Lobbyists found dead in Northern California home; son arrested after standoff
Authorities in Placer County are investigating the deaths of two lobbyists whose bodies were found inside a home after a standoff Monday with their son, who was shot by sheriff’s deputies after he ran out of the residence while armed with a handgun.
The lobbyists were identified Tuesday as 67-year-old Kathryn Lynch and 80-year-old Gerald Upholt, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
Dennis Lynch, their 19-year-old son, is suspected of killing them, deputies said.
Authorities did not say whether Kathryn Lynch and Upholt were married or had some other kind of relationship.
The Golden State Bail Agents Assn. said Tuesday that she was a longtime lobbyist for the organization.
“We’re really shocked that this happened,” said Albert Ramirez, the organization’s president. “She was a great advocate for crime victims. She tried to make sure the government looked out for crime victims. It’s a great loss to the whole community.”
Upholt was also listed as a lobbyist in state records from the 2010s. A Mercury News article from 2013 quoted him as a lobbyist for the California Assn. of Firearms Retailers.
The man assaulted the detective in his office before the detective shot him, Fresno’s police chief said.
Deputies were called to conduct a welfare check Monday morning after a report of suspicious circumstances at a home in the 5000 block of Lake Forest Drive near the town of Loomis, said Angela Musallam, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
“A citizen had reported they had not heard from their employer in a few days,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Deputies arrived at the home around 10 a.m., knocked on the door and announced themselves as law enforcement, but no one came out, Musallam said.
Deputies continued to make announcements until they “smelled a foul odor from behind the door,” according to the statement.
Authorities had started work on an entry plan and got a search warrant for the home when the younger Lynch exited, armed with a handgun, deputies said.
“Lynch immediately fled on foot into a forested area,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “While deputies searched for Lynch, additional responding deputies entered the home and discovered the two deceased bodies of his parents.”
They caught up with Lynch in a field on Lomida Lane, but he continued to evade them, deputies said. Lynch eventually made his way to a gated community off Auburn Folsom Road.
“He was still armed when confronted by deputies and subsequently shot,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Lynch suffered a non-life-threatening injury and was hospitalized, deputies said. Charges are pending.
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