8 people found dead in the same house in a small town, including 5 children

Eight family members, five of whom are children, were found dead with gunshot wounds in a home in southern Utah, according to authorities, who did not provide more details or potential motives for the killings.

The victims were found on Wednesday when police conducted a welfare check at the residence, according to a statement from city officials in Enoch, a small town of about 8,000 people located 245 miles south of Salt Lake City.

The police said they did not find any threat to the population.

Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson said the community is shocked by the news of the eight bodies and that all the deceased are members of one family — were well known in a city in southern Utah.

“Many of us served with them in church, in the community and went to school with these people,” Dotson said in a video message Wednesday night.

“This community is currently suffering. They feel the loss. They feel pain and have a lot of questions,” Dotson added, noting that officials planned to release more information as it became available and the police investigation progressed.

“We will not know the mindset, the thoughts of the people who lived through this tragedy, but we can all pray that their families and neighbors and everyone will come to an understanding of what happened in this place, perhaps in a day or two. maybe longer,” Dotson said, gasping for a moment.

social checks Calls to the police department, like the one that led them to the house where the bodies were found, are common when people aren’t seen for long periods of time, Dotson said.

The five children attended schools in the Iron County School District, the letter sent to the parents said.

Enoch, just off Interstate 15 in rural Utah, north of Cedar City and about 80 miles west of Bryce Canyon National Park, experienced severe flooding in 2021 that damaged hundreds of homes.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox expressed his condolences in a tweet Wednesday night.

The Western Journal reviewed this Associated Press article and may have revised it prior to publication to meet our editorial standards.