Dec. 18 (UPI) — Authorities in Utah late Tuesday said they had been granted a search warrant for a West Valley City home, where an injured teenager and the bodies of five fatally shot family members were found earlier in the day.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths were unclear early Wednesday, and authorities had earlier said more would be understood about the crime once granted permission to search the house in the 3700 block of Oxford Way in West Valley City, a suburb of Salt Lake City.
“Once we’re able to get inside the house and take a deep look into everything, we believe that it will probably provide a lot more information,” West Valley City police spokesperson Roxeanne Vainuku in a Tuesday night press conference.
We have obtained a search warrant for the home and investigators have entered and began their investigation. Officers also have canvassed the neighborhood gathering information and any video evidence. At this time, we believe this incident is isolated to this home. 5/5— WVC Police (@WVCPD) December 18, 2024
A concerned family member discover the injured 17-year-old boy in the garage of the home Tuesday afternoon, which led to the discovery of the five bodies. Initial information indicates all are members of the same family and they lived at that residence.
The deceased victims have been identified as a 42-year-old man, a 38-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy, 9-year-old girl and a 2-year-old girl.
Authorities said they were all shot to death.
The 17-year-old has been hospitalized, seemingly from a gunshot wound. Due to the extent of his injuries, authorities have had difficulty communicating with him, Vainuku said.
“We do not know at this point if he is a suspect in this case or a victim in this case,” she said.
Much about the situation was unknown, including when exactly the shooting occurred.
The family member who had discovered scene had grown concerned after not being able to contact the woman who lived at the residence for some time.
Vainuku told reporters during the press conference that she contact police initially on Monday night.
Police were dispatched to the house, but were unable to make contact with anyone inside. Finding no emergency, the officers told the concerned family member to stay in touch.
The next day, the family member returned to the house after the woman who lived there failed to show up for work. The family member gained entrance to the residence via the garage, where she found the injured 17-year-old boy.
Vainuku explained that after retrieving the bodies, ensuring no suspects were on the premises and transporting the injured to the hospital, detectives had to wait for a search warrant to gain access to the premises to gather evidence.
Prior to the warrant being granted, officers were canvassing the neighborhood and talking to those in the area who may have some information about the crime, she said.
Despite little information being released about the crime, officers believe this shooting is an isolated incident, Vainuku said.
“We do not believe there is a suspect on the loose,” she said.
