The horrifying story began on a quiet block in Romeoville on Sept. 17, 2023.
Romeoville police were called to a home where Zoraida Bartolomei, Alberto Rolon, their two young boys and three dogs lived.
The call was for a wellness check. Rolon didn’t show up to work, and Bartolomei's family couldn’t reach her or the boys.
When Romeoville officers arrived, they found a crack in a window, and saw overturned tables inside. When they walked to the back, they saw two dead dogs, and made a call to make entry.
Inside, the home was filled with horror.
Bartolomei, Rolon, the two kids and dogs were shot and killed. A Romeoville police report obtained by NBC Chicago said the family members were shot a combined 20 times.
For the past year, questions, rumors and heartbreak swirled. What happened to this family, and why? Those questions went largely unanswered, until now.
Romeoville police on Thursday wrapped up its investigation, saying evidence pointed to affairs, manipulation and deceit.
Through ring doorbell, IPASS data, cell towers and flock camera systems, police were able to track a suspect vehicle along a route from Streamwood to Romeoville. The vehicle was driven by Nathaniel Huey Jr., Bartolomei's coworker.
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Police went to a home Huey Jr. shared with his partner, Ermalinda Palomo. The vehicle seen outside the Romeoville home was parked down the street.
While police were working to make a case and question Huey Jr., the two fled. Palomo's family filed an endangered missing person report, believing at that time she was taken and in danger.
The police report later painted a much different story.
Days later, a flock camera system in Catoosa, Oklahoma, picked up Huey Jr. and Palomo’s vehicle at a Walmart.
Video obtained by NBC Chicago from Catoosa police showed the two walking into the store together, side-by-side, shopping for electronics and in makeup aisles.
As they left the store, seen on camera smiling, Catoosa officers were in the parking lot waiting. Video showed officers chase after the suspects, who managed to flee in their vehicle.
A police chase ensued and ended in a fiery crash on an Oklahoma interstate. Police said Huey Jr. shot and killed Palomo, and then himself.
Oklahoma officers could be heard on body camera saying Huey Jr. was an “armed and dangerous murder suspect” out of Illinois.
Another was heard saying, “she’s the missing person endangered, he’s the murder suspect.” A responding officer replied, “it didn’t look like she was being held against her will.”
So, who was Palomo? And why was the family in Romeoville killed?
The police report Thursday revealed a twisted tale of manipulation, affairs and deceit.
Palomo knew Huey Jr. was having an affair with Bartolomei a year before the killings, the report stated. It details that Palomo created fake phone numbers and accounts online to communicate with Huey Jr. Several of the fake accounts, according to the report, were made to seem that they were members of a Mexican cartel, but they were actually tied to Palomo.
One account persuaded Huey Jr. that it was run by a cartel hitman and said Huey Jr. was now involved with the group, but the report said it was a "virtual world Ermalinda created."
Over the year, the messages escalated, until one day the account told Huey Jr. he needed to kill Bartolomei and her family. Huey Jr., believing he was part of a dangerous cartel, carried out the murders while police said Palomo was waiting in the car outside, the report stated.
An officer report indicated Huey Jr. likely never knew Palomo was behind the accounts, even prior to his death.
It also noted Palomo's family also were not aware of what was happening.
An attorney for the family of Palomo had originally said they believed she was kidnapped, saying she was home sleeping at the time of the murders.
In a statement late last year, however, 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 while the latest findings mark an end to their months-long investigation, it doesn't put an end to the pain many have experienced in wake of the gruesome murders.
"The tragic deaths of a young family, including two young children, will forever impact the surviving family and those that investigated this case," Romeoville Police Chief Brant Hromadka said in a release. "Nothing can prepare a person for such an incident, and nothing can justify such a senseless act of violence. Although finalized, the finality of this case unfortunately does not mean closure for so many continuing to grieve."
