A 47-year-old man was taken into custody following a gruesome incident in Mobile, Alabama, where his elderly grandmother and aunt were found dead in their home.
According to court documents, a desperate call for assistance was made to law enforcement on Monday regarding the unusual behavior and erratic statements made by Thomas Steele.
Christy Deloach, aged 65, contacted 911 around 11 a.m. and reported that her nephew was acting strangely. She revealed that he had stopped taking his lithium medication and was unsure of how to handle the situation.
“He’s been giving away his phone and his car… doing some really odd things. I don’t know if that’s good or,” she explained during the call. “He says he’s just going to live for God and won’t use any electronics.”
The dispatcher inquired if she required medical assistance, to which she replied, “It’s in his mind. He’s following God.” She mentioned that her nephew was calm and not violent, suggesting she might just let things unfold.
The dispatcher provided her with the police department’s contact information before the call ended.
Approximately two hours later, authorities were dispatched to Steele’s residence on Carolina Court, where they discovered the bodies of Deloach and 85-year-old Dora Boone, Steele’s grandmother. Both victims had been decapitated with a chainsaw.
Upon arrival, officers found Steele standing outside and subsequently arrested him, charging him with two counts of murder.
On Tuesday, his bond was denied, and a judge ordered a competency evaluation for him. Steele’s response to being assigned a public defender was perplexing: “No, kill him.”
Reportedly, Deloach’s supervisor from the hair salon where she had worked for 15 years mentioned that she had talked about her nephew having bipolar disorder. “She was just a real sweet girl,” said Lenny Zanghi, her boss. “I’m just going to miss her and think about her every day.”
