DuPage County Sheriff: Woman kills sons, sets home ablaze, commits suicide
By Dee Longfellow
For The Villa Park Review
On Friday, July 12 at about 9:30 p.m., Elmhurst firefighters responded to the 3N300 block of Willow Road on the report of a house fire that resulted in the death of three people.
Besides extinguishing the blaze, officials removed the bodies of two teenagers and one woman from the home. The location is in unincorporated north Elmhurst between Grand Avenue and Diversey.
The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office responded and began an investigation. Throughout the course of the weekend, details began to unfold including the identity of the residents of the home.
The investigation, led by DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, found that Jamie Jones, 43, had allegedly shot her two sons, Jason Harris, 16, and Nathan Harris, 19. She then allegedly set the house on fire before turning the gun on herself. Representatives from Mendrick’s office said it was initially thought to be a fire investigation but in time, it was determined the deaths were part of a murder-suicide. The fire department removed the bodies from the scene prior to county officials’ arrival at the scene.
“The investigation determined that [Jones] took the lives of both of her sons with a firearm before starting her home on fire and committing suicide with a firearm,” Mendrick said in a release.
He later released the following statement: “This is truly a tragedy. An act like this is completely inconceivable. This will be a trying time for the family, the community and our first responders who dealt with the aftermath of this horrible incident. We offer sincere condolences for anyone affected and urge anyone who is going through stressful times in their lives to please seek help.”
DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said, “The events that took place on July 12 are a tragic loss for the family, as well as the entire community.”
He added: “I would like to thank Sheriff Jim Mendrick and his team for conducting such a thorough and timely investigation into this matter that led to a swift conclusion.”
