According to officials, a family of eight, including five children, was discovered shot to death in a Utah house on Wednesday.
Officials in Enoch, a city of about 8,000 inhabitants 394 kilometers south of Salt Lake City, reported that police were performing a welfare check at a residence.
No other information, including when they were slain, was supplied, nor was there any indication of a threat to the public, according to the police.
According to the officials, there are no suspects on the loose. According to authorities, resolving what transpired within the residence will take at least two or more days.
"At this time, we do not believe there is a threat to the public or that any suspects are at large," municipal officials stated in a Wednesday statement. The investigation is in progress.
In a letter to parents, Iron County School District administrators stated that five students attended district schools.
Rob Dotson, the city manager of Enoch, stated that the community was in shock and that the deceased was well-known.
"Many of us have served with them in church, the community, and school," Mr. Dotson said in a video statement released Wednesday evening.
This community is suffering at this time. They're grieving, they're in agony, and they have a lot of questions," Mr. Dotson said, adding that officials expected to release additional details as they become available and the police investigation progressed.
At one point, Mr. Dotson choked up as he remarked, "We won't know the mindsets, the thoughts of the individuals who experienced this tragedy, but we can all pray that their families, their neighbors, and everyone will come to an understanding of what happened here in a day or two, or longer."
Mr. Dotson stated that the police conduct routine welfare checks on persons who have not been seen for an extended time.
Five children attended schools in the Iron County School District, according to the letter delivered to parents by district administrators.
Wednesday night, Utah Governor Spencer Cox expressed his condolences via a tweet.
