Father of boy who discovered double homicide grateful to Spokane Valley deputies

Lance Kolbet stopped by the Spokane Valley Police Precinct on Tuesday to thank the deputies who cared for his son after the 7-year-old boy found the bodies of his mother and uncle in a Spokane Valley home Monday morning.

Kolbet said he made the nine-hour, nerve-wracking drive from Pocatello through cellphone dead zones Monday largely not knowing what was going on. He said he was relieved when he arrived to hear how his son Cooper had been taken care of.

“They just circled around Cooper and took care of him,” he said of the deputies. “I had to come here and thank everybody who was there.”

Kolbet said his son and the boy’s mother, Kolbet’s ex-wife Brenda, had recently moved to Spokane Valley from Jerome, Idaho, to be near her family. She also thought it would be a better place to raise their son, and Kolbet agreed. He said she had a brief relationship with the accused killer, Gilberto Delgado, right before she moved. Kolbet said he believed she stopped communication with Delgado once she found out about his criminal background.

“It was always about Cooper,” he said of his ex-wife. “She was a remarkable mother.”

He described Brenda as smart, funny and the type of person everyone wanted to be around. “She was pretty special,” he said.

The boy did not see the shootings, but saw Delgado and his mother arguing in the driveway before they went inside and gunshots were heard. He found the bodies and called 911. Kolbet said he was able to give deputies Delgado’s name.

“He just handled it amazing,” he said.

Kolbet said he’s been impressed with how much care and concern the community has shown for his son.

“When something bad like this happens, you realize there are far more good people than bad people,” he said.

The boy is doing well, Kolbet said, and he accompanied his father to visit the deputies at the precinct. Kolbet said he wanted the deputies to know that their job makes a difference.

“These are people who have kids,” he said. “They go home and they’re just like us. The job they do matters.”

He is relieved that Delgado was arrested in southern Idaho Wednesday, but he said he was a little unnerved that Delgado was only 25 miles from Kolbet’s home when he was captured.

“I’m glad that I know we’re all safe,” he said. “I’m just glad he’s caught.”