Shock in the town of Enoch City, Utah. A 42-year-old man shot dead his five children, his wife and his mother-in-law before committing suicide in this small town in the western United States, two weeks after the mother of the family officially requested the divorce, local authorities announced on Thursday.
On Wednesday afternoon, local police visited the family home after receiving a call asking them to check on the family’s condition, according to a statement. The police then discovered the eight bodies, all of which bore “bullet wounds”, the statement continued.
No recent event had raised the concern of the authorities
The five children were between the ages of 4 and 17. The suspect, Michael Haight, also killed his 40-year-old wife and 78-year-old mother-in-law, before turning the gun on himself.
“A request for divorce had been filed” by the mother, Tausha Haight, “on December 21”, specified during a press conference Geoffrey Chesnut, the mayor of Enoch City, himself a neighbor of the family and very moved.
The police of this small town of 7,000 inhabitants, located in southwestern Utah, more than four hours by road from the state capital, Salt Lake City, had already intervened with the family.
“We had been involved in some investigations regarding this family a few years ago,” said local police chief Jackson Ames. However, he said that no recent event had caused the concern of the police.
The White House responded Thursday, saying President Joe Biden and his wife Jill were “mourning with the people of Enoch City.”