Utah Man Accused of Killing Entire Family Given 'Gross' Obituary

An obituary for a man who police believe murdered his wife and children before killing himself went viral after it didn't mention the massacre—and portrayed him as a loving family man.

The tribute was posted online for Michael Haight, who allegedly murdered his family before turning the gun on himself on January 4 at their home in Enoch City, Utah.

It is unclear who wrote the piece, which said Haight "excelled at everything he did," viewed each of his children as "a cherished miracle" and "enjoyed making memories with the family."

Police said the 42-year-old fatally shot seven members of his family, including his wife Tausha Haight, 40, their three daughters aged 17, 12 and 7, and two sons, aged 7 and 4. Also killed was his wife's mother, 78-year-old Gail Earl. The attack came two weeks after Tausha Haight had filed for divorce, officials said.

The obituary for Michael Haight was posted on the website of The Spectrum's obit page which linked to the Southern Utah Mortuary's website—but it has now been removed in favor of a photo of Haight and the dates of his birth and death.

Screenshots of the tribute, which have been shared thousands of times across social media, showed that it described how Haight had achieved the highest "Eagle" rank in the Boy Scouts, had always "lived a life of service," and once served as a missionary in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It went on describe how he met his future wife while he was an "outstanding" student at Southern Utah University before the couple went on to marry and start a large family. "Each of these children were truly a cherished miracle to them," it added. "Michael made it a point to spend quality time with each and every one of his children. Michael enjoyed making memories with the family."

"Whether it was serving in the church or in the community, he was willing to help with whatever was needed," read the obit.

The obituary sparked outrage as it was shared online. Shannon Watts, who campaigns against gun violence and founded Moms Demand Action, shared a link to the obit on Twitter. In a follow-up tweet she described it as "gross" and noted "none of the obituary comments mention the victims."

She also shared a link to the East Idaho News website, which hosted a statement posted by the Earl family after the murders. It did not mention Michael Haight's alleged involvement in the killings but described the events as an "unthinkable tragedy" and went on to "express our gratitude for the outpouring of prayers, love, kindness and support" the family had received since.

It also emerged that a photo of Haight with his family had been doctored to replace him with what appears to be an image of Jesus on a fundraising page, of which the link was in the Earl family statement. Again, the massacre was not mentioned, and neither was Haight. The text accompanying the photo paid tribute to the two women and the five slain children, adding: "All who knew them loved them so very much. There are no words to describe the heartache we feel. They will be missed immensely by their family, friends, neighbors, classmates and community." The appeal said donated money would "go towards any funeral expenses if needed, legal fees, and a memorial fund in honor of Tausha's children." As of Tuesday, it had raised a little over $100,000 of its $150,000 target.

The GoFundMe page drew some vivid reactions from some who took offense with replacing Haight's image with that of Jesus or with the fact that it did not mention the massacre. Others called for calm and said the comments section should not be used to abuse a grieving family.

Newsweek has reached out to the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition seeking comment on this case.

Anyone seeking help should call The National Domestic Violence Hotline, a free and confidential hotline available 24/7 that can be reached on 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224. The Hotline also provides information on local resources. For more information, visit thehotline.org