Double deaths in Magalia

A Magalia man was met with a horrific scene when he returned home from work on the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 13.

Thomas Leroux entered his home on Fir Haven Drive around 12:45 p.m. and found his wife, Kelli, 50, dead from a single gunshot wound to the back of her head and his son, Travis, 25, suffering from a single gunshot wound to his chest but still alive, according to a Butte County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Travis “became unresponsive” as paramedics rendered first aid and was pronounced dead at the scene. BCSO has since classified the killings as a murder-suicide, noting Travis’ injury was “consistent with a self-inflicted shot” and that a 12-gauge shotgun was recovered nearby. The release also stated that Travis had no apparent motive, although he was believed to have been suffering from mental illness.