Utah family of five found dead at home and police want to know when and why

Police on Wednesday were investigating the when and why of the deaths of five Utah family members – including three children – who were found in their home after a relative became concerned not being heard from them for several days.

An injured 17-year-old boy who appeared to have been shot was also discovered in the home’s garage on Tuesday. That evening, police in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley didn’t know whether the teenager was a suspect or a victim in the case. Because of his injuries, “it is difficult to communicate with him and obtain further information,” said spokeswoman Roseanne Vainuku.

Authorities did not believe there was a suspect at large and that the crime was “confined to this house,” Vainuku said at a news conference Tuesday. Police said they expect to provide more information Wednesday.

A relative of the family called police Monday evening and said he had been unable to make contact with a woman who lived in the home for several days, even though he normally had regular contact with her, Vainuku said.

Officers looked in windows and spoke to neighbors but found no evidence of an emergency or crime and asked the family member to stay in touch, she said.

“As we know, adults have the right to do whatever they want and they don’t have to communicate with their family members if they don’t want to,” Vainuku said. “So this is a difficult balance between protecting people’s rights to do what they want to do and acknowledging the concerns of family members.”

After the woman didn’t show up for work on Tuesday, the family went to the garage, where they found the seriously injured 17-year-old and called the police. Officers found the woman, a 42-year-old man, dead in the home along with an 11-year-old boy and two girls, ages 9 and 2.

“Absolutely terrible. “This is something that will certainly weigh heavily on investigators in this case,” Vainuku said.

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

This case in Utah is the 38th mass killing in the United States this year. At least 165 people have died in mass killings in the United States this year. The FBI defines these as cases in which four or more people die within 24 hours, not including the murderer.