A Utah resident leaves flowers at the police cordon outside the home where eight family members were found dead
(Picture: AP)A Utah man killed seven family members, including five children, then took his own life just weeks after his wife had filed for divorce, American authorities have said.
Michael Haight, 42, killed his wife, mother-in-law and the couple’s five children, officials in the city of Enoch said.
Each of the victims appeared to have gunshot wounds, officials said. Court records show that Tausha Haight, 40, filed for divorce from her husband on December 21 and he was served papers six days later.
Police said during a press conference that they had previous interactions with the family, but they did not elaborate.
Officers were sent to check on the family on Wednesday after relatives and friends contacted officials because they had not heard from the victims. Officers found them dead inside the home.
The children ranged in age from 4 to 17 and included three girls and two boys, authorities said. The other victim was Tausha Haight’s 78-year-old mother, Gail Earl.
Enoch is a small town of about 8,000 people located 245 miles south of Salt Lake City and about equally distant from Las Vegas.
Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson said the community was shocked by news of the eight bodies and that the deceased were well-known in the town.
In most of Utah, the predominant religion is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church.
“Many of us have served with them in church, in the community and gone to school with these individuals,” Mr Dotson told local media.
“This community at this time is hurting. They’re feeling loss, they’re feeling pain and they have a lot of questions.
“We all can pray that their families and the neighbors and all will come to an understanding of what happened in this place, probably in a day or two, or maybe longer.”
After hearing about the deaths, Sharon Hunstman of Cedar City came to the neighborhood with a bouquet of white flowers Thursday morning. She said the deaths had deeply rattled Iron County and cried she arranged the bouquet.
The five children attended schools in the Iron County School District, officials said in a letter sent to parents.
