Waukegan Man Charged in Deaths of Wife, Teen Daughter

A woman, disabled teen girl and a dog were found dead inside a north suburban home Sunday night, police said

A Waukegan man has been charged with killing his wife and disabled teen daughter in their north suburban home, police said.

Anthony Marcus, 53, was ordered held at the Lake County Jail Monday morning on $5 million bond on two counts of first-degree murder. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 2.

Police said Marcus called 911 around 6:15 p.m. Sunday and told an operator he killed his wife and daughter and was going to kill himself at the family's home in the 4100 block of Continental Drive. He then slit his own wrists, police said.

According to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, officers found an alleged suicide note under the front door that read, "For Michelle, I'm sorry. Your dad is a failure at everything."

Officers responding to the scene found Marcus' wife, identified by police as 50-year-old Sun Marcus, and daughter, identified as 17-year-old Samantha Marcus, in the townhome's basement. Samantha Marcus was physically handicapped and wheelchair-bound, police said.

Waukegan Police Cmdr. Joe Florip said the wife and daughter had both been strangled.

The family dog also was found dead.

"They just seemed like an ideal family," neighbor Laydra Hickman said. "Nothing was wrong. You would see the daughter walking the dog in her chair."

Officers found Marcus with "self-inflicted" wounds. He was taken to Vista East Hospital and released into the custody of the Waukegan Police Departments Criminal Investigations Division by Monday morning, police said.

Warren Township High School superintendent Mary Perry Bates described Samantha Marcus as a "lovely young girl" who didn't let her disability stop her from enjoying life.

"She traveled around the building in a scooter and was very independent and managed things very well on her own. She was a really joyful and engaging person," Bates said.

Autopsies were planned for later in the day.  

Authorities said there have been no prior calls to police for the residence. Police said the incident appears to be isolated and do not believe there is any threat to the community.

Contact Us