Gavin Kent Buchanan was eight years old when he died on September 13, 2015. He and his parents, Adam Buchanan and Molly McAfee, were found dead in their vacation cabin in El Dorado County after first responders extinguished a fire that had engulfed the property. The blaze severely damaged the bodies, but investigators later determined all three had been shot before the fire was set.

Police treated the deaths as a homicide. Early lines of inquiry included possible business-related motives tied to Adam Buchanan’s construction company and potential personal vendettas against Molly McAfee, but those leads did not produce substantiating evidence. Forensic analysis and bullet-trajectory evidence ruled out murder-suicide and prompted investigators to focus on Nolen Buchanan, Adam’s 16-year-old son from a previous relationship.

Nolen was arrested and charged as an adult with three counts of murder and a multiple-murder enhancement; prosecutors alleged the victims were shot with a .22 caliber rifle and the cabin was then set on fire. The motive remained unclear. Does anyone have information about Gavin, his family, or that cabin that could help explain what happened?