Police say a 51-year-old man killed his parents, son and longtime partner before dying by suicide inside the suburban Chicago home.
MUNDELEIN, Ill. — Authorities have identified five people found dead inside a Mundelein home, saying a preliminary investigation indicates a 51-year-old man killed his parents, his adult son and his longtime partner before dying by suicide.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified those who died as James Schmidt, 80, and Rebecca Schmidt, 77, both of Mundelein; Maclaine Schmidt, 22, of Lake Bluff; Nicole Heiser, 37, recently of Antioch; and Bryan Schmidt, 51, recently of Antioch. Police said Bryan Schmidt was the son of James and Rebecca Schmidt, the father of Maclaine Schmidt and the longtime partner of Heiser. Investigators are still trying to determine what led to the killings.
Mundelein police said officers were sent to the 200 block of Wellington Avenue at about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, after a concerned family member requested a well-being check because relatives could not be reached. Officers entered the home and found three men and two women dead in several rooms. Two handguns were recovered during the investigation.
Police said Tuesday that investigators believe the shootings occurred between about 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday, many hours before officers arrived. According to the department’s preliminary findings, Bryan Schmidt shot the other four people before dying by suicide. Authorities said the four victims were found in close proximity to one another. The investigation remains ongoing, and police have not announced a motive.
Detectives also found multiple notes that police said Bryan Schmidt had left at the scene and in his vehicle. Authorities have not publicly released the contents of those notes. Investigators collected electronic devices and other evidence that will undergo forensic examination as detectives work to establish what happened before the shootings and whether the evidence offers an explanation for the violence.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office conducted autopsies after the five bodies were recovered. Officials determined that James and Rebecca Schmidt died from multiple gunshot wounds, while Maclaine Schmidt and Heiser died from gunshot injuries. The coroner’s findings were consistent with the police investigation into the deaths. Authorities have described the case as an apparent murder-suicide and said there is no continuing threat to the public.
Neighbors said the violence came as a shock in the normally quiet residential area. Some residents recalled hearing noises around midday Sunday that they initially believed were firecrackers or other routine neighborhood sounds. Investigators have since estimated that the shootings happened during that general period. Police were not called to the house about gunfire before the later request for a well-being check.
James and Rebecca Schmidt were remembered by neighbors and former associates as retired veterinarians. Rebecca Schmidt founded the now-closed Northern Illinois Cat Clinic in Libertyville, according to archived information cited by local news organizations, and Bryan Schmidt had worked as a manager at the clinic. Neighbors described Rebecca Schmidt as friendly and said she was known for walking through the neighborhood and talking with residents.
Police said the Mundelein Police Department had no previous record of emergency calls to the Schmidt residence and no known prior contacts with Bryan Schmidt. Detectives continued interviewing people and processing evidence as a small memorial of flowers and a candle appeared outside the home Tuesday. The lack of known prior police contacts has left investigators with unanswered questions about what preceded the deaths.
The case remains under investigation by Mundelein police, the Lake County Major Crime Task Force and the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive, and investigators continue to analyze evidence recovered from the home and Bryan Schmidt’s vehicle as they work to complete the sequence of events surrounding the five deaths.
Author note: Last updated October 20, 2026.