Family members and law enforcement are shining new light on the three young victims who were found dead inside of a suburban Round Lake Beach home on Monday afternoon.
Police say they were called to the residence just after 1 p.m. after the mother of the children discovered them inside.
“What they say yesterday is something that no one should have to see,” Police Chief Gilbert Rivera said.
Three children, ages 5, 3 and 2, were discovered dead inside of the home when their mother came to pick them up after a weekend with her estranged husband.
“The preliminary cause of death in all three children is consistent with drowning,” Lake County Coroner Steve Newton said.
That man, identified as 35-year-old Jason Karels, had fled the scene, and an alert was put out for his vehicle. Police ultimately found him and pursued him for nearly 20 minutes, finally capturing him after he crashed his vehicle on Interstate 80.
Officers say that Karels admitted to them that he had killed the three children, and said that he had tried to take his own life.
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He was taken to an area hospital after the crash, and was booked into the Lake County jail on Tuesday. He is expected to appear in bond court on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a family member says that they are in shock over the deaths of the three children, identified as Bryant, Cassidy and Gideon Karels.
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That family member told NBC 5 that the children’s mother dropped them off at the home for the weekend, and that she could have never imagined it would be the last time she would see them alive.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the mother and the extended family of the children, including raising money for funeral costs.