5 family members found dead in Utah home and 17-year-old hospitalized with gunshot wound

Five family members, including three children, were found dead in a Utah home on Tuesday, and another, a 17-year-old, was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound, police said.

The dead included two adults, an 11-year-old boy and two girls, ages 9 and 2, according to Roxeanne Vainuku, a spokeswoman 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 (14 kilometers) southwest of Salt Lake City. The teenager was discovered in the garage.

“Absolutely terrible. “This is something that will certainly weigh heavily on investigators in this case,” Vainuku said at a late-night news conference.

Authorities do not believe a suspect is at large and the shooting was “confined solely to this home,” she added

Because the 17-year-old “is injured and in the hospital, there are some challenges in communicating with him and getting more information,” Vainuku said.

A relative alerted police Monday after unsuccessfully trying to contact the 38-year-old woman who lived at the home, authorities said. Officers went to the home but no one responded.

They returned Tuesday afternoon after the same relative reported finding the 17-year-old in the garage.

Police are investigating inside the home and have also spoken to neighbors and looked for evidence such as doorbell cameras, Vainuku said.