Coroner identifies young boy as victim in Nampa plane crash that killed 3
Officials released the name of one of the victims of a plane crash in Nampa.
Three people died after a plane crashed in a residential neighborhood near the Nampa airport on Sunday night.
None of the three people on board survived, police said. Nampa Police spokesperson Carmen Boeger told the Idaho Statesman that two people died at the scene and a third died at a hospital.
The Ada County Coroner’s Office identified the victim who died at the hospital as Paxton LeRoy, a 23-month-old boy from Eagle.
Paxton was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. Sunday in the emergency department of St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center, the coroner’s office said in a Monday afternoon release.
The coroner listed the cause of death as traumatic blunt force injuries and the manner of death as accidental.
The plane crashed less than a minute after takeoff, striking an unoccupied outbuilding less than two miles from the airport, according to police and flight tracker FlightAware.
No one on the ground was injured, according to police.
Leno Garcia told the Idaho Statseman that he and his granddaughters were watching TV when they heard a loud bang. Rushing outside, Garcia saw the small plane atop the remains of his neighbor’s shed. Within minutes, a crowd gathered.
“When the police came, they told the people they had to get out of here because it might explode,” Garcia said. “Some guys tried to open the plane to help the guys out, but they couldn’t open the door.”
Tyler Barnhard rents the backyard where the plane landed and his family lives in the home located just feet from the crash site. Barnhard’s son was inside the home when the crash happened.
Barnhard said his family “got no sleep whatsoever” Sunday night after the shock accident, but is “grateful” the plane crashed into his shed instead of the house.
“I do feel like it’s a freak accident,” Barnhard said. “The pilot did a really good job in turning into the building. He avoided the house. There were several obstacles. You’ve got the tree, the powerline and the top of the house.”
The aircraft was a 1984 fixed-wing single-engine Mooney M20J registered to Sleepytime PLLC in Eagle, according to a Federal Aviation Administration report.
Nampa police said Federal Aviation Administration personnel were at the crash site on Sunday and National Transportation Safety Board personnel planned to arrive Monday to investigate.
“My heart grieves for those who tragically lost their life,” Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their extended family during this difficult time.”
Darin Oswald contributed.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to correctly identify the name under which the airplane was registered as Sleepytime PLLC.
