Utah police: 2 adults, 2 children slain in apparent murder-suicide at family’s apartment

Utah family of 4 slain in apparent murder-suicide

WEST JORDAN, Utah — A family a four was found dead in their apartment in what police said was an apparent murder-suicide.

A 36-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, along with boys ages 6 and 4, were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds Thursday night in a unit at the Willow Cove apartment complex, West Jordan Police Sgt. Drew Sanders said. The names of the family members were not immediately released.

Officers had begun a search for the family Thursday evening after police in Salt Lake City and Midvale were contacted by individuals who had received text messages from the man at about 7 p.m. The texts indicated the man planned to harm himself and his family, Sanders said.

No one who received the text messages, however, had an address for the family, Sanders said.

After a possible address was located on an old police report, West Jordan officers went to the apartment and discovered the bodies around 8:45 p.m., Sanders said.

He said no one in the apartment complex reported hearing gunshots.

“Had the people that got the text messages not called police, we still might not know about this,” Sanders said.

Sanders said the married couple was separated but had no history of domestic violence.