Five adults were found dead after a late-night well-being check at a Mundelein home, where investigators also recovered two handguns.
MUNDELEIN, Ill. — Police say a 51-year-old man fatally shot his parents, his adult son and his longtime partner inside his parents’ suburban Chicago home Sunday before dying by suicide, leaving investigators searching for a motive in the deaths of five adults.
Mundelein police identified the man as Bryan Schmidt, 51, recently of Antioch. The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the other people who died as Schmidt’s parents, James Schmidt, 80, and Rebecca Schmidt, 77, both of Mundelein; his son, Maclaine Schmidt, 22, of Lake Bluff; and his longtime partner, Nicole Heiser, 37, recently of Antioch. Police described their findings as preliminary and said the investigation remained active.
Officers were sent to a home in 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 residence and found three men and two women dead in several rooms, according to police. Two handguns were recovered during the investigation.
Investigators believe the shootings occurred between about 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday, roughly 10 hours before police arrived. Authorities said Bryan Schmidt is believed to have shot the other four victims, who were found near one another, before dying by suicide. Police have not publicly identified a motive for the killings.
Detectives found multiple notes that police said Bryan Schmidt had left inside the home and in his vehicle. Authorities have not publicly disclosed what the notes said. Investigators also collected electronic devices and other evidence for forensic examination as they work to determine what happened before the shootings and whether the recovered material provides an explanation.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office conducted autopsies after the 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 findings were consistent with the police department’s preliminary conclusion that the case was an apparent murder-suicide.
Police said the department had no record of previous emergency calls to the Wellington Avenue home and no known prior contacts with Bryan Schmidt. That has left investigators with few publicly known indications of what might have preceded the violence. Authorities said the incident was isolated and there was no continuing threat to the public.
James and Rebecca Schmidt were retired veterinarians, according to local reporting. Rebecca Schmidt founded the Northern Illinois Cat Clinic in Libertyville, which has since closed, and Bryan Schmidt had worked as a manager at the clinic. Neighbors described the older couple as quiet and friendly, and a small memorial of flowers and a candle appeared outside the home after the deaths.
Some neighbors reported hearing sounds around midday Sunday that they initially believed were firecrackers or other routine neighborhood noise. Police were not called to the house about gunfire at that time. The later estimate from investigators placed the shootings during the same general period, but authorities have not publicly detailed the complete sequence of events inside the home.
The Mundelein Police Department, Lake County Major Crime Task Force and Lake County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate. Authorities have not announced a motive, and detectives are still examining evidence recovered from the residence and Bryan Schmidt’s vehicle as they work to establish what led to the five deaths.
Author note: Last updated October 20, 2026.