Police said four of those killed were relatives, while a fifth person was believed to have had a domestic relationship with the suspect.
MUNDELEIN, IL — Five adults were found shot to death inside a suburban Chicago home after police were called for a well-being check late Sunday, and investigators said their preliminary findings indicate the deaths resulted from an apparent murder-suicide.
Mundelein police responded about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, to a residence in the 200 block of Wellington Avenue after a concerned family member reported being unable to reach one of the people inside. Officers entered the home and found three men and two women dead. Police said all five appeared to have been shot with a handgun at close range. Two handguns were recovered from the residence.
Deputy Police Chief Rick Wilfenger said four of the people who died were members of the same family. The fifth was believed to have been in a domestic relationship with the suspected shooter. Two of the five people lived at the Wellington Avenue home. Police had not publicly identified the dead as of early Tuesday because authorities were still working to notify relatives, including one outside Illinois.
The deaths initially prompted a large response involving Mundelein police detectives, the Lake County Major Crime Task Force and the Lake County Coroner’s Office. The task force assisted with evidence processing, while the coroner’s office conducted autopsies and worked to confirm the identities of those killed. Police said the preliminary investigation indicated an apparent murder-suicide, but authorities had not publicly detailed the sequence of the shootings or identified which of the five people they believe was the shooter.
Investigators spent much of Monday processing the residence and examining vehicles near the property. A gray Volkswagen in a neighboring parking lot was also surrounded with crime scene tape, and investigators were seen examining the vehicle. Authorities had not explained publicly whether the vehicle played a role in the case or what, if anything, investigators recovered from it.
Neighbors described the area as a generally quiet community and said the deaths came as a shock. Sam Escobedo, who lives nearby, told ABC7 Chicago that he heard sounds around midday Sunday that he initially thought were firecrackers. Police have not publicly established that those sounds were the gunshots that killed the five people, and the precise time of the shootings has not been released.
People who knew the couple who lived at the home told local news organizations that they were retired veterinarians. Neighbors remembered the woman as friendly and said she regularly walked through the neighborhood. Rosa Bernel, who said she works at a veterinary clinic the couple once owned, described them to ABC7 as kind former employers. Authorities had not released the residents’ identities, and police had not provided additional details about the other people found in the house.
Police said the incident appears to have been isolated and that investigators do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public. Wilfenger said the department recognizes the effect the deaths have had on the community and extended condolences to the victims’ loved ones.
The investigation remains active as Mundelein detectives, the Lake County Major Crime Task Force and the Lake County Coroner’s Office continue reviewing evidence and completing autopsy and identification work. Authorities said additional information would be released as it becomes available.
Author note: Last updated October 20, 2026.