Pierce County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the murder of a 12-year-old boy in Roy. Detectives believe the 27-year-old suspect murdered his nephew in their home with a machete and then shot himself in the head while driving.

On Aug. 7, 2016 at 3:12 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a white pickup truck striking a Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) fence. The driver, Christian Brayton, was unconscious and bleeding from his head. Upon closer inspection, it appeared the driver had shot himself in the head while driving. He died at the scene.

At 5:32 a.m. deputies were dispatched to a residence in Roy after a man called 911 to report that his neighbor was screaming about his son killing his grandson. When deputies arrived, they found Jesse Brayton’s body inside the home and it appeared he had been killed with a machete. Neighbors told deputies the suspect’s name and told them that he had left in a white pickup truck. Deputies were able to quickly determine that the crash and the homicide were related.

According to the boy’s grandfather, the suspect and the victim were getting along and were playing video games the evening before the 911 call was placed.

Detectives believe that the suspect may have been suffering from mental health issues.