A suspect in the shooting deaths of a family (two adults, two children, and three dogs) in their Illinois home is on the loose. Police are continuing their investigation into this ruthless event.
On Sunday, September 17, authorities discovered the bodies of the victims inside a house in a Chicago suburb.
Shot to Death
The corpses were discovered with gunshot wounds at about 8:40 PM local time in Romeoville, Illinois, as reported by Fox News.
Deputy Chief Chris Burne of the Romeoville Police Department said in a press conference on Monday, September 18, that the victims were likely shot sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Yet their investigation is still in its early stages.
Family members called police when one of the victims failed to show up to work on Sunday morning, prompting an initial well-being check at the residence.
According to Burne, the police are treating their deaths as murders. Authorities do not think the perpetrator is now among the victims. There was not a murder-suicide involved in this incident.
Police have said that they do not feel there is an active danger to the community since the killings occurred over 18 hours ago. Burne added that there was no active search for suspects or shelter-in-place directive in effect.
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'Violent, Devastating'
The parents were named by police as Alberto Rolon, 38, and Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, but the identities of the children were withheld.
The kids who died were students at Robert C. Hill Elementary School, according to a statement made by Valley View School District (VVSD) superintendent Rachel Kinder on Monday.
"It is with deep sadness that we inform you about a recent loss to our VVSD school community ... This violent incident and loss are sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school community," Kinder said in a statement. According to the message, the school is making resources about mental health and therapy available to the families of its students, CNN reported.
Local residents in the area are now worried that something like this may happen in their quiet neighborhood.
Next-door neighbor Lynn Phillips called it "devastating" in an interview with the Chicago Sun Times.
Cristina Ibarra, a resident of the neighborhood for the last three years, told the media that police seldom make patrols in the area due to the relative peace and quiet.
In an interview with CBS, some neighbors said the victims just moved home recently. Even locals did not know much about the family, saying they never saw them for more than a few minutes outside.
Next-door neighbor Carol Love claims that she and several others on the block were home during the gunshots but did not hear anything despite being just a few feet away.
"We hear the gunshots from the shooting range, two miles away. We can hear those nonstop. But not this, no," another neighbor stated.
