ROUND LAKE BEACH, Illinois (AP) – A man in the northern suburbs of Chicago has been charged with three first-degree murders in the drowning death of his three young children, authorities said Tuesday.
Jason E. Karels, 35, was arrested after leading police in a chase that ended in a crash on an Interstate 80 bridge in Joliet Monday, Round Lake Beach police chief Gilbert Rivera said at a news conference.
Karels was hospitalized after the crash, Rivera said.
Preliminary autopsy results showed that 5-year-old Bryant Karels, Cassidy Karels, 3, and Gideon Karels, 2, all died as a result of drowning, said Deputy Coroner Steve Newton of the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Rivera said the children’s mother had asked the police to conduct a welfare check at Karels’ house Monday afternoon. Rivera said the parents shared custody of the children but did not live together. Rivera said he didn’t know their marital status.
After the crash in Joliet, Karels told first responders that he was responsible for the deaths of his children and had attempted suicide before fleeing the house, Rivera said. Officers found the man’s blood in the house from his attempts to self-injure, Rivera said.
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