A sleepy Midwestern town has been rocked by a triple murder after two parents and their adult child were found dead in their picturesque home.
Jacob Lambert, 32, was killed alongside his parents, finance director Stacy Forde, 54, and her husband, Patrick Forde, 55, in the Crete Township property in suburban Illinois on Monday, police said.
Will County Sheriff deputies responded to the residence at around 2am after receiving reports asking for a welfare check.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the three bodies and determined that a person of interest, a 30-year-old woman, had fled.
The sheriff's office later identified her as Jenna Strouble, an ex-girlfriend of Lambert's from Indiana, saying Tuesday afternoon that she had been arrested in connection with the triple homicide.
'The preliminary investigation shows this was a targeted incident and during the detectives' interviews Strouble gave incriminating statements following the homicides,' the office said.
'Investigators recovered a firearm and were able to determine it did match the one used in the homicides.'
Police said that Lambert was found dead in the home's driveway, while his parents' bodies were found on the first floor near the front door.
Lambert and Strouble had an 'on/off relationship' and shared children together, police said.
She allegedly fled the scene after the triple homicide and was found in St John, Indiana, which is right over the Indiana-Illinois border.
Strouble was arrested in Indiana. She will be extradited back to Illinois to face charges on nine counts of first-degree murder.
'Tragic events like this can be avoided for those wishing to seek help and assistance regarding domestic violence,' the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Stacy's employer, Roeda, a Lynwood-based sign shop, paid tribute to her on social media, praising her work as the Director of Finance for almost 22 years.
'She was more than a co-worker to many of us; she was like family to the Roeda's and many of our colleagues. She showed up to many family events, celebrations, and parties. She enjoyed life and loved a great concert,' her colleagues wrote.
Roeda said that Stacy loved her family, valued religion and left an everlasting impact on the company.
Her employer also asked the community to keep her surviving son and extended family in their thoughts and prayers.
Emily Conner, a family member, paid tribute to the three on social media, writing: 'Our hearts are incredibly heavy, and there truly aren't words for a loss like this.'
'Jake had just celebrated one year of sobriety something we were so proud of and that meant so much,' she continued.
'Ella and Rhett are going to miss their Dad, Papa and Grandma more than words can express.'
Property records indicate that the couple bought the home in 2020 for $295,900 and it is now valued at $414,000, according to Zillow. Police said all three victims were residents of the home.
Neighbors were left in shock after tragedy struck their community. Shayla Dross told local ABC affiliate, WLS-TV, that police were knocking on doors all day Monday.
Jennifer Brown added that she felt 'numb' after hearing the news. 'I feel like I'm in the middle of a horror story. They were just over here yesterday, all three of them. And we were hanging out,' she added.
Jim Brown told the outlet that he saw all three of the victims in the home the day before they were killed.
'Now, they are gone, and I'm not an emotional person. But something like that hits home,' he said.
Neighbors told WLS-TV that the family had a beloved dog that survived the attack, and it refused to leave the home when family members arrived.
Those close to the family told WLS-TV that the couple's grandchildren lived at the residence as well, but they were not there when the killings allegedly occurred.
Video footage taken by CBS News revealed a large police presence in the suburban community after the heinous crime.
Authorities have not released the cause of death for any of the victims. The coroner's office said a final cause and manner will be determined after autopsy, police and toxicology reports are completed.