Newsman: Eight family members, three adults and five children were found shot to death in a southern Utah home Wednesday. Officials say the victims were found when police did a welfare check at the residence in Enoch, a city of about 8,000 people located 245 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox offered condolences in a tweet Wednesday night.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by this senseless violence. Please keep the community of Enoch in your prayers,” Cox wrote.
A motive in the killings was not immediately known.
“At this time, we do not believe there is a threat to the public or that there are any suspects at large,” city officials released in a statement on Wednesday.
The investigation remains active, but city officials said they don’t believe there is an ongoing threat to the public, underscoring there are no suspects at large.
Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson said the community was sent reeling by news of the eight bodies and that the deceased – all members of one family – were well known in the southern Utah town.
“Many of us have served with them in church, in the community and gone to school with these individuals,” Dotson said in a video statement Wednesday night.
“This community at this time is hurting. They’re feeling loss, they’re feeling pain and they have a lot of questions,” Dotson added, noting that officials planned on releasing more information as it becomes available and the police investigation progresses.
“It’s hard to describe in words the emotions that are going through the people who live here,” Dotson said. “We all know this family. Many of us have served with them in church, in community, and gone to school with these individuals.
“And so, this community at this time is hurting. They’re feeling loss; they’re feeling pain. They have a lot of questions, which is natural, and they’re here to support,” Dotson added.
Officials also did not say who requested the welfare check or when, and it’s unclear what prompted the call.
Dotson noted it will take time to determine what happened inside the home. Investigators from Iron County, Enoch City and Cedar City are working together to find answers, he said.
“We won’t know the mindsets, the thoughts of the individuals who experienced this tragedy, but 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,” said Dotson, choking up at one point.
Welfare checks based on calls to the police department like the one that led them to the residence where the bodies were found are routine when individuals are not seen for extended periods of time, Dotson said. The five children attended schools in the Iron County School District, officials said in a letter sent to parents.
