(Butte County Sheriff’s office release) – On January 21, 2024, at approximately 6:00 a.m., the Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) dispatch center received a call from Kenneth Lewis, age 37 of Forbestown, who reported Lewis’ grandmother was deceased inside a residence in the 19000 block of New York Flat Road, Forbestown.

CAL FIRE personnel responded and contacted Lewis, who then armed himself with a knife. CAL FIRE personnel requested assistance from BCSO. BCSO deputies arrived at the residence and determined Lewis had disarmed himself. Lewis was safely detained by BCSO deputies and arrested for a probation violation.

BCSO deputies located a crime scene and a deceased victim, who was later identified as Lewis’ grandmother, Violet Macgregor, age 80 of Forbestown. BCSO detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence. BCSO detectives, with the assistance of the Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services processed the crime scene for evidence. BCSO detectives located evidence giving them cause to believe Macgregor was physically assaulted and murdered by Lewis.
Lewis was subsequently arrested for an open count of murder and booked into the Butte County Jail.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Butte County Sheriff’s Office Felony Investigations Unit at 530-538-7671.