4 Bodies Found in SUV

Jun 14, 05:30 PM

Current Headlines: CHICAGO _ Three children and a woman were found slain Thursday morning in a sport-utility vehicle parked on a road just off Interstate 55 in Channahon, Ill., authorities said.

A man with a gunshot wound alerted a passerby of an incident in the SUV at about 5:30 a.m. CDT, according to Illinois State Police. The passerby called 911, and when officers responded to the vehicle, they found a 35-year-old woman, two girls ages 11 and 12, and an 8-year-old boy dead from gunshot wounds, authorities said. They also said the victims were related but did not identify them.

The wounded man was taken to Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill., where he was treated and released into police custody, said Allie Rios, a hospital spokeswoman.

State Police Capt. Carl Dobrich said the man is not under arrest but police are "talking to him to get an understanding of what unfolded this morning."

The Ford Expedition was found on Frontage Road off I-55 south of Bluff Road and north of the Des Plaines River in unincorporated Channahon, Mayor Joe Cook said.

He said when officers responded to the vehicle, it initially appeared to be abandoned. "They investigated the vehicle and made the discovery," he said.

The gun police believe was used in the shooting was found in the vehicle, and the community was not in any danger, the mayor said.

Cook said the killings appeared to be domestic in nature. He said he did not believe the victims were from Channahon.

"We don't know if the crimes were committed in Channahon or driven here _ that's what the investigation will bear out," Cook said. "This is a nice, quiet community, but for some reason it seems like every once in a while we become the dumping ground so to speak ... for people wanting to do wrong."

Channahon is about 40 miles southwest of Chicago.

A woman who lives near where the bodies were found told the Associated Press she heard several loud cracking sounds _ which she now believes were gunshots _ shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday and again about five minutes later.

"I was in bed and I thought it was in my backyard it was so loud," said Debra Walick, who lives less than half a mile from where the bodies were found.

After the second sound, Walick said she got out of bed to investigate, but later returned to bed. Thursday morning she saw police in the area.

"I am still a little shaken," Walick said. "I wish I had reacted differently. I don't think I could have prevented what happened. But perhaps they would have been found earlier."

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