Tristan Noah Borlase is the teenage suspect in the murder of his parents in North Carolina. Jeff Borlase, 43, and his wife, Tanya, 44, were both found dead outside of their home in the Deep Gap-area of Watauga County on the night of April 10. Deep Gap is located close to the Tennessee border.
Jeff Borlase was found in the yard of the home while his wife was found dead in the family’s pick-up truck at around 10:30 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to the scene after a family reported Jeff, Tanya and Tristan Borlase to be missing. That person told police, “Their phones aren’t answering. They never do this,” the Watauga Democrat reports.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Tristan’s Parents Had 8 Children, Some of Whom Were Foster Children
In total, Jeff and Tanya had eight children, some of whom were foster children. Tristan Borlase was the couple’s biological son. WSOC-TV described the family’s home as being on a dirt road in a wooded area. A neighbor told the station that he heard screams coming from the family home on the night of April 10.
2. Jeff & Tanya Borlase Both Had Puncture Wounds to Their Chests
Facebook/Lebanon High School Reunion
Tristan is facing two counts of murder and will make his first appearance in court on May 7. The Watauga Democrat reports that Tristan is being represented by Garland Baker in the case. The newspaper, quoting from a criminal affidavit, wrote, “The reporting person had come to the house and located large amounts of blood throughout the house. Upon arrival, responding deputies located a deceased male with puncture wounds to the torso, which was identified as being Jeffery David Borlase. Upon searching the area, a deceased female was located also having puncture wounds to the torso in a pickup truck nearby. The deceased female was identified as being Tanya Borlase.” The documents go on to say that a family member told police that she saw Tristan at the murder scene with blood on his face. The suspect then fled the scene.
3. Tristan Wrote on His Instagram Bio: ‘Ride Life’s Wave’
On Tristan’s Instagram page, he wrote on his bio, “Ride life’s wave.” Tristan also identifies himself as a musician. Tristan formerly attended Mooresville High School and is now a student at Watauga High School’s class of 2019. Tristan is on the track-and-field team at Watauga High School where he is a senior.
Online records show that in December 2017, Jeffrey and Tanya Borlase sold a home in Mooresville, North Carolina, for close to $500,000.
4. When He Was Arrested, Tristan Was Traveling With Another Minor
Scene of Deep Gap double homicide investigation is well off Orchard Road down a long driveway. SBI here, DA. Two dead, 1 in custody in TN.
Tristan was taken into custody after the car he was traveling in was put into the National Crime Information Center and he was pulled over by authorities in Johnson County, Tennessee. The arrest warrant for Tristan was issued on April 11, the day after his parent’s bodies were found. The documents in the case say when Tristan was arrested, he was with a minor. That minor has also been taken into custody. It’s unclear if that minor will face any charges in the case.
Facebook/Kathy Alexander Brown
Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman told the media that the public was never in any danger and that the murders were “just one of these situations that arises, very unfortunate, very sorry that it happens.” Speaking to the Watauga Democrat, District Attorney Seth Banks said, “I’m thankful for the work that Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Boone Police Department have done on this case. Their commitment to their work and finding the truth should be an inspiration to the entire community in the context of this tragic case.” Banks added that he had not yet interviewed any of the Bolase’s family members in relation to the case as his office is allowing them the appropriate time to grieve.
5. Tanya Borlase Sold Her Wedding Ring to Help to Build Houses in Haiti
Breaking Watauga County- sheriff deputies just released that Jeffrey and Tanya Borlase are the couple who was killed in Deep Gap. Investigators say their biological 17-year old son, Noah Borlase was arrested in Tennessee and charged with the murders.
Jeff Borlase’s mother told Heavy.com that Tanya Borlase “once sold her wedding ring (and replaced it with an inexpensive band) to help build houses for the homeless in Haiti when the hurricane hit.”
The last visible picture on one of their daughter’s Facebook pages shows her with Tanya, the caption reads, “Love my momma.”
In the immediate aftermath of the news that Tristan Borlase had been arrested in relation to his parent’s deaths, Jeff Borlase’s father posted a bible verse to his Facebook page. That verse read, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
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