Illinois Gym Owners Found Dead In Aruba: Report

MORTON GROVE, IL — The owners of a local gym were found dead last weekend in a possible murder-suicide while vacationing in Aruba. Authorities have identified the deceased as a married couple from the Chicago area.

CBS Chicago is reporting that the family of Cristina Gatia said she was the woman who died Sunday. Gatia, 52, and her husband, Boris Jozic, who own Steel Fitness, 5814 Dempster St., were staying at the St. Regis Hotel. Staff at the hotel called police at around 8:45 a.m. to report a man had fallen from a balcony and died. When police and hotel staff entered the man's room, they found Gatia dead.

On its Instagram page, Steel Fitness Café posted about the "tragic loss of our beloved Mama, Cristina Gatia. Our hearts are shattered, and our family is grieving deeply." A GoFundMe was created to help the family with funeral and memorial expenses, according to the post. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had raised over $34,000 of a $20,000 goal.

"She was a proud mother of five, a loving grandmother, a devoted daughter, loving sister, cherished aunt, and a dear friend to so many," the GoFundMe reads regarding Gatia. "She poured her heart into her family and was deeply passionate about health and fitness, always encouraging others to become the best version of themselves. Whether as a mother, mentor, or friend, Cristina showed up with love, strength, and compassion."

Diario, a local newspaper on the island, is reporting after finding Gatia dead, the room was sealed with police treating the scene as a murder-suicide. "So the man would have killed his wife, and then jumped off the balcony to end his own life," the media outlet said, according to an English translation. "Yet, all the details of this have to be investigated."

A police spokesperson told Diario that it "is a regrettable and unusual case, but the investigation by the authorities concerned will help clarify the matter."