Authorities in the US state of Utah report that a 42-year-old man shot seven members of his family before taking his own life.
On Wednesday night, an eight-person family was found dead inside a rural home in Enoch City when a welfare check was being done there.
According to the authorities, the man’s mother-in-law, wife, and five children were among the victims.
Rob Dotson, the municipal manager, reported that the 8,000-person community was in shock.
At a news conference on Thursday, city officials claimed that 42-year-old insurance salesman Michael Haight had shot his wife Tausha, 40, his mother-in-law Gail Earl, 78, and his five children before killing himself.
The group of five children, who were not given names, consists of three girls, who are ages 17, 12, and 7, and two boys, who are ages 4 and 7.
According to Rob Dotson, the manager of Enoch City, the remains were discovered by authorities on Wednesday at around 16:00 (23:00 GMT). This came about as a result of a welfare check being conducted on the family’s house after receiving information that the wife had missed an appointment.
Mr. Dotson noted that each individual appeared to have been shot.
Authorities also disclosed that the wife had filed for divorce on December 21.
