A 34-year-old officer with a small Utah police department shot and killed his wife, mother-in-law and two young children and turned the gun on himself, authorities said Friday.
Spanish Fork police said the five were found dead at a home about 11 p.m. Thursday, when co-workers reported Joshua Boren didn’t show up for his night shift as a patrol officer at the Lindon Police Department.
Police who looked through the window saw blood on the carpet and shell casings in the front room of the two-story home, police said. When they went inside, they found Boren’s 55-year-old mother-in-law Marie King dead in a bedroom, and Joshua Boren and his immediate family dead in the bedroom next door.
The other victims were identified as Kelly Boren, 32; Joshua “Jaden” Boren, 7; and Haley Boren, 5.
Spanish Fork Lt. Matthew Johnson said the couple had been experiencing marital problems, but co-workers say Boren appeared upbeat and didn’t show signs of distress before the killings.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 01/18/2014