LAYTON, Utah. — A Utah man killed his wife and her parents and then called police Friday to report and admit to the crime, authorities said.
Jeremy Bailey, 34, surrendered without incident at the family home in Layton, just north of Salt Lake City, police said.
The bodies of Bailey’s wife, Anastasia Stevens, 36; Becky Stevens, 61; and Donald Stevens, 73; were found inside the house.
Becky Stevens was Anastasia Stevens’ stepmother and Donald Stevens was her father. Becky and Donald Stevens lived in Nevada and were visiting Bailey and Anastasia Stevens, who were living at the home where the bodies were found, police said in a statement.
Neighbors of the couple told NBC affiliate KSL of Salt Lake City that they were shocked by the killings. One neighbor, Lanny Cottrell, told the local station that he recently saw Bailey and his father-in-law “having a very heated argument” when driving by the house.
Motive and cause of death were still being investigated. Three of the family’s dogs also were killed.
Bailey couldn’t be reached for comment and had no attorney listed to comment on his behalf.
Layton is a city of about 82,000 people 20 miles north of Salt Lake City.
Intimate partner violence affects nearly half of people in the U.S., with 1 in 2 women reporting having experienced sexual or physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent report on domestic and sexual violence. About 44% of men report the same, according to the CDC.
Federal data suggests approximately 1 in 5 homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner, and that half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner, according to the CDC.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or the threat of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or go to www.thehotline.org for anonymous, confidential online chats, available in English and Spanish. Individual states often have their own domestic violence hotlines as well.
Advocates at the National Domestic Violence Hotline field calls from both survivors of domestic violence as well as individuals who are concerned that they may be abusive toward their partners.