According to property tax records, the home is owned by renowned political science professor P.S. Ruckman Jr (Pictured
Police in Illinois said that two boys and their father were found dead inside their Winnebego County home Saturday morning in what they suspect is a murder-suicide.
Bill Hintz, the county’s coroner, is expected to release the identities of the three on Sunday after notifying the next of kin.
According to property tax records filed with the Winnebago County Treasurer’s Office, the home is owned by renowned political science professor P.S. Ruckman Jr. and his ex-wife Heidi Ruckman, The Journal Standard reported.
The two-story home is located 4600 block of Chandan Woods Drive.
Police arrived to the home at around 7.10am Saturday morning to perform a welfare check. Upon entering the premises, authorities said that they found the man and two boys in separate bedrooms with gunshot wounds.
The two-story home is located 4600 block of Chandan Woods Drive and near the intersection of Linden and South Perryville roads (Pictured)
Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Chief Mike Schultz said that Heidi Ruckman was the person who requested the welfare check.
‘(She) hadn’t heard from them for a couple days and it was her weekend for custody of the kids,’ Schultz told the Standard.
Bill Hintz (pictured), the county’s coroner, is expected to release the identities of three on Sunday after the notifying the next of kin
Professor at Rock Valley College and an instructor at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, P.S. Ruckman, 58, is an expert on presidential pardons and author of two books: ‘Pardon Me, Mr. President: Adventures in Crime, Politics and Mercy’ and ‘The Pardon Power in the 21st Century.
Ruckman is also a much sought after source for numerous publications, including The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today and The Associated Press.
Winnebago County court documents show that the Ruckmans filed for divorce in July 2017.
No prior reports of domestic violence between the estranged couple existed in police records, according to The Journal.
‘We’re trying to figure out what the (family) dynamic was and what may have led up to this tragedy,’ he said.
Neighbors of the Ruckmans said they were shocked and horrified to discover what happen earlier Saturday morning.
‘I think it’s terrible,’ Steve Derr told the publication. ‘Those two boys had a long life ahead of them.’
Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Chief Mike Schultz (pictured) said that the welfare check was requested by Heidi Ruckman