Loomis Double Homicide Case Leaves Lobbyist Couple Dead, 19-Year-Old Son Facing Murder Charge

LOOMIS (CBS13) — A couple was found dead inside their Loomis home and now the Placer County Sheriff's office says the murder suspect is the woman's 19-year-old son.

The sheriff's office announced Kathryn Lynch, 67, and her long-time boyfriend Gerald Upholt, 80, were found dead inside their home, and Lynch's son is the suspect in the double homicide.

The couple was well-known in Sacramento political circles. They were both lobbyists and worked on behalf of crime victims. And now their lives were ended so violently inside what is supposed to be the safety of their own home.

The couple was discovered dead days after Lynch's friend Topo Padilla first sensed something wrong.

"We had a meeting scheduled Friday morning and she didn't show up, and I've been working with her since 2005," Padilla said. "She's never missed a meeting. Never been late."

Deputies knocked on the couple's door Monday for a welfare check and smelled what they described as a foul odor.

"I never would have imagined anything like this," Padilla said.

So far, it's not clear how long the couple had been dead.

"Any injuries and cause of death is really hard to determine," Placer County Lt. Nelson Resondes said. "The autopsies will be done later this week."

After getting a search warrant to enter the home Monday, deputies say Lynch's son, Dennis Lynch, emerged with a handgun and ran off, sparking an hours-long search in the area that led to a gunfight.

The 19-year-old was shot and taken to a hospital.

Placer County court records show three cases against Lynch in the last two years including one for stolen property, and one for drug charges. Now, investigators say he'll be charged in this murder case that left his own mother and her boyfriend dead inside the family home.

"People don't want to think the worst of people and you know, whoever did this, she probably just didn't think the worst of whoever it was that did this," Padilla said of Katheryn Lynch. "And I'm wondering why?"

So far, investigators have not released a motive in this case. The 19-year-old remains in the hospital recovering from the shooting with deputies. He is expected to make a full recovery.