Five Dead in Mundelein Home Are Named, Coroner Says Son Shot His Parents, His Son and His Partner

The five people found shot dead inside a home in Mundelein late Sunday have been named by the Lake County Coroner. NBC Chicago reported on Tuesday that the coroner says Bryan Schmidt, 51, shot and killed his parents, his 22 year old son and his long term partner in what police have called a murder-suicide.

Mundelein is a village in Lake County, north of Chicago. Police went to the home in the 200 block of Wellington Avenue at about 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 18, after a relative who could not reach one of the people inside asked for a welfare check. Officers went in through an unlocked door and found three men and two women dead in different rooms.

The five names

James Schmidt, 80, and Rebecca Schmidt, 77, lived at the home. Autopsies done on Monday found that both died from multiple gunshot wounds, the coroner said.

Their son Bryan Schmidt, 51, recently of Antioch, was also found dead inside. He died from a gunshot wound inside his mouth, the coroner said. Bryan's son Maclaine Schmidt, 22, of Lake Bluff, died from a gunshot wound to the head. Nicole Heiser, 37, of Antioch, died the same way. Heiser was in a long term relationship with Bryan, and the two had recently lived in Antioch after previously living in Lake Bluff, the coroner said.

NBC Chicago, citing the coroner's office, reported that Bryan shot the other four. Police had said earlier that four of the dead were family members and that the fifth person was in a domestic relationship with the suspected shooter.

What police found on Sunday night

Deputy Police Chief Rick Wilfenger said all five appeared to have been shot at close range with a handgun, and officers recovered two handguns at the scene. Police said the case looked isolated and that there was no threat to the public.

WLS reported that the welfare check call came from the couple's daughter in California, about 2,000 miles away, after she could not reach her family. Neighbors told the station they had heard sounds on Sunday that they took for firecrackers set off ahead of the Chicago Bears game against the Atlanta Falcons.

A couple neighbors called quiet and friendly

James and Rebecca Schmidt were retired veterinarians who had run a cat clinic that has since closed, NBC Chicago reported. Neighbors described the couple as quiet people. One neighbor remembered Rebecca as a friendly person who waved and stopped to talk. Another neighbor, Pavli Ibarra, told WLS that Mundelein is a really safe, small town, and that hearing five people had died there was concerning.

By Monday, neighbors had left flowers and candles near the home, and three bodies were removed at about 7 a.m., CBS News reported.

What is still not known

Police have not released a motive. The Mundelein Police Department offered its condolences to the loved ones of the dead and recognized the impact on the community. The department is investigating with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. Anyone with information can call Mundelein police at 847-968-4600.

Anyone who is struggling can call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.