Updated: Mom, 2 Kids Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide In Lake In The Hills

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 11, 2017 6:08PM

The deaths of a mother and her young son and daughter in suburban Lake in the Hills, appear to be a murder-suicide, authorities said on Wednesday.

Preliminary findings by McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski suggest the three deceased—Carla Lopez-Mejia, 27; her son, Ezequiel Garcia, 11; and her daughter, Ariana Garcia, 8—died in a murder-suicide, but the manner of death for each person has not been determined, according to a press release.

Police said they discovered the bodies at around 3 p.m. after firefighters knocked down the door of a townhouse in the 2300 block of Daybreak Drive, in the northwest suburban village of Lake in the Hills, in McHenry County.

Neighbor Janaya Simmons told ABC7 that the mother was quiet and kept to herself, but also said the children were “full of energy,” according to the Tribune.

"Well, she didn't talk to anybody much. She didn't speak. My husband used to speak to her all the time. She never would speak. But her children and husband were very friendly," Simmons said, via ABC7.

"Whatever happened is a tragedy. ... I really feel bad for the kids because they really didn't deserve that," she added, according to the Tribune. "It's just a sad day here in Lake in the Hills.

The manner of death is expected to be released after the completion of the investigation, which is still ongoing. Police said on Tuesday that there are no known public threats.

Update, 7:00 p.m.:
Preliminary autopsies conducted on Wednesday afternoon showed that the two children died from strangulation and their mother, Carla Lopez-Mejia, died from asphyxia due to hanging, Majewski noted in an updated release.