COLUMBIA, IL (KTVI - FOX2now.com)—
Police in Columbia, Illinois are looking for the killer of a woman and her two school age children. 31-year old Sheri Coleman was found by her husband Chris just before seven Tuesday morning. He also found the bodies of his two sons, eleven year old Garett and nine year old Gavin. In a news conference late Tuesday afternoon, police said no one is being ruled in or out as a suspect right now."We're looking at anybody at this time. I'm not ruling out anybody," Major Case Squad Major Jeff Conner said. "It's just too early. We're just a few hours into this investigation and we're not ready to rule out anybody.
Conner would say little about specifics involving the case, but he did acknowledge reports from neighbors that the Colemans had received threats in their mailbox in recent weeks. That mailbox had also been vandalized.
"I can confirm there was some police interaction prior to this, but we're not going to get into any specifics about that. I don't want people to think that's the only thing we're looking at."
Neighbors say there was no ruckus or commotion at the home on Robert Street in Columbia. No one heard anything overnight, when the killings are believed to have happened. Tony Tutor lives right across the street.
"The police asked me if I heard any screams, no I didn't hear nothing," he says.
Tutor says he saw Christoper Coleman in the driveway of the home not long after police arrived.
"It's just terrible. When I got up, first thing I seen was the man who lived there sitting in the driveway with his head in his hands. There was clearly something wrong."
Jennifer Grimm, who lives four doors down, says she was asleep with her windows open, but heard nothing all night. As for the friends that are now lost, she says her heart is broken.
"They are a wonderful family. Just like your average American family. Very loving couple. Very happy. The kids always playing outside. Everybody's outside playing and hanging out."
Police say they need any help they can get. They went so far as to dig through trash cans up and down the block late Tuesday morning. But they won't go so far as to proclaim the killings random.
"At this time its so early on. I don't want to speculate as to any motive. If I go into random there's a motive behind that. We're following leads. We have leads in this case. We're following them."
They're asking anyone who might have the slightest tidbit of information to contact Columbia Police at 618-281-5151.\
The Columbia, IL School District released this statement:
"We are deeply saddened at the tragic news that two of our students and their mother were found deceased earlier today. At this time, we are honoring law enforcement officials' request not to release the names of these students.
We have worked closely with law enforcement officials throughout the day to implement our emergency crisis plan. Parents were contacted earlier today to notify them of the situation and to coordinate the release of their children at the end of the school day.
District 4 has made arrangements to provide counseling services to our students as they grieve the loss of their friends and classmates. We have met with our teachers and staff to prepare for the emotional trauma that our students will experience in this situation.
It is difficult for any of us to understand and comprehend this horrendous act of violence. On behalf of the Board of Education, Administration, teachers and employees, we ask that you remember this family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
