ENOCH CITY/LOS ANGELES: A man shot and killed his family of seven, including 5 children, then committed suicide after his wife filed for divorce.
Police found eight bodies, including the body of a four-year-old child in the small Utah settlement of Enoch City, after being called by relatives and friends who were concerned for the family, according to US officials.
US officials
A spokesman said that officers discovered the bodies of 3 adults and 5 children at a single-family home after the incident.
He said that evidence suggests that the suspect Michael Haight, 42, committed suicide after killing his whole family. The dead included his wife, her mother, the couple’s 5 children –3 girls and 2 boys aged between 4 and 17.
Enoch Mayor Geoffrey Chesnut said that the incident occurred after a marital breakdown.
He told journalists that according to court documents, it appeared that the wife had filed a divorce petition on 21 December.
He further said that Enoch where the incident occurred is a tiny and close-knit community where people knew each other. The deceased family was my neighbor. Police have started an investigation into the multiple killing and it is solely revolving around the suspect.
Enoch is a rural city of approximately 7500 people in the southwest of Utah. It is located on about a three-and-half hours’ drive from Salt Lake City. –AFP/APP
