Sheriff Joe Lopinto of Louisiana reported receiving a troubling message from a man identified as Tim Ragas on Thursday morning, Feb 10.
It was later discovered Ragas, along with his wife and children, dead when they arrived at his residence. Lopinto said that Ragas had contacted the 911 message system, warning the sheriff of a gruesome scene that awaited them at the man’s home early on Thursday morning.
Lopinto said in the message, “We can’t continue to live like this,” Lopinto said, adding, “You’ll find four bodies when you get here.”
Upon their appearance at the home in Harvey, Louisiana, where the call originated, officers discovered the bodies of 43-year-old Tim Ragas, 45-year-old Joanna Ragas, her 20-year-old son Eric Thorneblom and their son with special needs, 13-year-old Timothy Ragas.
According to WWL, a note, alongside weapons were identified, suggesting the group was killed in what seems to be a murder-suicide.
At a press conference, Sheriff Lopinto confirmed that the group had died due to gunshot wounds. However, he further clarified that it is still not certain if there was more than one shooter.
He commented, “Some of the information could make me believe that maybe they decided to do this together from the parents – the mother and father. But I’m going to let the coroner’s office make that determination.”
Sheriff Joe Lopinto revealed that the man who was responsible for the tragedy had once been employed as a law enforcement officer, but he declined to say which agency or for how long.
The deceased’s family members claimed that a combination of depression, medical issues, and financial problems were the cause of the event.
Ragas’ sister-in-law spoke with WWL, saying that he had been unemployed for almost three years prior to the incident and, after he got a job, had to quit due to Joanna’s medical issues and their autistic son’s special needs.
The family members had not been aware of the severity of the situation, saying that depression can be terribly hard to overcome.
Sherriff Lopinto concluded: “It looks like financial problems and stuff have left a destitute situation, and they took it into their own hands, unfortunately, this morning.”
A GoFundMe page has been established to help the family with funeral expenses.