Five family members including three children were found dead in a home in Utah on Tuesday, and another, age 17, was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound, police said.
The dead were two adults, an 11-year-old boy, and two girls ages 9 and 2, according to Roxeanne Vainuku, a spokesperson for the West Valley City Police Department. It was not immediately clear how they died.
They were found in the house in West Valley City, about 9 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The teen was discovered in the garage.
“Absolutely horrific. This is something that certainly will weigh heavily on investigators in this case,” Vainuku said at a nighttime news conference.
Authorities do not believe there is a suspect on the loose, and the shooting is something that was “isolated to this home,” she added
Because the 17-year-old “is injured and he’s in the hospital, there are some challenges in communicating with him and finding out more information,” Vainuku said.
“In any case where people have died, loved ones have been lost, we want to make sure that we do the most absolute thorough job possible so that we can bring justice to the victims,” Vainuku said, according to CBS affiliate KUTV.
West Valley Police say 5 family members found dead inside this home.
A 17 y/o son found alive w/ gunshot wounds.
The dead include:
42 y/o man
38 y/o female
11 y/o boy
9 y/o girl
2 y/o girl
Police do not believe there is a suspect on the loose, say this was isolated to the home. pic.twitter.com/dY1NAY4TTC
— Jim Spiewak (@JimSpiewak) December 18, 2024
A relative alerted police Monday after unsuccessfully trying to reach the 38-year-old woman who lived in the home, authorities said. Officers went to the house, but no one answered.
They came back on Tuesday afternoon after the same relative reported finding the 17-year-old in the garage.
Police are investigating inside the home and have also been talking with neighbors and looking for evidence from things like doorbell cameras, Vainuku said.
“Officers also have canvassed the neighborhood gathering information and any video evidence,” police said in a statement.
CBS affiliate KUTV reported that some neighbors said the family had been living in that house for three or four years.
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