Family of eight found shot dead in Utah home

Eight members of a family including five minors were found dead of gunshot wounds in a southwestern Utah home on Wednesday, a tragedy that officials said devastated the small town of Enoch City.

Police were summoned to the home for a welfare check after the family had not been heard from for an extended time, and they found the bodies of three adults and five minors, City Manger Rob Dotson said.

Officials said in a statement there was no threat to the public and no suspects were believed to be at large.

"We don't know why this happened. We're not going to guess," Dotson said in a video interview that was emailed to reporters.

Investigation could take days

Several law enforcement agencies are cooperating on the investigation, which could take days, Dotson said in a video interview that was emailed to reporters.

"This community is feeling pain," Dotson said. "We all know this family. Many of us have served with them in church and the community and have gone to school with these individuals.

"The community ... is feeling loss, they're feeling pain, they have a lot of questions," Dotson said.

Enoch City, with a population of about 8,000, is in southwestern Utah, about 250 miles (400 km) south of Salt Lake City.