Father mysteriously killed in front of little daughters on camping trip

What should have been a fun night between a father and his two little girls turned into a tragedy on June 22, when the man was shot to death in front of the girls. They were camping at a Calabasas campground, and the police are still working on the mysterious case.

Tristan Beaudette was a brilliant 35-year-old chemist and loving father and husband. The man was shot inside a tent he shared with his 2 and 4-years-old daughters last Friday. The girls were not physically injured.

Deputies from the sheriff’s Lost Hills station responded to a report of shots fired at 4:45 a.m at the Malibu Creek State Park campground, when they arrived, they found the victim already dead. Even though early reports stated Beaudette had been shot once on the upper torso, Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County coroner confirmed to People yesterday that the man died from a gunshot to the head.

Winter also stated that the autopsy had not been completed, but a full report will be done to the media once is done.

Beaudette’s wife, Erica, was not present at the camping site because she was studying for an examination. That was precisely the reason why the man decided to take the girls to the camp, to give his wife some space and quiet time.

According to friends, Tristan loved outdoor activities, and he was planning to move the family to Northern California so he and Erica could find better jobs.

After news of the shooting became public, people who have camped at the site and have witnessed or being victims of gunshots have come forward.

According to ABC Los Angeles station KABC-TV, a woman said she was camping with her boyfriend at the park in January 2017 when they heard a loud noise in the night. The next morning, she discovered a bullet hole in the back of her car.

Another man was hit by birdshot from a shotgun on Nov. 3, 2016. “I heard a loud bang and then felt a burning sensation in my arm and fell to the ground,” he said. “Before I could look at my wound, I did a quick check of the perimeter, and I saw nothing. I sleep with my arm up by my head, and I suspect I was shot at close range,” he said to the Los Angeles Times.

Investigators said they don’t believe the shootings are related because, at the moment, there is no evidence to connect them.

Detectives are still investigating the case, but there are no leads, suspects or even a possible motive for the shooting. However, they’re treating the case as a murder and are asking for anyone who could have relevant information to come forward with it to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.