Charles Bruce Longo, a member and returned missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was excommunicated, along with several of his friends in 1969. He believed he was God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, and so did his followers. He took the name Immanuel David, and his followers called themselves the Family of David.
On July 31st, 1978, after finding out that the FBI was about to indict him for wire fraud, Immanuel David drove his truck into a canyon, hooked a hose up to the tailpipe, and committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.
One of Immanuel's followers had already been convicted for wire fraud after bilking innocent citizens out of money by claiming that his daughter was sick in the hospital and needed money for treatment
Immanuel, Rachel, and their seven children, ranging in age from 5 to 15, had been living on the 11th floor of the International Dunes Hotel for more than a year.
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The children were home-schooled from their hotel suite, which reportedly cost $90 per day. The police estimated that the family had paid around $30,000 to live at the International Dunes, and they were reportedly eating takeout meals from fancy Salt Lake City restaurants every evening. The hotel has changed ownership several times, and for a long time was a Shilo Inn before becoming a Holiday Inn Express in 2015.
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On August 3, Rachel took her children out onto the balcony. One by one, she threw them over the edge.
The smallest children were simply picked up and thrown over; some of the others clung to the balcony railing until she pried them off. The oldest children jumped willingly, followed by Rachel herself. Horrified bystanders below were helpless to do anything other than watch.
Rachel and six of her children died. The 15-year-old daughter, also named Rachel, survived the fall, though she was seriously injuries
Some were awakened by the cries and screams of children, or by a woman wailing.
Other guests claim to have seen the children themselves, running up and down the hallways on the 11th floor.
Whether or not the hotel is haunted is anyone's guess. Rachel David, the surviving member of the family, was interviewed when she was in her late 30s. She still believes that her father is God and that he'll return to Earth someday.
