A caller expressed concern about Thomas Steele’s behavior hours before police found his grandmother and aunt dead inside their Carolina Court home.
MOBILE, Ala. — A woman called 911 seeking guidance about Thomas Steele’s behavior hours before police found his grandmother and aunt dead inside a Mobile home, adding a new timeline to the double-homicide case that has led to two capital murder charges.
A transcript of the Monday morning call shows the woman expressed concern that her nephew was behaving unusually and said she was unsure whom to contact for help. She told the dispatcher that he was calm and not violent at that time. Roughly two and a half hours later, according to reporting based on a source familiar with the case, police were called to the Carolina Court residence, where officers found two women dead and detained Steele.
The transcript provides new context about the hours before the killings but does not establish precisely when the women died or what happened between the initial call and the arrival of police. It also remains unclear whether the caller later contacted the Mobile Police Department after the 911 operator provided a department telephone number.
During the call, the woman said Steele had stopped taking lithium and described changes in his behavior, including giving away personal belongings and focusing heavily on religion. She also said she had contacted the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and tried to speak with him. The dispatcher asked whether medical help was needed and whether Steele was being harmful. The caller said he was calm and was not acting violently.
The transcript does not show that Steele threatened anyone during that call. Authorities also have not said that the caller had information indicating that a violent crime was imminent. The relationship between the call and what happened later remains part of the broader timeline surrounding the investigation.
Mobile police said officers were dispatched to the 2400 block of Carolina Court at about 1:36 p.m. Monday for a death investigation. They found two female victims inside the home and detained Steele, 47, at the scene. Police later said the women were family members and alleged that Steele intentionally killed them with a bladed instrument.
Court records filed Tuesday accuse Steele of using a chainsaw in the killings. Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood said the victims were Steele’s grandmother and aunt and that Steele lived with them. Their names had not been released publicly as of Wednesday. Investigators also have not announced a motive.
Steele appeared in court Tuesday, where a judge appointed a public defender after he said he did not have an attorney. He was later removed from the courtroom following an audible remark, and the hearing continued without him. The judge denied bond on both capital murder charges. The charges are accusations, and Steele has not been convicted.
Blackwood said Steele will undergo a mental competency evaluation by a psychiatrist with the Alabama Department of Mental Health. The examination will address whether he is currently competent to participate in the court process. Blackwood said the evaluation could take up to 90 days. No competency finding has been made public.
Steele remained jailed without bond Wednesday as investigators continued examining the deaths and the events that preceded them. Authorities have not said whether the earlier 911 call will result in any separate administrative review, and key portions of the timeline between that call and the discovery of the two women remain unresolved.
Author note: Last updated October 14, 2026.