LOWELL TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The man who police say killed his own 3-year-old son before shooting himself also threatened to kill his estranged wife.
FOX 17 obtained records from Kent County Circuit Court on Friday, showing Derek Thebo's wife claimed he told her he would kill her and her children. The accusation came in a PPO order she filed against Thebo this year.
"He threatened to kill me, my children, and my family, and to commit suicide afterward," she wrote. "He rattled off the names of my family members and said he knew where they worked, he knew when they were home, and that he could get to them and hurt them."
The couple was going through a divorce and child custody proceedings when Thebo and his son Dylan were found dead inside their home in Lowell Township.
Dylan Thebo was just three years old when investigators say his father shot and killed him before turning the gun on himself.
It’s exactly what the boy’s mother feared would happen as outlined in court documents obtained by FOX 17.
Dylan Thebo was a young boy who loved Paw Patrol.
But on Wednesday, September 1, we’re Kent County deputies found the toddler dead from a gunshot wound.
They say the suspect, Derek Thebo, shot the child before turning the gun on himself.
It’s a fear Dylan’s mother had two days after their wedding, describing Derek as Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde in a personal protective order filed as part of their divorce.
According to the documents, Dylan’s mother claims every time they’d fight, Derek would make death threat.
READ: 3-year-old and father found dead in suspected murder-suicide
The documents state he had threatened to kill her, the kids, her family, and commit suicide after, even saying he’d save her children “for last.”
Which is why when Dylan’s mother got a gift with a chilling message for Mother’s Day while the couple had a mutual no-contact order, she was scared.
The words on the gift reading “you will be my last.”
When it came to the threatening messages, Derek denied it or said he didn’t mean it.
In divorce documents, Derek stated there is nothing he loved more than his son.
According to the Documents, Derek was a corrections officer for the state of Michigan but was fired in 2019.
His wife says it was after he quit another job in January 2021 that things got much, much worse, ending in the worst possible way.
Dylan's mom launched aGoFundMe page to raise money to pay for the 3-year-old's funeral. She says that she did not have a life insurance policy for Dylan.
The 3-year-old is remembered as "an amazing kiddo who was full of energy, loved being around family and friends, and always brought a smile to everyone's face with his crazy antics and sayings."
"Dylan loved Paw Patrol, excavators, cars and trucks, and singing and dancing. Most of all Dylan loved his momma and big sister."
A YouTube video shared on the GoFundMe page shows Dylan riding his bike and singing a song.
As of Friday afternoon, the fundraiser had more than $13,000 of its $20,000 goal.
If you want to donate, follow this link.
