Originally printed by the Spokesman

Homicide investigators suspect a nephew of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, may have been killed with an ax in his home near Spangle as his young daughter was told to stay in a bedroom.

Bob Tester, 35, was found dead Tuesday morning at 16109 S. Keeney Road. Jon Tester’s press office confirmed the relationship and said “his family would prefer privacy during this difficult time.”

Bob Tester’s 8-year-old daughter told Spokane County sheriff’s deputies she was in bed with her father when a man entered the home and awakened them, wielding what she described as “a sword and a knife,” according to court documents.

“The man told her to stay in bed because he was going to kill her dad,” court documents state.

The girl likely didn’t witness the killing, but court documents state she called her grandmother to report his death.

Deputies found Tester’s body in “a large pool of blood” on the living room floor. A wood-splitting ax lay nearby, stained with blood. And deputies found “blood on the walls and floor throughout the residence,” court documents state.

Deputies also found bags of marijuana near the body, and the home reportedly smelled of pot. The girl’s grandmother told deputies her son grew marijuana for some dispensaries.

Court documents don’t mention a person of interest. But a detective included the full text of Tester’s last Facebook post, dated Aug. 25.

Tester wrote in part, “I stick to myself for a reason. Don’t do family bbqs for a reason… There’s gonna be some hard days ahead of us but i want you all to know that I was victimized by someone close to me. He took my best friend from me and turned her life into darkness, thru drugs and manipulation… Just understand why I roar when i do. Understand my agony.”