WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Five members of the same family — including three children — were found dead inside a home in West Valley City on Tuesday in what police are calling a homicide.
West Valley City Police said they received a call from a concerned family member of a woman who lived on the 3700 block of Oxford Way on Monday night, saying they were unable to get in touch with the resident. Officers responded and tried to contact the residents, but nobody answered. However, WVCPD said the officers looked through windows and found no obvious signs of an emergency or crime, so they did not enter the home.
Then on Tuesday, the woman in question didn't show up for work. The same family member then went to the woman's house and entered through the garage, where they found a 17-year-old boy who was injured from a gunshot wound. She then called police around 2 p.m.
Officers responded and entered the home, where they discovered five people deceased. They were a 42-year-old man, a 38-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy, a 9-year-old girl, and a 2-year-old girl.
The teen in the garage was taken to the hospital. His condition is unknown, but police said he was significantly injured and investigators were having a difficult time communicating with him to find out what happened.
WVCPD said all six people were family and all lived in the house. It was not yet confirmed which, if any, were believed to be the suspect. However, officials did say they don't believe there is a suspect on the loose, and they believe the incident was "isolated" to the home at this point in the investigation.
Police department officials said they are waiting for a search warrant to be granted before they can re-enter the home and look for evidence that will shed light on what happened.
"This is far beyond anything routine," WVCPD spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said. "There were four [homicides] in this city for the entire year of 2024. This more than doubles that number... Absolutely horrific."
Stay with FOX 13 News online and on the air for the latest information on this breaking news story.
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Resources for domestic violence victims/prevention (free, 24/7, confidential):
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
