TULSA, OKLAHOMA: Nathaniel Huey, a 31-year-old Illinois man, who was sought in connection with the slaying of a Chicago family, has been found dead after fleeing from police in Oklahoma.
Heuy was identified as a person of interest just hours after the bodies of Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, her husband Alberto Rolon, and their children Adriel, 10, and Diego, seven, were discovered in their family bungalow in Romeoville, a suburb of Chicago.
The bodies were found at around 8.40 p.m. on Sunday, September 17 when Romeoville police officers stopped by their home for a welfare check.
Upon their arrival, officers discovered that the family had been shot dead along with their three dogs at the home on the 500 block of Concord Drive.
After an initial investigation, deputies identified Huey as a 'person of interest' in the murders along with a woman 'with a relationship' to him.
The woman was reported missing and in danger by her family on Tuesday. An investigative bulletin circulated within Romeoville Police described Huey as "irrational and erratic" with extensive firearms training.
According to ABC 7, Huey has been identified as the owner of a private security company called Black Bear Security, LLC.
His company's Facebook page also posted ads showing him armed, along with photos of guns and an apparent silencer, ammunition magazines, and a knife with the words, "I can and I will."
How did Nathaniel Huey die?
Nathaniel Huey died in a car crash and subsequent gunfire in Catoosa, Oklahoma. On Wednesday, September 20, a car linked to Huey was captured by a license plate reader in Catoosa, Oklahoma. Officers tried to stop the vehicle but it sped away.
The chase ended in a single-car crash on Interstate 44, and the suspect vehicle caught fire. Officers at the scene heard two gunshots before discovering a man dead in the driving seat and a female co-passenger critically wounded.
The incident led to the lanes of westbound Interstate 44, near Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, being temporarily shut down at around 11:30 a.m.
Police later identified Huey as the person killed in the car. According to internal records, Romeoville Police stated the suspect was aware they were investigating him for the quadruple killing, even at one point following investigators while driving recklessly.
Why did Nathaniel Huey kill the family?
At a news conference, Romeoville Deputy Chief of Police Chris Burne would not elaborate on how detectives were turned onto Huey but stated that the evidence has shown "a nexus between the suspect and victims."
"Evidence has shown us a nexus between our suspect and the victims as well as a possible motive," he continued, without revealing further details on the possible motive.
After Huey’s death, Cristiana Espinoza, 25, told NBC that her mother had dated him for about eight years. She refused to reveal the name of her mother but said she was found in the suspected car.
She also described Huey as a ‘dangerous man’, saying “He’s a very dangerous man. He’s a huge manipulator. A huge manipulator.”
“When I first met him, he wasn’t too bad of a guy. A couple of months ago, something switched. He was shutting all of us out, including my mom, and now this,” Espinoza said.
“He started becoming suspicious, keeping to himself, staying in the garage. He started not being himself, pushing us all away, even my mom,” she continued.
