Five members of a Utah family, including three children, were found dead inside a home near Salt Lake City, police say.
The fatalities involved in the incident comprised of two adults, an 11-year-old boy, and two girls aged 9 and 2, as reported by Roxeanne Vainuku, a spokesperson from the West Valley City Police Department. The circumstances surrounding their deaths were not immediately apparent.
Roxeanne Vainuku expressed the severity of the situation by stating, “This is far beyond anything routine. We were just taking a look at the numbers today of homicides that happened in this city and there were four in this city for the entire year of 2024. So this more than doubles that number,” in an interview with KSTU.
Another individual, a 17-year-old, was found with a gunshot wound at the location and was promptly transported to a medical facility for treatment upon the discovery of the disturbing scene by investigators in West Valley City on Tuesday, as per law enforcement sources.
Roxeanne Vainuku, a spokesperson for the West Valley City Police Department, called the incident “absolutely horrific.”
Police said after the woman failed to show up for work on Tuesday, the family member then entered the garage of the home and found the 17-year-old – who also lives there – suffering from an apparent gunshot sound.
“Officers entered the home and found the bodies of five people inside,” the West Valley City Police Department said. “Initial information indicates all of the deceased are members of the same family who live inside the home.”
Police are investigating inside the home and looking for evidence from doorbell cameras to piece together what happened, Vainuku said.
A 17-year-old was found alive inside the home in West Valley City, police say. (KSTU)
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 added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
