ID examines a family annihilation in Toxic: What Happened in the Haight House?
Investigation Discovery (ID) is one of the leading true crime networks around, and they are constantly adding new series and specials. Their newest special takes a look at a 2023 family annihilation that took place in Enoch, Utah.
The special ties in with ID’s No Excuse for Abuse campaign, which is in its fifth year. It’s the network’s “month-long commitment to survivor-centered storytelling and advocacy”, and it features programming and public service announcements. Included are new episodes of the series Toxic, hosted by Elizabeth Chambers. Toxic examines domestic abuse and generational trauma by way of experts in the field and the stories of survivors.
Chambers is hosting the new special, called Toxic: What Happened in the Haight House? The two-hour special looks at the murders of Tausha Haight, the five children she shared with husband Michael Haight, and Tausha’s mother Gail Earl. When local law enforcement responded to a request for a welfare check, they discovered all seven bodies, plus that of Michael, who had killed himself.
For years, Tausha and the children had endured emotional abuse, and had been victims of coercive control practiced by Michael. Although the signs were there, Michael managed to maintain their image as a “perfect” family.
14-year-old Macie was the first to report anything, accusing her father of domestic abuse in 2020. The accusation was investigated, and she told officers for the Enoch Police Department that he had become more and more violent over the past two to three years. She reported that he had chocked her, and she was afraid it was only going to get worse. She said she was “very afraid that he was going to kill her.”
Tausha told officers at the time that she did not think it was necessary to file any charges, and that she expected this would be a wake up call for Michael. Investigators came to the conclusion that there was no reason to expect Michael would exhibit any violent behavior…both were tragically wrong.
Two weeks before Michael Haight killed his family, Tausha finally began divorce proceedings against him. A few days prior, she told the family that Michael had taken all guns from the house. The signs were there, but it seems it was all a little too late.
Toxic: What Happened in the Haight House? Premieres on ID Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET
NEXT will be joined by true crime podcaster Annie Lise of Serialously. Together, the two will unpack the key indicators of escalating danger through the lens of the Lethality Assessment Protocol. It’s something used across the US when responding to domestic violence accusations. Chambers and Lise will conduct interviews with people close to the Haight case, hoping to help others recognize subtle signs of abuse before it’s too late.
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