PICTURED: Chicago couple and two sons shot dead along with their three dogs in mysterious massacre – as cops hunt gunman and the victim’s sister pleads for ‘answers’ about ‘horrific crime’
- Zoraida Bartolomei and Alberto Rolon were murdered alongside their sons Adriel, 10, and Diego, seven, and their three dogs at their home in Romeoville
- The children’s grandmother Lydia told DailyMail.com they were ‘so happy’ and had just bought a home in the Chicago suburbs as the motive remains a mystery
- Police are still hunting the gunman more than 24 hours later while their relatives plea for answers and launch a fundraiser to cover funeral expenses
The family of four who were massacred in their Illinois home along with their three dogs have been pictured for the first time as cops continue to hunt for the killer.
Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, her husband Alberto Rolon, and their children Adriel, 10, and Diego, seven, were shot in their family bungalow in Chicago on Sunday.
Romeoville Police Department investigators have ruled out a murder-suicide and warned the murderer is still on the loose.
Their family said they have no idea why anyone would want to kill them, and Zoraida’s devastated sister has issued a plea for answers.
Sharing a photograph of the family on Facebook, Bryana Bartolomei said: ‘I want to know what happened to my nephews, my sister, her husband, and WHY?
‘They were shot and killed in their home.’ The picture shows Zoraida and Alberto beaming with their two sons, one playfully holding a strand of his mother’s hair.
A fundraiser created to cover funeral expenses was created on Monday, describing their children as ‘the sweetest most innocent angels’.
Friends described them as ‘hardworking people that had just bought their first home’.
‘Their kids were the sweetest most innocent angels who could hug your worries away,’ the fundraiser says.
‘In just a few hours their lives, their family’s lives completely changed. The world is going to be a much dimmer place without them.’
They pleaded for anyone with information about the gunman to contact police.
Zoraida’s mother Lydia from Puerto Rico earlier told DailyMail.com they were ‘so happy’ and had only bought their $250,000 Romeoville home five months ago.
She last spoke with her daughter shortly before her death on the weekend as the family settled down to watch a movie, and she could not understand why they had been targeted.
Romeoville cops found the slain family after they were asked to conduct a welfare check when one of the parents failed to turn up for work at 6am on Sunday.
Officers were confronted by a scene of carnage when they arrived at 8.40pm that evening.
The family appear to have moved to the US in recent years, possibly from Puerto Rico where Zoraida’s mother is based.
Zoraida was a licensed cosmetologist, while her husband’s age and occupation is unknown.
Romeoville Police Deputy Chief Chris Burne revealed few details at a press conference on Monday citing the ‘sensitivity of the case and the need to protect the integrity of the investigation’.
But he was confident that none of the dead were responsible and that the gunman left the scene.
‘Due to the time that has gone by, more than 18 hours from the time we were contacted, we are not asking anybody shelter in place,’ he added.
‘We are not actively looking for anyone in the area but we do always ask our residents to have a sense of self–awareness and report anything they might see as suspicious.’
Police believe the killings took place in the Chicago suburb between 9pm on Saturday, September 16, and 5am on Sunday.
Crime scene technicians removed several brown and pink bags along with part of a window from the three-bedroom home as the investigation got underway yesterday.
