On January 4, 2023, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Michael Haight, 42, went room by room through the family's home in Enoch, Utah, and fatally shot his five children (Macie, 17; Briley, 12; Sienna, 7; Ammon, 7; and Gavin, 4), his wife Tausha, 40, and his mother-in-law Gail Earl, 78, before killing himself. The murders occurred approximately two weeks after Tausha filed for divorce following years of documented emotional and physical abuse. Macie had reported her father's behavior to DCFS three times between 2020 and 2022, including allegations of being choked. In the days before the killings, Michael conducted internet searches about the audibility of gunshots inside a home and posted in an online forum asking whether neighbors would recognize a single gunshot at night. Police conducted two welfare checks on the day of the murders after Tausha missed an appointment but left without entering the home; neighbors eventually forced entry at 4 p.m. and discovered the bodies.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Document 1 states: "Officers found deceased from multiple gunshot wounds 40-year-old Tausha, 78-year-old Gail Earl... and the children: 17-year-old Macie, 12-year-old Briley, 7-year-old Sienna, 7-year-old Ammon and 4-year-old Gavin." Document 2 confirms that Michael Haight "shot and killed his family."
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Document 1 states that Macie "alleged multiple assaults, including one where she was choked by her father and 'very afraid that he was going to keep her from breathing and kill her.'" It also states that Tausha described "Michael throwing Ammon on the ground when he didn't want to go to school." Additionally, all five children were found "deceased from multiple gunshot wounds."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Document 1 describes a motor vehicle incident: "He swerved the car hard — leaving several of the kids with red marks on their skin from their seatbelts, Macie said — to scare them all." While not a crash, this constitutes a dangerous motor vehicle incident involving the children.
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Document 1 explicitly states that Michael Haight "went through each room of the family's house early on Jan. 4 and killed Tausha, the kids and Tausha's mother before turning the gun on himself." Document 2's headline reads: "Utah Man Killed Wife & 5 Children, Then Himself." The People article also notes the death was "Believed to Be a Murder-Suicide."
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Michael Haight was the biological father of all five children. Document 1 describes him as their father throughout and states he "went through each room of the family's house early on Jan. 4 and killed Tausha, the kids and Tausha's mother before turning the gun on himself." Document 2 identifies him as "a Utah father who killed his five children."
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Document 1 extensively documents prior child protection reports: Macie reported to DCFS and police in August 2020 (alleging choking and assaults); she called again in January 2021 (reporting Michael swerving the car); and she reported a third time on Dec. 8, 2022 (reporting her father picking up her 7-year-old brother harshly). The 2020 case was closed with a determination Macie was 'safe,' the 2021 report was 'unaccepted,' and the December 2022 report was in progress when the murders occurred.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 1 explicitly identifies the killings as "domestic violence killings" and describes extensive domestic violence by Michael Haight, including emotional abuse, controlling behavior, choking his daughter, and escalating aggression. Tausha was described as seeking help from a domestic violence organization (Canyon Creek Services). Document 2 reports Tausha saying to Michael: "I'm doing this because I cannot continue to tolerate that way you are treating me," and describes how the family felt unsafe around him.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Mental health is implicitly referenced through Michael Haight's promise to attend therapy after the couple's 2021 separation (Document 1: "He moved back in, though, after promising to go to therapy") and his statement in Document 2: "I'll go to 20 counselors if I have to go to 20 counselors." Additionally, Michael died by suicide, which is indicative of a mental health crisis. However, no specific mental health diagnosis is named in either document.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several significant systemic issues are explicitly described. First, DCFS conducted internal and external reviews and found no policy violations despite Macie reporting three separate times; importantly, DCFS dismissed the third report in December 2022 as containing 'no new allegations' when in fact Macie had reported new allegations about her 7-year-old brother being picked up harshly, and Tausha had reported Michael throwing Ammon on the ground. Second, Enoch police responded to two welfare checks on the day of the murders (at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) but left without forcing entry both times; concerned neighbors eventually forced their way in at 4 p.m. and discovered the first body. Third, Michael made internet searches four days before the killings asking about gunshot noise inside a home and posted in an online forum asking whether neighbors would recognize a single gunshot at night. Fourth, Michael was reportedly being fired from Allstate for allegedly siphoning funds fraudulently — an additional instability factor police were unaware of. Fifth, Tausha reported to her divorce attorney on Jan. 2-3 that Michael had removed guns from the house, but the attorney did not escalate this to law enforcement. Sixth, LDS church leaders knew of Tausha's concerns but those interactions 'were never passed on to police.' The Enoch City response offered no evaluation of lessons learned, instead encouraging 'good will moving forward.'
These fields were populated by an AI model and may contain inaccuracies. Review the links and PDFs provided for verification before citing. Contact [email protected] to report any inaccuracies where corrections are needed.