ENOCH, Utah — Police had previously been called out to visit the family found dead inside an Enoch home on Wednesday, but did not say why as officials released new details on the deaths, including the identities of the victims.
WATCH: Friend mourns loss of family killed in Enoch home
Michael and Tausha Haight were two of the three adults among the dead, while Tausha's mother, 78-year-old Gail Earl, was identified as the third adult victim.
Police said it appeared that Michael Haight took his own life after killing the other seven in the home.
Five children, ranging from pre-school to high school age, including a set of twins, were also found inside, although their names have not been released.
- 17-year-old girl
- 12-year-old girl
- 7-year-old girl
- 7-year-old boy
- 4-year-old boy
After nearly 20 years of marriage, court records show 40-year-old Tausha Haight filed for divorce on Dec. 21 in Iron County. It has yet to be confirmed whether Tausha and Michael were living together at the time of the incident.
It's also not known what led to Tausha filing for divorce.
In the briefing Thursday, Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson said authorities received a call Wednesday that Tausha had missed a previously scheduled appointment. When Tausha was not located, a missing person report was submitted to the Cedar City Police Department due to Michael's office being in that location.
Michael Haight was listed as an Allstate Insurance agent with an office in Cedar City, but a family friend told FOX 13 News that the 42-year-old had left the company within the last week.
"Once determined Michael's home address was in Enoch City, the missing person report was passed to Enoch City officers, at which point the welfare check to locate Tausha became an effort to locate the entire family," Dotson explained.
The welfare check was performed at the home at 4 p.m. and the bodies of the family were found inside. There is no timeline of when the family was killed, but Enoch City Mayor Geoffrey Chesnut said witnesses saw members of the Haight family at a church activity on Tuesday night.
Enoch City police chief Jackson Ames said his department was "familiar" with the family and had been "involved in some investigations with the family a couple years prior," but did not elaborate on the reason. Ames added that there had been no recent interactions with the family.
Officials below hold briefing on what led to performing a welfare check on Enoch family
Dotson said the bodies have been removed from the home and autopsies will be performed in the coming days.
"Tausha was the most kind and generous person and she never ever said anything ill about anyone," said Tina Brown, a friend of the family. "She would give the shirt off of her back for anyone and she served people tirelessly."
