An attorney representing relatives of a woman shot dead following a police pursuit and crash in Oklahoma related to a quadruple murder in a Chicago suburb said Thursday that her family believes the woman was kidnapped and had nothing to do with the gruesome crime.
Attorney John-Paul Ivec said during a press conference that Ermalinda Palomo, a person of interest in the murders of a Romeoville family this week, was in a vehicle with Nathaniel Huey Jr., also a person of interest and a suspect in the case, when their vehicle was pursued by police and crashed before the pair were both found shot inside. Huey Jr. died at the scene and Palomo was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.
Huey Jr. and Palomo, both of Streamwood, were sought in the killings of Alberto Rolon, Zoraida Bartolomei and their two children, ages 7 and 9.
Palomo's family's attorney said, however, that while Palomo was engaged to Huey Jr., the family believes she did not play a role in the murders.
"We know without a shadow of a doubt that at the time of the murders in Romeoville, Ermalinda was home sleeping," Ivec said, citing multiple family members.
Police have not yet addressed Palomo's role in the crime and no cause or manner of death for her has been publicly released.
According to Ivec, Palomo, who is a mother and grandmother, left around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday with Huey Jr.
"She communicated with members of her family, telling them such things as, 'I love you, take care of my grandbabies,'" he said. "She seemed upset ... they had the find my family app on their phones - that got shut off Tuesday night and her phone was shut off Tuesday night."
After that, her family grew concerned and reported her missing.
Police confirmed that an unnamed female person of interest in the case was reported missing by family Tuesday.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Huey was described as a suspect in the shootings, and the woman was not named because she was classified as a "person-of-interest." Romeoville police ultimately released a statewide bulletin searching for the pair.
By Wednesday morning, a digital license plate reader alert noted a suspected vehicle related to the couple was detected in Catoosa, Oklahoma, police said.
"One of our cameras gave us two notifications - one of the same vehicle as the individual that was of interest in [Romeoville's] quadruple homicide, and a female that had been listed as missing or endangered," Catoosa Police Chief Ronnie Benight told NBC Chicago.
At the time, the vehicle was located in a parking lot of a department store, so officers waited for the pair to exit before approaching, Benight said.
"[Officers] made a very good decision," Benight said. "It's a large department store. They waited for them to come out rather than approach possibly armed homicide suspects inside of the crowded area. So when they came out to try to make contact, they got in the vehicle and they fled. So a vehicle pursuit ensued."
Authorities in the area attempted to stop the vehicle and the driver "immediately attempted to elude the officers, resulting in a single-car crash," Romeoville Police Deputy Chief Chris Burne said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
The vehicle ultimately caught fire and officers at the scene reported hearing noises, believed to be two gunshots, before discovering Huey dead in the driver's seat and the woman critically wounded in the passenger seat, Burne said. Both had gunshot wounds.
"This is still an active and evolving investigation and this portion of the incident is still unfolding," Burne said at the time.
What happened in Romeoville
The killings initially unfolded as police were called to the home for a well-being check around 8:43 p.m. Sunday in the 500 block of Concord Avenue.
Romeoville Police Deputy Chief Chris Burne said one of the family members didn't show up for work at 6 a.m. on Sunday. Additionally, that individual didn't respond to phone calls throughout the day, causing family members to become concerned.
Upon arrival at the home, officers discovered four deceased individuals, two adults and two children, with gunshot wounds.
The two adult victims were identified by authorities as Alberto Rolon and Zoraida Bartolomei, according to Romeoville police. The children, ages 7 and 9, have not yet been identified, but were both students at Robert C. Hill Elementary School, according to a statement from Valley View Community Unit School District 365U.
According to officials, the shooting is believed to have occurred between 9 p.m. Saturday and 5 a.m. Sunday.
In an update published by police Tuesday, authorities determined that the shootings were "not a random act," and said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
Burne did not specify on the relationship between Huey and the family, but said evidence "has shown us a nexus between our suspect and the victims, as well as a possible motive." He declined to comment on the possible motive, however.
