Deaths in foothills

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office has been busy recently investigating three separate suspicious deaths in the foothills.

The first call, on Nov. 9, was from a Berry Creek woman who reported she’d found her roommate, Robert Roberts, 59, dead on the floor. He’d suffered a head injury, but an autopsy is pending. No suspects have been identified, according to a BCSO press release.

Then, on Nov. 14, a citizen discovered the body of Kenneth Tam in a car in Bangor. His death was initially considered suspicious, but investigators later determined that the 55-year-old from the Sacramento area died of natural causes.

On Nov. 10, a utility worker found a decomposed body on Middle Honcut Road south of Oroville, later identified as Travis Gunnells, 44, of Texas. An autopsy is pending.

Anyone with information regarding the deaths of Roberts or Gunnells should call the BCSO Investigations Unit at 538-7671.