Casa Grande was rocked in July 2023 after firefighters responding to a structure fire on July 24 found partial human remains inside a 55-gallon metal barrel. The remains were later identified as 57-year-old Thomas Chase. Firefighters had seen someone flee the scene, and roughly 30 minutes later that person, 32-year-old Christopher Lawrence Chase, called 911 and admitted to burning a body and fleeing when crews arrived.

Police located Christopher at a nearby residence where he held three people — a 57-year-old woman, a 68-year-old man, and a 41-year-old man — at gunpoint before demanding vehicle keys and ultimately surrendering; none of the hostages were physically harmed. Investigators determined the killing had occurred two days earlier, on July 22, when an altercation at Thomas Chase’s home escalated and Christopher fatally shot his father. Christopher then dismembered the body.

The probe also implicated a family member: 56-year-old Melissa Lynne Chase was accused of aiding in concealment and cleanup after the homicide. Christopher was arrested and charged with murder, abandonment or concealment of a dead body, kidnapping, aggravated assault, burglary, and tampering with evidence; Melissa Chase was charged with abandonment or concealment of a dead body and tampering with evidence.

Does anyone have information about Thomas Chase’s life in Casa Grande or observed activity at his home in late July 2023?