The family of four who were slaughtered in their Illinois home along with their three dogs have been photographed for the first time as cops continue to search for the killer.
Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, her husband Alberto Rolon and their children Adriel, 10, and Diego, seven, were shot dead Sunday by a mysterious gunman in their family bungalow on Concord Avenue, in the Chicago suburbs.
Romeoville police investigators have ruled out a murder-suicide and warned the killer remains at large.
Their family said they did not know why anyone would want to kill them, and Zoraida’s devastated sister appealed for answers.
Sharing a photo of the family on Facebook, Bryana Bartolomei said: “I want to know what happened to my nephews, my sister, her husband, and WHY?
The family of four who were massacred in their Illinois home over the weekend have been photographed for the first time as cops continue to search for the killer.
Romeoville police investigators have ruled out a murder-suicide and warned the killer remains at large.
Zoraida’s mother, Lydia, from Puerto Rico, previously told DailyMail.com that they were “very happy” and had just purchased their $250,000 home in Romeoville five months ago.
“They were shot and killed in their home.”
The photograph shows Zoraida and Alberto beaming with their two young sons, one of them playfully holding a lock of his mother’s hair.
A fundraiser created to cover funeral costs and awareness of their case was created Monday, describing their children as “the sweetest, most innocent angels.”
Friends described them as “hard-working people who had just bought their first house.”
“Their children were the sweetest, most innocent angels who could wash away your worries,” the fundraiser said.
“In just a few hours, their lives, that of their families, completely changed. The world will be a much darker place without them.
They asked anyone with information about the shooter to contact police.
Zoraida’s mother, Lydia, from Puerto Rico, previously told DailyMail.com that they were “so happy” and had just purchased their $250,000 home in Romeoville five months ago.
Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, her husband Alberto Rolon and their children Adriel, 10, and Diego, seven, were shot dead on Sunday by a mysterious gunman in their comfortable family bungalow on Concord Avenue, in the Chicago suburbs.
Romeoville police officers found the murdered family after they were asked to conduct a welfare check when one parent failed to show up for work at 6 a.m. Sunday and no one was there. answered his landline.
She last spoke with her daughter shortly before her death Saturday night as the family settled down to watch a movie, and she didn’t understand why they had been targeted.
Romeoville police officers found the murdered family after they were asked to conduct a welfare check when one parent failed to show up for work at 6 a.m. Sunday and no one was there. answered his landline.
Police officers were confronted with a scene of carnage when they arrived at 8:40 p.m. that evening.
The family appears to have moved to America in recent years, possibly from Puerto Rico, where Zoraida’s mother resides.
Zoraida was a licensed cosmetologist, while her husband’s age and occupation are unknown.
Romeoville Deputy Police Chief Chris Burne revealed few details during a news conference Monday, citing the “sensitivity of the matter and the need to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
But he was convinced that none of the deaths were responsible and that the shooter had left the scene.
A fundraiser created to cover funeral costs and awareness of their case was created Monday, describing their children as “the sweetest, most innocent angels.”
“Due to the passage of time, more than 18 hours after we were contacted, we are not asking anyone to shelter in place,” he added.
“We are not actively looking for anyone in the area, but we always ask our residents to be self-aware and report anything they might consider suspicious.”
Police believe the murders took place in the Chicago suburbs between 9 p.m. on Saturday, September 16 and 5 a.m. on Sunday.
Crime scene technicians removed several brown and pink bags as well as part of a window from the three-bedroom house as the investigation began yesterday.
