Article by: Addison Goodwin, Contributing Writer, Photo obtained from Mobile County Sheriff’s Office

On Oct. 12, 47-year-old Thomas Steele allegedly decapitated his grandmother and aunt inside a Mobile residence. According to the Mobile Police Department, Steele is now facing two counts of capital murder.

Officers responded to the scene around 1:36 p.m., where it was discovered that two women were deceased inside the home. Investigators on the scene detained Steele, and he was then booked into Mobile County Metro Jail. Records show that he is being charged with two counts of murder.

Christy Deloach and her mother, Dora Boone, were the women who brutally lost their lives inside their West Mobile residence, where Steele also lived. According to reports, Steele allegedly decapitated the women with a chainsaw, leaving a grisly scene for those who responded to the crime scene. 

In a now chilling 911 call made just hours before the murder, Deloach told dispatchers that her nephew is “off his medication for Lithium and I’m not sure who to call or contact. He gave away his phone…and gave his car away. Um, he’s doing some bizarre things, and I don’t know if that’s uh… good or… He says he’s just going to live for God and not going to have any kind of electronics.” When asked if Steele is harmful, she told them, “I just needed to figure out what to do. I called 988 and tried to talk to him. He’s calm! He’s not violent or anything. So, I guess I’ll just let it play itself out.” Just two hours later, police arrived at the residence, where Steele was seemingly waiting for them outside, and police described the crime scene they discovered as one of the most gruesome they had ever seen.

Deloach was a hairstylist at Mr. Sam’s Hair Fashions, where she was loved by her co-workers and clients. Lenny Zanghi, the owner of Mr. Sam’s Hair Fashions, told WKRG, “She was one of the first employees we had when we took over. And just a real sweet girl. Beautiful person. I considered her a friend. You know, she’d been with us for 15 years, and she cut my hair.” To honor Deloach’s memory, Mr. Sam’s is planning to keep Deloach’s salon station the way she left it and will make room for flowers.

Steele made his first court appearance on Oct. 16, where he was  denied bond and ordered by a judge to be given a mental competency evaluation.