Police said an investigation discovered a woman deemed a person of interest following the slaying of a Romeoville family in September may have played a bigger role in the family's killings.
It has been months since a family of four, including two children, and three dogs, were found brutally killed inside a home in the Chicago suburb, but in a new update, police revealed answers to some of the many questions left in a murder mystery that spanned roughly 600 miles.
The Romeoville killings initially unfolded as police were called to the home for a well-being check on Sept. 17 in the 500 block of Concord Avenue. There, officers discovered four people shot dead, including two adults and two children, along with three dogs.
Alberto Rolon and Zoraida Bartolomei were both pronounced dead at the scene, as were two children, ages 7 and 9.
The case initially took a turn when the suspect in the Chicago-area murders, Nathaniel Huey Jr., was found shot dead following a police pursuit and fiery crash in Catoosa, Oklahoma, in the day after the killings. A woman, labeled "missing and endangered" and a "person of interest" at the time, was also found shot and later died at an area hospital. She was later identified as Ermalinda Palomo, Huey Jr.'s girlfriend.
According to police, the investigation revealed that one of the victims, Bartolomei, had a relationship with Huey Jr.
"The existence of this relationship was known both by Bartolomei’s husband, Alberto Rolon and Huey Jr.’s girlfriend, Ermalinda Palomo," police said.
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Authorities for the first time said Palomo "had prior knowledge of Huey Jr.'s intent to commit the murders."
Police said Palomo was "involved in the planning, and drove the vehicle to the crime scene."
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According to authorities, digital evidence showed the vehicle used in the crime traveled from Palomo's home in Streamwood, Illinois, to the Bartolomei's Romeoville home at the time the murders took place. Huey Jr. was seen exiting and re-entering the vehicle from the passenger side while Palomo was the driver, police alleged.
"There is no evidence of additional suspects in this tragic incident," Romeoville authorities said in their release. "Additional forensic evidence is pending analysis and further information will be released when the investigation is complete."
An attorney for the family of Palomo had originally said they believed she was kidnapped and had nothing to do with the murders, saying that she was home sleeping at the time of the murders.
In a statement following the latest development in the case, the attorney said the family "wants to extend their extreme condolences to the Rolon/Bartolomei family and loved ones."
"The family had no previous knowledge of the information being disclosed and will continue to work with law enforcement to find the answers to help solve and close the investigation. Their prayers are with everyone, especially going into the holiday season," the statement read.
Police said an investigation remains ongoing.
