Timothy Earl Ragas: Man found dead with wife, 2 sons at 'deplorable' Louisiana home in apparent murder-suicide
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
HARVEY, NEW ORLEANS: Four family members were found dead in what seemed to be a case of a murder-suicide in a house in New Orleans, authorities said Thursday, February 9. Authorities claim that they were called by someone in the house at around 7.30 am and they arrived at the scene only to discover the dead bodies of a man, a woman, a 13-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man dead in the home.
The caller was later identified as the father of the residence named Timothy Earl Ragas according to The Sun, who repeatedly dialed the emergency services and cried he "can't live like this anymore". The 13-year-old, Timothy Bruce Ragas and 20-year-old, Eric Thornblom, were identified as the brothers, Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said and the remaining two adults were identified as their parents. Besides, authorities also came across notes which detailed the horrific crime and found several weapons.
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They found "notes along with weapons" inside the home that indicates it will be "some type of murder-suicide," Lopinto said according to NOLA. The inside of the home was in a "deplorable" condition and possibly did not have active electricity. The house where the killings took place is located across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. Timothy Bruce Ragas was a student at Marrero Middle School, and the Jefferson Parish school district released a statement later on Thursday.
"We are aware of the unfortunate incident that occurred this morning involving one of our students," the statement said. "JP Schools is fully cooperating with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Our deepest sympathy and condolences are with the family of the student involved and the entire Marrero Middle School community."
The 911 call
"We can't live like this anymore," Ragas, 43, told the call taker. "You'll find four bodies when you get here." Police said that all of them were found dead of gunshot wounds. When the authorities arrived at the scene, they heard the family dog, Faye, barking non-stop at the front yard. Timothy Earl Ragas told authorities where they would find the pooch during the call. He worked as a patrol deputy for the agency from July 2011 to June 2020, said St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office.
Reason behind the killings
There is evidence that the parents Timothy Earl and Joanna Ragas, decided to end their lives together because of financial pressure, according to Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto. However, the investigators are not willing to jump to any conclusion as of now. Detectives and the coroner's office will rely on ballistic evidence to make that determination. The parent's bodies were found in their bedroom, separate from the children's remains.
What did the authorities say?
"Real unfortunate scene," Lopinto said. “It looked like financial problems and stuff have led to a destitute situation and they took it into their own hands, unfortunately. I don’t know if there was power in that house right now.” The sheriff also said that the parents may have worked together to shoot the children and then themselves.
“Some of the information could make me believe they decided to do this together, the parents, but I’m going to let the coroner’s office make that determination," Lopinto said. "Obviously, we don’t know that right now, but there’s some evidence that leads us to believe that way. We’re still processing that scene. I don’t want to speculate too far because that might not be the case, but let us look into that a bit further."
"We are saddened by this tragedy and offer prayers for the families affected," the St. Charles Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "Deputies had trouble accessing the inside of the house because of the condition of the residence," said Captain Jason Rivarde.
Neighbors react to the horrific incident
Joanna Lainez, 36, a neighbor, claimed that she never saw anyone at the single-story home which had a visible roof damage and vines covering half of the front of the residence. "I never saw a light in the house. It was always dark. The grass was never cut. It looked like no one lived there," Lainez said.
An aged man, Gerald Bergeron, 80, who lives across the street from the Ragas home, said, he would see the family from time to time but they never interacted with the others. "They mostly kept to themselves," he said.