ENOCH, UT –
A 42-year-old man killed seven family members, including five children, then killed himself two weeks after the suspect’s wife filed for divorce, according to authorities and public records.
Enoch Township authorities said Michael Haight, 42, killed his wife, mother-in-law and the couple’s five children. Each of the victims appeared to have gunshot wounds, officials said.
Court records show the wife filed for divorce on Dec. 21.
Police sent officers to check on the family Wednesday after family and friends contacted authorities because they were worried and had not heard from the victims. Officers found the victims inside the house.
The children range in age from 4 to 17 and include three girls and two boys, authorities said. The other victims are 40-year-old Tausha Hait and her 78-year-old mother Gail Earle.
“At this time, we do not believe there is a threat to the public or that there are any suspects at large,” officials said in a news release.
Enoch is a small town of about 8,000 people located 245 miles (394 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City and about the same distance from Las Vegas.
The home where the victims were found is decorated with Christmas lights and is located in a neighborhood of newly constructed single-family homes on a ridge overlooking the Enoch farming community. There is a view of houses with snow covered roofs and mountains in the distance. Half a block around was cordoned off with police tape.
Enoch is on the outskirts of Cedar City — one of the fastest growing cities in Utah, which is one of the fastest growing states in the US. Along the highway that runs through town are cattle and sheep, along with “New Custom Homes” signs and advertisements for the nearby recreational activities that southern Utah’s red-rock-rich parks are known for.
Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson said the community was shaken by the news of the eight bodies and that the deceased – all members of the same family – were well known in the city.
In most of Utah, the predominant religion is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church.
“Many of us have served with them in the church, in the community, and gone to school with these people,” Dotson said Wednesday night. “This community is hurting right now. They feel loss, they feel pain and they have a lot of questions.”
“We can all pray that their families, the neighbors and everyone will understand what happened in that place, probably in a day or two, or maybe more,” he said.
The five children attended schools in the Iron County School District, officials said in a letter sent to parents.
Enoch, off Interstate 15 in rural Utah, just north of the city of Cedar City and about 80 miles (128 kilometers) west of Bryce Canyon National Park, had major flooding in 2021 that damaged hundreds of homes.
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