Five family members, including three children, were found dead in a Utah home on Tuesday, and another, 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 at the home 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 will certainly weigh heavily on investigators in this case,” Vainuku said at a late-night press conference.
Authorities don’t 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 in the hospital, there are some difficulties in communicating with him and finding more information,” Vainuku said.
“In any case where people have died or loved ones have been lost, we want to make sure that we do the most thorough job so that we can bring justice to the victims,” Vainuku said, according to CBS affiliate KUTV.
A family member alerted police Monday after trying unsuccessfully to reach the 38-year-old woman who lived in the home, authorities said. Officers went to the house, but no one answered.
They returned Tuesday afternoon after the same family member reported finding the 17-year-old in the garage.
Police are investigating the home and have also spoken to neighbors and looked for evidence such as doorbell cameras, Vainuku said.
“Officers also visited the area to gather information and any video evidence,” police said in a statement.
CBS affiliate KUTV reported that some neighbors said the family had lived in that house for three or four years.
