A 19-year-old man, who survived a tragic murder-suicide orchestrated by his father that resulted in the deaths of his three younger siblings and parents, has died unexpectedly at his extended family’s home in Utah. This heartbreaking event occurred just a week after he began his freshman year in college.

Sha Reh was only 17 when, according to police, his father killed his mother, his 8-year-old and 2-year-old sisters, and his 11-year-old brother in a horrific incident at their home in December 2024.

Reh himself was found in the garage with a gunshot wound to the head. Against all odds, he survived the attack, though the injury left him permanently blind.

His extended family announced his passing through a GoFundMe page, stating that he died of natural causes on Sunday.

His grieving relatives shared that despite the immense tragedy, Reh showed remarkable resilience. He learned to communicate using Braille at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind and had recently achieved a level of independence, allowing him to live on his own.

Reh, a first-generation student, was accepted to the University of Utah as a Presidential Scholar and began his freshman year just one week before he died. He was set to major in pre-law, and dreamed of attending law school after completing his undergraduate education.

His surviving family said they found comfort in the thought of “his reunion with his family.”

“He was among those who were once blind, but now can see. He has a perfect vision of his and his family’s eternity, and his home is now with them. Caring for him and watching him grow and regain his independence has been a labor of love for our family,” they wrote in a statement.

In an interview with KSL in May 2025, Reh admitted that he didn’t necessarily struggle to pick up Braille.

When his family emigrated to the US from Myanmar a few years before it plunged into civil war, he had to learn English from scratch, and could use similar tactics to teach himself Braille.

Upon settling in Utah, his family was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reh cited his faith as a source of lasting comfort and motivation, since he could rest easy knowing “I will be able to see my family again in the afterlife.”

“I strive to do good things in this world. I am very grateful and blessed to have this opportunity to be happy,” Reh told the outlet.

“I think my one major goal is to be happy and to make others happy,” he added.