questions for our entire school district, especially our students.”
He added that a Crisis Intervention Team would help students, parents and staff during this difficult time.
The Iron County School District has eight high schools, nine elementary schools, and two preschools.
Total enrollment is approximately 8,900 students.
Enoch is a small town of about 8,000 people located 245 miles (394 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City,
The city, off Interstate 15 in rural Utah just north of the city of Cedar City and about 80 miles west of Bryce Canyon National Park, suffered extensive flooding in 2021 that damaged hundreds of homes.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox offered his condolences in a tweet Wednesday night.
Cox tweeted: ‘Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this senseless violence. Please keep the Enoch community in his prayers.’
Enoch police said in a news release: “At this time, we do not believe there is a threat to the public or that any suspects are at large.”
They added that there is an ongoing investigation and more information will be released at a later date.