Four Dead In Suburban Chicago Murder-Suicide

By Jon Graef in News on Aug 31, 2014 3:15PM

Residents of west suburban Elmhurst woke up to news of a horrific crime which took place in their community Saturday night. Four people were found dead in what, according to the Chicago Tribune, was a murder-suicide.

Update: 4 Elmhurst deaths appear to be a murder-suicide, according to authorities http://t.co/3pYagxkpM3 pic.twitter.com/zvxKqx5eyu

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) August 31, 2014

The Chicago Daily Herald reports Elmhurst police found four members of the Stack family— husband and wife Francis and Joan, both 82; son Francis Stack, Jr., 48; and daughter Mary Stack, 57—dead after a "well-being check" conducted Saturday around 6:45 p.m.

According to a police statement cited by the Herald, Elmhurst police "entered the home and discovered four family members deceased with visible gunshot wounds inside of the residence." They then discovered the weapon used at the scene.

ln a brief statement, Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth said there was "no immediate danger to the community," at large, reported WGN.

"It's not clear which of the four died in a suicide and which three were killed," wrote the Tribune's Christy Gutowski and Gregory Pratt. Gutowski and Pratt further report on the Stack family, details of which are absolutely heartbreaking:

The Stacks had four children. Their oldest, Mary, and youngest, Frank Jr., who was the only son, were born severely disabled and in need of constant care, records show.

In May 1990, the parents filed paperwork in DuPage County Circuit Court seeking to have the two declared legally disabled. A judge granted their request the next month, allowing the parents to serve as their children's appointed guardians. During the next 24 years, report after report documents the couple's steadfast devotion to their children.

Their son was diagnosed with a "profound level" of mental impairment and was prone to seizures throughout his life, according to court records. He could never speak full words, the records state, but Mary managed to communicate through limited sign language and a few spoken words, including "mommy" and "tree." Both children could walk, see and hear.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that autopsies were scheduled for Sunday.