On a cold winter evening in Blackfoot, Idaho, the life of a 45-year-old Native American man, Bevin T. Chippewa, was tragically cut short. On Friday, December 27, 2019, deputies from the Bingham County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a home in the area to conduct a welfare check. What they discovered inside brought a somber end to the year.
Upon entering the residence, officers found Chippewa deceased in a bedroom.
In another room, they located the body of 50-year-old Jeffrey Phelps, who was dead in a chair from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The scene suggested a grim sequence of events that had unfolded within the quiet confines of the home.
Investigators with the sheriff's office quickly determined that the two deaths were the result of a murder-suicide. It is believed that Phelps was the perpetrator in the death of Chippewa before taking his own life. The investigation concluded that there were no outstanding suspects, and the case was closed with the identification of Phelps as the sole individual responsible for the violent incident that ended both of their lives. The community was left to grapple with the sudden and tragic loss.
