Poison may have killed Utah family of 5, authorities say

The deaths of five members of a Utah family found last month do not appear to be accidental or natural and may be the result of poison, search warrants indicate.

The bodies, including three children, were found covered in bedding in a single bedroom with cups of liquid next to them, according to the warrant filed in Utah court.

Police in Springville aren’t saying who killed the Strack family or whether one of the parents may have been involved. Toxicology results have not determined an exact cause of death, but search warrants obtained Wednesday say the family was probably poisoned.

Benjamin and Kristi Strack were in bed, with children ages 11 through 14 lying around them, tucked in bedding up to their necks, according to the search warrants. Kristi Strack had a red liquid coming out of her mouth. Some of the bodies looked to have been positioned after they died on Sept. 27.

“It is probable that these deaths were not accidental or natural in any way,” Det. Jeff Ellsworth wrote in the search warrant affidavit.

Bob McGee, a spokesman for rest of the Strack family, declined to comment on the case until after the report was complete.

The bodies were discovered by an older son and his girlfriend, both of whom also live in the home. Kristi Strack was last seen alive at 6 a.m.

The house was quiet when the couple left after noon, but when they returned at 7 p.m. they realized all the cars were still at home. They knocked on the master bedroom door, and after no one answered they called Kristi Strack’s mother and her friend, who helped them force it open.

The search warrant says it wasn’t normal for the children to be in their parents’ room because they had their own rooms. The warrant also says that Kristi Strack’s mother said she couldn’t believe she would harm the children.

Investigators removed 14 drinking cups and bottles from the home, a pitcher of red juice and a purple bucket with yellow liquid. One pair of slippers with a spot of blood and a towel with a red substance on it were also removed.

They also seized a bag of marijuana, three cellphones, an iPod, a laptop computer, pill bottles, a bag of medications and empty boxes of sleep aids.

Investigators also found empty methadone bottles, 10 empty boxes of nighttime cold medicine and two boxes of allergy medicine in the family’s garbage, along with a red liquid in Pepsi cups.

On Wednesday, Springville Police Lt. Dave Caron said he couldn’t comment on the search warrant or speculate about the cause of death until results of a toxicology test come back. That’s expected in late November, he said.

“Until I get those, I really don’t have anything,” he said. “I could come up with all sorts of theories, but it’s not helpful.”

Authorities have previously said the five did not die violently, and that they were not ruling out anything.

The five bodies were identified as Benjamin Strack, 37, his wife, Kristi, 36, and three of their children: Benson, 14, Emery, 12, and Zion, 11.

Little is known about the family. A family spokesman has declined to reveal much and, at a vigil, family members declined comment.

Benjamin Strack’s former boss said he worked off and on for six to seven years at AK Masonry, a bricklaying company, and had borrowed money in the past. Court records show Benjamin and Kristi Strack pleaded guilty to misdemeanor forgery charges in 2008 and disorderly conduct the following year.

Springville is a city of about 30,000 near Provo, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City.