Enoch, Utah city manager Rob Dots on the deaths of 8 people
Enoch, Utah city manager Rob Dotson said police officers found eight people inside a home on Albert Drive, all with gunshot wounds, and talked about the impact the incident has on the community, which is made up of about 8,000 residents.
Editor’s note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Utah man who police say killed his wife, five kids, and his mother-in-law in a murder-suicide appears to have placed blame on his spouse in a suicide note that officials recently released.
Michael Haight, 42, allegedly killed his five children and wife of 20 years, 40-year-old Tausha Haight, on Jan. 4 in their Enoch, Utah home, which came just two weeks after his spouse filed for divorce. The family was last seen alive on Jan. 3, according to FOX 13.
Several individuals contacted police and requested a welfare check because both Michael and Tausha had missed appointments.
After allegedly killing his wife, five children, and mother-in-law Gail Earl, 78, Michael took his own life, police said. All individuals appeared to have gunshot wounds.
UTAH MAN KILLS FAMILY, INCLUDING FIVE CHILDREN, BEFORE KILLING HIMSELF: POLICE
Pallbearers carry a casket to the graveside service for the Haight and Earl families in La Verkin, Utah, on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in La Verkin, Utah. Tausha Haight, her mother, Gail Earl, and her five children were shot and killed by her husband Jan. 4. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Michael’s children included a 17-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl, a 7-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy and a 4-year-old boy.
Police recently released their final report into the incident, which states that Michael left behind a suicide note blaming his wife for the couple’s marriage problems.
“I can not believe that God has allowed the person who should be the closest to me in the world to fault find, gossip and disparage me at every turn. I have never seen someone who is so intent on finding faults in others. I have tried helping but it generally backfires and I seem to always get blamed. I would rather rot in hell than to put up with another day of this manipulation and control over me.”
“I’ve been complained about every step of the way that I work too much, put my church calling before my wife and on and on and on. She has been so awful to me and my family for years and I have generally been patient trying to work through her issues with my family, our kids, neighbors, ward members and others who don’t make her the center of attention. This is nonsense and I can’t handle it for one more day. We will not be a burden on society. I kept asking for help and you wouldn’t listen,” the letter states.
One of their children, Briley, texted a friend on Dec. 12, 2022 “indicating that she just needs to have someone to make sure she is safe,” police said in the report. Divorce papers were drawn up with Tausha’s attorney on Dec. 21, 2022.
UTAH POLICE FIND EIGHT DEAD PEOPLE, INCLUDING 5 MINORS, INSIDE HOME
Police continue their investigation at a home where eight family members were found dead in Enoch, Utah, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Officials said Michael Haight, 42, took his own life after killing his wife, mother-in-law and the couple’s five children. (AP Photo/Sam Metz)
On Dec. 23, 2022, Michael allegedly told a client that he had left his job at Allstate as an insurance agent.
Police said in the report that Michael made several concerning Google searches including “How loud is a 9mm gunshot.” “What does a gunshot sound like?” “I heard gunshots near my house, what do I do?” “If you heard a single gunshot in your neighborhood at night would you immediately recognize it as such? Would you either way be alerted enough to call the police, or would you chalk it up to being just another sound in the night?” “How loud is a gunshot in a house?” “Would a neighbor hear a gunshot in a garage?” “How loud is a 40 mm pistol?”
Another one of their children, Macie, told her Dance chaperone on Dec. 31, 2022 that her father is “being a jerk again” and is excited about the divorce.
On Jan. 2, Tausha reported that firearms were removed from the home to her attorney. On Jan. 3, Briley told a friend that her parents are divorcing and she’s “really excited” to have her father out of the house. That same day, police say that Michael “uncharacteristically left his secretary’s paycheck on her desk. He also leaves living trust paperwork on his desk.”
On Jan. 3, police say that Michael recorded a video on his phone with him asking his wife to work things out. “I feel like you’re backing me in to a corner,” he said during the video, police allege.
In this image taken with a drone, the graveside service for the Earl-Haight funeral is held at the Cemetery in La Verkin on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in La Verkin, Utah. Tausha Haight, her mother, Gail Earl, and her five children were shot and killed by her husband Jan. 4. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
The same night at around 9 p.m., Michael texted Tausha asking her to talk, to which she didn’t respond.
On Jan 4 at 3:30 a.m., after the incident took place, a neighbor “reports hearing what she thought were fireworks. She describes the cadence of the sounds.”
Police then conducted the welfare check that morning at around 11:00 a.m., and the family members were found dead.
City officials released a statement after releasing the police report.
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Family member Brett Earl gives a statement to the media after the funeral service for the Haight and Earl families in La Verkin, Utah, on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in La Verkin, Utah. Tausha Haight, her mother, Gail Earl, and her five children were shot and killed by her husband Jan. 4. ((Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP))
“The details in the released information are the results of the dedicated and passionate investigators who worked diligently over the past 3 months to discover the events leading up to the tragedy,” the statement reads. “It has become increasingly evident that our communities are full of compassionate people and organizations willing to give of their resources to assist in comforting and supporting those most impacted. If anyone feels a measure of anxiety, we invite you to seek comfort in the manner most appropriate for you.”
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
