Suspect in murder of family of 4 near Chicago found dead in Oklahoma
A man sought in connection to the slaying of a family of four in the Chicago suburb of Romeoville was found dead inside a burning car in Oklahoma, authorities said Wednesday.
Nathaniel Huey Jr., a 31-year-old from Streamwood, Illinois, and a woman "with a relationship" to him were both called a "person of interest" before the woman was reported missing and in danger by her family on Tuesday night, Romeoville Deputy Chief Chris Burne told reporters.
A car linked to the man was spotted by a license plate reader in Catoosa, Oklahoma, just outside of Tulsa — about 650 miles from the crime scene — when officers allegedly tried to stop the vehicle but it sped away, officials said.
The car crashed and caught on fire as “officers on scene heard two noises believed to be gun shots," Burne said.
Officers found a critically wounded woman inside the vehicle and the man fatally shot in the driver's seat, Burne added.
That man in the driver's seat is "believed to be Huey," according to a police statement.
The fiery crash led to lanes of westbound Interstate 44, near Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, to be temporarily shut down at about 11:30 a.m. CDT, NBC affiliate KJRH reported.
The slayings of Alberto Rolon, 38, Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, and their two boys, 7 and 9, shook the suburb just southwest of Chicago.
"Evidence has shown us a nexus between our suspect and the victims as well as possible motive,” said Burne.
The deputy chief declined to elaborate on that possible motive.
"Although Huey is identified as a suspect, this is still an active and evolving investigation," according to a police statement. "This portion of the incident is still unfolding."
Police, not long after the bodies were found, dismissed any of the victims as the possible shooter and called the slayings a targeted attack that took place between 9 p.m. Saturday and 5 a.m. on Sunday.
The victims were found Sunday night after a relative asked police for a “well-being check” because one of the victims did not show up for work, police said.
This is a developing story. Please refresh here for updates.
