Coroner IDs Married Couple In Clublands Subdivision 'Murder-Suicide,' Gunshot Wounds Apparent

JOLIET, IL — The Kendall County Coroner's Office announced at 2:45 p.m. Monday that 40-year-old Jennifer Heit and 40-year-old Ryan Heit, both of the 1800 block of Burshire Court, died from apparent gunshot wounds. The coroner noted that both people were found at their house on Burshire Court. Autopsies will be performed on Tuesday, and the case is being investigated with the Joliet Police Department.

Earlier, the Joliet Police Department revealed that its detectives are investigating an apparent murder-suicide crime in the Clublands Subdivision off Theodore Drive and west of County Line Road, which has a Plainfield mailing address.

One neighbor told Joliet Patch that she heard multiple gunshots and screaming at 5:48 a.m., prompting her to call 911.

By mid-morning, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English issued a news release revealing that at 5:49 a.m., his fellow officers responded to the home on Burshire Court after receiving multiple calls reporting gunfire.

In the cul-de-sac, Joliet's officers discovered an unresponsive 40-year-old man in the yard of his home with what appeared to be a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound, English said. After entering the house, the officers discovered an unresponsive 40-year-old woman who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.

Four juveniles, ranging in ages 3 to 16, were found unharmed in the home and were placed in protected custody, English said. He told Patch police "have not responded to anything at this residence before."

Joliet police determined the shooting was domestic-related, according to English. Police believe Ryan Heit shot and killed his wife, then went outside the home and took his own life with a handgun. The handgun was recovered during the investigation, police said.

The Kendall County Coroner’s Office responded and pronounced the couple dead at the scene. The couple’s four children were released to the care of a family member.

Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact the Joliet Police Department Investigation Division at 815-724-3020.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, please call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For individuals experiencing domestic violence in Kendall or Will counties, help is available through Guardian Angel Community Services Groundwork Domestic Violence Program at 815-729-1228, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, Joliet police said.