Bloomington Police investigators were looking for answers Monday after four people – including a 13-year-old – were found dead at a home over the weekend.
As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, authorities have not identified the victims, their relationship to one another, or how they died. WGLT has requested an interview with Bloomington's police chief or a news conference with authorities, but neither requests have been granted. Bloomington Police said Sunday night that "preliminary investigation suggests this was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public" but did not explain why.
The four people were found dead Sunday morning at 914 1/2 N. Lee St., just down the street from Bent Elementary School and a few blocks away from Downtown Bloomington. A vigil is planned for 6:30 p.m. Monday outside the home.
Amber Thompson of Lexington told WGLT her 31-year-old sister and 13-year-old nephew were among those killed, as well as her sister’s best friend. The sister’s boyfriend was among the dead too, she said. WGLT is not identifying the victims because the McLean County coroner’s office has not yet done so.
“They were very loving, caring people. They never would harm anybody,” Thompson said. She said she wasn’t aware of any danger or violence facing her sister prior to this weekend.
The 31-year-old sister worked at State Farm and has two other surviving children who “will have to go on and live without their mom,” Thompson said. They’ve lived in that house on Lee Street about five months, she said.
The 13-year-old was a student at Bloomington Junior High School, Thompson said and District 87 confirmed. The teen was into volleyball, choir, track and student council, Thompson said.
“He was all into school. He wasn’t a street kid. He didn’t like to be out running the streets,” she said. “My nephew was super smart. He had a book and everything coming out. He was always wanting to be the president. I always told him, follow your dreams. And that’s what he was doing.”
Volleyball community
His aunt wasn’t the only person he told that he wanted to be president. He told anybody who would listen, said Aimee Biles, founder of the Normal Flight Volleyball Club. She said he was a unique kid – inquisitive, thoughtful, respectful, and really, really smart. He wore No. 13 on his jersey.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met another kid that had such big dreams and such a big personality to accomplish them,” Biles told WGLT.
The 13-year-old was also manager for the Bloomington Junior High School girls volleyball team, Biles said, leaving the tight-knit volleyball community grieving together after his death.
He loved spending time on TikTok, making what he called “relatable” content for people his age, Biles said.
“He loved making people laugh and smile. The kid had the best heart,” Biles said. “This club loved him. And he left a really big hole in a lot of people’s hearts, for sure.”
Community leaders' response
Meanwhile, community leaders were reacting Monday to what is Bloomington-Normal’s deadliest incident of violence in decades.
Mollie Ward, the city council member who represents the West Bloomington ward where the victims were found, urged community members to refrain from spreading unverified information about what happened.
“All of us as neighbors are affected by this kind of thing and my heart goes out not to them, but to us,” she told WGLT in an interview. “I would ask that the community as a whole show the respect to wait before spreading information — until that information has been verified and shared by the appropriate people, with the appropriate people.”
Council member and mayoral candidate Cody Hendricks, whose Downtown Bloomington ward borders Lee Street, said the situation would "touch home" to the greater Bloomington community.
"We know one of the individuals was a young person — and I know there's a candlelight vigil tonight, which is very inspiring, [seeing] the community come together so quickly for, from what I hear, a very impactful and important young person in our community," Hendricks said in an interview. "The biggest thing is just offering deepest condolences to the family as we continue to monitor the situation and get to the bottom of what really occurred."
A spokesperson for District 87 confirmed one of the victims was an 8th grader at Bloomington Junior High School.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the student's family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the district said in a statement. “We have implemented additional social emotional supports and counseling services for our students at the junior high and high school. We are working closely with the authorities, and we will continue to provide any necessary support to our students, staff, and community during this tragic time."
Gina Lavazza, director of communication for the district, said in an interview that a crisis team will be in place at the middle school indefinitely, “for as long as students need support to process this devastating news.”
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat whose congressional district includes parts of Bloomington-Normal, said in a social media post he is “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of four lives in Bloomington.”
“My heart goes out to the community after this awful event,” Sorensen said, urging the community to “strongly support police and investigators as they search for the truth.”
McLean County Board members Eric Hansen and Lea Cline, whose district includes much of West Bloomington, also sent a joint statement calling it a “heartbreaking tragedy” and said “our hearts go out to the loved ones and community members affected by this awful violence.”
This story will be updated.
