Published: 4:10 p.m. EDT, September 18, 2023 | Updated: 5:56 p.m. EDT, September 18, 2023
The mother of a woman murdered along with her partner and two children in their suburban Illinois home said she has no idea why someone would want to kill her.
Police found the bodies of Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, her partner Alberto Rolo and sons Adriel, nine, and Diego, seven, during a routine welfare check at the Romeoville home on Sunday evening.
All were shot, along with the family’s three dogs, at the home on the 500 block of Concord Drive.
Police ruled out a murder-suicide and warned that the shooter remained at large.
“They were so happy that they had bought their new house just five months ago,” said Zoraida’s mother, Lydia, from her home in Puerto Rico.
The home on Concord Avenue was cordoned off by police as they began their investigation yesterday
Romeoville Deputy Police Chief Chris Burne told reporters that the killer was at large
Police arrived at the scene on Sunday evening after being asked to conduct a welfare check on the family
She had spoken to her daughter shortly before her death on Saturday evening as the family settled down to watch a film and cannot understand why they were murdered.
“There are always people who are stingy or jealous, but I have no idea,” she added.
A family member had asked Romeoville police officers to conduct a welfare check on the family when one of the adults failed to show up for work and answer his phone at 6 a.m. Sunday.
When officers arrived at 8:40 p.m. that evening, they found a scene of carnage.
Romeoville Deputy Police Chief Chris Burne revealed few details at a news conference Monday, citing the “sensitivity of the case and the need to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
However, he was confident that none of the deaths were responsible and that the shooter had left the scene.
Police believe the murders occurred in suburban Chicago between 9 p.m. on Saturday, September 16, and 5 a.m. on Sunday.
“Due to the time that has passed since we were contacted, more than 18 hours, we are not asking anyone to shelter in place,” he added.
“We are not actively searching for anyone in the area, but we always ask our residents to develop a sense of self-awareness and report anything they find suspicious.”
Police believe the murders occurred in suburban Chicago between 9 p.m. on Saturday, September 16, and 5 a.m. on Sunday.
Crime scene technicians removed several brown and pink bags and part of a window from the three-bedroom house yesterday as the investigation began.
