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FRUITLAND, Duchesne County — A husband and wife reported missing for several days were found dead over the weekend in an apparent murder-suicide.
Milinda Wright, 36, and Gordon James "Jimmy" Wright, 45, both of Lehi, were found dead with gunshot wounds in a family vacation home in Fruitland.
Kurt Umbrell, who said he was a family spokesman and brother-in-law though he did not say whether he was directly related to Milinda or Jimmy, said Monday that the family was "heartbroken."
"As a family we're dealing with a very tough tragedy right now," he said. "We love Milinda and Jimmy. They are our family. With their loss, it leaves us an emptiness. And we're trying to deal with that and cope with that the best we can right now."
As for the circumstances surrounding their deaths, Umbrell said his family preferred remembering the couple in happier times.
"The hard thing is not having Milinda and Jimmy here. As far as the incident that happened, the details of that (are) not something the family wants to focus on. We're focusing on the goodness they brought to our lives and how much we loved them. And we're looking forward to the time we can see them again," he said.
As a family we're dealing with a very tough tragedy right now. We love Milinda and Jimmy. They are our family. With their loss, it leaves us an emptiness. And we're trying to deal with that and cope with that the best we can right now.
–Kurt Umbrell, family spokesman and brother-in-law
Milinda Wright's father reported to Lehi police Saturday that the couple had been missing for a few days and may have gone to their secondary residence in Fruitland.
Duchesne County Sheriff's Lt. Jeremy Curry said family members last talked to Milinda Wright on Thursday morning.
Lehi officers contacted the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office. About 8 p.m. Saturday, deputies went to the Fruitland house and found Milinda Wright's body in the kitchen with a gunshot wound to her head. The body of Jimmy Wright was found in the living room, also with a gunshot wound to his head and a 9 mm handgun nearby, Curry said.
Another weapon, a .22-caliber handgun, was also found in the house, and police determined that it had been fired, he said.
"At this point in the investigation, (we) believe that Gordon may have shot Milinda before turning the gun on himself," the sheriff's office stated.
"We have no reason to believe there was any outside threat," Curry said.
Umbrell said it's likely the family will never know what happened inside the house that lead to the shootings.
"It's more about how we loved them than anything else right now," he said.
The Fruitland home is located in a rural area, Curry said. Gunshots inside the house likely would not have been heard at any other residence, he said.
Curry said investigators did not believe the shooting was premeditated. He said evidence of alcohol use was in the house. No suicide note was found as of Monday morning.
The couple had no children together, but Milinda Wright is survived by children from a previous relationship.
According to court records, Jimmy Wright had a history of domestic violence and drunken driving arrests. In December, he pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct in American Fork's 4th District Court. In May 2014, he was found guilty of reckless driving.
Jimmy Wright also pleaded guilty to impaired driving in 2010, and he was found guilty of DUI in 2005 and 1997, and misdemeanor drug possession in 2002 and 1999, court records state.
In 2011, Jimmy Wright took a plea in abeyance to a domestic violence assault charge. He was also found guilty of domestic violence simple assault in 2002 and 1998, and simple assault again in 1997, according to court records.
