BUTTE - A six-member jury at a coroner’s inquest in Butte on Wednesday determined the tragic death of a young Butte man in April of last year was, in fact, a suicide. Despite that ruling, the mother of the victim says she doesn’t believe her son was capable of taking his own life.
“He was hiding Easter eggs, he was planning for a future, he was planning for the next day, he was hiding eggs for his kids, he loved his kids more than life itself, and he would have never done this with kids in his home,” the victim’s mother, Stacy Henderson, said.
WATCH: Butte jury rules man's death a suicide; mother vows to fight on
Police responded to the West Galena Street home of Ryan Dobb and his wife the evening of April 20, 2025, where they determined Ryan Dobb died from a self-inflicted gunshot. Since then, Dobb’s mother has disputed this and has had the group Parents of Murdered Children re-examine the case.
“In this specific case, there were enough questions raised by Mr. Dobb’s mother and an outside investigative report that we deemed it appropriate to present it to a coroner’s jury,” Butte County Attorney Matt Enrooth said.
The jury heard testimony from law enforcement and a deputy coroner who worked on this case. All testified that the evidence at the scene showed this was a suicide.
Remote testimony was also taken from an independent investigator who claims Dobb was likely shot by someone else in the home. The investigator noted that drops of blood were found outside the room where Dobb died.
“How was Ryan’s dripping blood ending up out of that bedroom? It’s not treading from your officers, so you can figure that out. That’s a problem for your crime scene,” Parents of Murdered Children Investigator Candy Bunk said.
After more than an hour of deliberation, the jury unanimously ruled it a suicide. The prosecutor said there are no winners in this case.
“It’s hard for everybody, it’s hard for all these people involved, and this is another process we have (available) to ensure people and their loved ones that all the correct procedures were followed,” Enrooth said.
The victim’s mother was not satisfied.
“This is not the end for me, I will continue to fight, because the jury did not see all the evidence,” Henderson said.
