Woman Had 'Nothing To Do With' Slaying Of Romeoville Family: Attorney

ROMEOVILLE, IL — The woman Romeoville Police characterized as a person of interest in the slayings of a couple and their two young boys was asleep at home during the killings and was not involved in the crime, an attorney representing the woman’s family said on Thursday.

The woman, who was identified as 50-year-old Ermalinda Palomo on Thursday by Plainfield attorney JohnPaul Ivec, died at a hospital in Oklahoma after she was shot in the head, the attorney said.

The suspect in the killings of the family of four, identified by Romeoville police as Nathaniel Huey Jr. of Streamwood, also died in Oklahoma following a brief chase, law enforcement officials confirmed to Patch.

Now-Dead Suspect In Murder Of IL Family Had Lengthy Criminal Record

Ivec said Palomo was a mother and grandmother of five, and was engaged to Huey, 31.

Police have said Huey was the prime suspect in the deaths of Alberto Rolon, 38, and Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, and their sons Adriel and Diego. The family was found slain in their Romeoville home in the 500 block of Concord Avenue on Sunday night after police responded to a request for a well-being check. Three family dogs were also found shot to death in the home.

Romeoville police said they issued a bulletin Tuesday night, believing Huey to be a credible suspect in the killings. On Wednesday morning, the Catoosa, Oklahoma Police Department got an alert on a digital license plate reader for the suspect vehicle.

According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Catoosa Police officers received two alerts about the vehicle, one for a missing or endangered person, and one for an armed and dangerous suspect. Officers found the vehicle unoccupied and conducted surveillance of the area, the Bureau said.

A man and woman entered the car and began driving away. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver sped away, and a pursuit began, according to the Bureau. The car continued on Interstate 44 in Catoosa, and the driver struck a concrete barrier and caught on fire. Romeoville police said officers heard two noises, believed to be gunshots, after the crash.

Police said Huey was found dead in the driver's seat and the woman, later identified as Palomo, was also found with a gunshot wound and taken to a hospital before dying.

Related: Romeoville Slayings: Suspect Car Crashes In Oklahoma, Man Found Dead

Ivec confirmed that Paloma died in a hospital at 4:05 p.m. Wednesday in Tulsa. In a nearly two-minute video statement issued Thursday, Ivec said Paloma's death is being ruled a homicide from a gunshot wound to the head.

He said she was not involved in the Romeoville homicides and was "without a shadow of a doubt" asleep at the time of the killings.

According to Ivec, Palomo left around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday with Huey, but was in touch with relatives through phone calls and texts messages and "seemed upset."

"She communicated with a number of family members, telling them things, such as 'I love you, take care of my grandbabies,'" Ivec said in the video statement.

Ivec said after Palomo's family stopped receiving correspondence from her and her Find My Family app was turned off on Tuesday, they reached out to Streamwood Police to report her missing.

"The family wants to make it clear that Ermalinda had nothing to do with the murders in Romeoville," Ivec said Thursday.

He said that her family has spoken with detectives and answered all their questions to the best of their ability. The family also wishes to express their condolences to everyone involved, especially the family in Romeoville, saying, "they are also grieving and in shock."