On August 3, 1978, Rebecca David took her seven children to the eleventh-floor balcony of the International Dune Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. The older children jumped off willingly, while Rebecca threw the younger ones over. Amid the chaos, onlookers shouted for her to stop, but after all her children were on the ground, they urged her to jump, and she did, leading to her death. Miraculously, fifteen-year-old Rachel David survived with severe injuries, leaving her in a wheelchair.
Rachel’s father, Immanuel David, believed he was a descendant of the House of David and committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning two days earlier. Formerly known as Charles Bruce Longo, he considered himself a prophet or deity and led a small cult called the Family of David. His followers believed they couldn’t be apart from him in death, and it was suggested that he killed himself to avoid jail for wire fraud or tax evasion, as his ego couldn’t bear imprisonment.
Family friends described the children as bright, well-dressed, and polite, with unwavering faith in their father’s power. It’s believed the family felt they couldn’t survive without him, leading to this tragic event.
