COOS BAY, Ore. – An 80-year-old man was found dead outside his Coos Bay home this past weekend. Now, the man’s grandson is in custody charged with his grandfather’s murder.
On the afternoon of Sunday, December 10, Coos Bay police responded to a reported assault in the 1200 block of Minnesota Avenue. When officers arrived at the scene they found Elmer Lloyd Dennis dead, the apparent victim of homicidal violence.
Police determined Dennis’ grandson, 29-year-old James Jay Thomason, likely killed the elderly man.
According to the Coos Bay Police Department, Thomason living on Dennis’ property and was found hiding under a deck attached to the residence. Officers were forced to use a taser when Thomason refused to give himself up.
Once he was taken into custody, Thomason was taken to the hospital for observation before being handed over to police. He was charged with murder and remains behind bars in the Coos County Jail.
Police are awaiting autopsy results to determine the exact cause of Dennis’ death.
Anyone with information about this ongoing investigation is asked to call the Coos Bay Police Department.
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