A Utah man who fatally shot seven of his family members on Wednesday went on to turn the gun on himself in a suspected murder-suicide incident.
42-year-old Michael Haight, his wife, 40-year-old Tausha Haight, and Tausha’s mother, 78-year-old Gail Earl, were discovered dead at a home in Enoch City, Utah, along with the couple’s five children, who were between the ages of 4 to 17, NBC News reports.
Authorities officially named the father, Michael Haight, as a suspect in a statement released Thursday.
The suspect's wife, Tausha Haight, had reportedly filed for divorce in late December, although officials wouldn't confirm if that played a factor in the family's death.
"Investigators currently believe there are no suspects outstanding. Evidence suggests that the suspect took his own life after killing seven others in the home," authorities said in the statement.
The five children were not named and were identified only as a 17-year-old female, a 12-year-old female, a 7-year-old female, a 7-year-old male, and a 4-year-old male.
Family and friends of the household became concerned after Tausha Haight failed to show up for an appointment Wednesday, prompting police to conduct a welfare check at the home at around 4 pm.
The mayor of Enoch City, a tight-knit community of 7,500 approximately 180 miles northeast of Las Vegas, said that he and other residents have been shaken by the news.
"The Haights were my neighbors. The youngest children played in my yard with my sons," Mayor Geoffrey Chestnut said at a news conference Thursday. "This is a tremendous blow to many, many families who have spent many, many nights with these individuals who are now gone."
City Manager Rob Dotson also mourned the family Thursday.
"We don't know why this happened. No one will probably know what was going through the minds of these individuals," he said. "However, we do know that they were our friends, they were our neighbors and that we loved them."
Enoch City Police Chief Jackson Ames said that there had been some incidents with the family in the last couple of years, but declined to comment further.
The Iron County School District sent out a letter to parents and guardians, confirming that the five children were students there.
"This loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school district, especially our students," the letter said.
