Utah Murders Solved: Tragedy That Killed 7 People Found To Be a Murder-Suicide Over Divorce Talks

According to authorities and public records, a Utah man fatally shot his five children, his mother-in-law, and his wife before taking his own life two weeks after the woman filed for divorce.

During a news conference on Thursday, police also disclosed that they had investigated the 42-year-old man and his family "a couple of years prior," indicating possible previous domestic issues. Jackson Ames, the chief of police in Enoch, did not elaborate.

Utah Murder-Suicide Case

Mayor Geoffrey Chesnut stated that investigators were aware of the divorce petition but did not know if it was the motive for the murders. The murders shook the small town of Enoch, located in southern Utah between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

It is located in one of the fastest-growing regions of the country, and communities of new homes on large lots are dominated by large families who, like the majority of Utah residents, are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church.

Many Enoch residents work and conduct business in nearby Cedar City, a city of about 35,000 that serves as Enoch's commercial center because Enoch lacks a downtown. The deceased were devout and well-known in the community. Many residents attended church with the slain family or attended school with the children, according to AP News.

Police stated that the investigation will involve gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and performing autopsies on the eight bodies.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the victims' family and friends," police said. Thursday during a press conference, police stated that they had previously interacted with the family, but did not elaborate. About 8,000 people reside in Enoch, which is located approximately 250 miles south of Salt Lake City.

The residence where the victims were discovered was located in a new subdivision with new homes that overlooks Enoch. The home where Earl and the Haights were discovered was illuminated with Christmas lights and covered in snow, as per Fox News.

Suspect Commits Crime Weeks After Wife Filed For Divorce

On December 21, according to court documents, Tausha Haight, age 40, filed for divorce from her husband. Her attorney reported on Thursday that Haight was served with divorce papers on December 27. Tausha Haight and other family members were seen at a church group for young women the night before the murders, according to Mayor Geoffrey Chesnut.

According to city officials, police were dispatched to the family's residence Wednesday afternoon to conduct a welfare check after someone reported that Tausha Height had missed an appointment earlier in the week.

The victims were discovered within the residence. According to authorities, the children ranged in age from 4 to 17 and included three girls and two boys. The other victim was Gail Earl, the 78-year-old mother of Tausha Haight. In a letter to parents, officials reported that five students attended schools in the Iron County School District.

James Park, who represented Tausha Haight in her divorce proceeding, stated that she had not expressed concern that her husband would physically harm her, but he declined to elaborate due to the ongoing investigation into the murders. Park stated that he had only met her twice, most recently on Tuesday, and that she was "an extremely pleasant lady."

The residence where the victims were discovered was adorned with Christmas lights and was situated in a neighborhood of newly constructed single-family homes on a ridge overlooking the farming community of Enoch. It features a view of houses with snow-covered roofs and distant mountains. The majority of the surrounding block was surrounded by police tape.

Cedar City is one of the fastest-growing cities in Utah, which is one of the fastest-growing states in the United States. Along the highway that runs through the town are cattle and sheep, as well as signs for "Custom New Homes" and recreation in the famous national parks and recreation areas of southern Utah.

Thursday morning, Sharon Hunstman of Cedar City brought a bouquet of white flowers to the neighborhood. As she arranged the bouquet, she wept and stated that the deaths had shaken Iron County to its core.

The archives of the local newspaper reveal that Haight's first birthday was commemorated with an announcement and a photograph of him as a laughing infant in 1981. As a young boy, he participated in Boy Scouts and earned the "Faith in God" award in fourth grade. In 1992, another newspaper article revealed that he had received a "Gospel in Action" award from his church.

In 1998, when he was a finalist for an academic award in high school for business and marketing, he appeared in the newspaper again. After graduating from high school, he served a church mission in Brazil before marrying Tuasha in 2003 at a church temple in St. George. She was from Overton, Nevada, which was only two hours south of where he grew up in Cedar City.

Haight worked as an insurance agent as an adult, and Allstate awarded him for customer satisfaction. His wife's Facebook page displayed pictures of their happy family in picturesque Utah settings and in front of a large statue of Jesus. On January 7, Haight would have turned 43, CBS News reported.