Andrew Hintt and his two young sons were found shot to death in their northern Illinois home in what police are calling a triple homicide.
Belvidere police said they found Hintt, 31, and his sons Sebastian and Benjamin Hintt, ages 5 and 7, dead in their home on Union Avenue Sunday evening. Andrew’s car was missing from the driveway, and investigators believe it may have been stolen by the killer or killers.
“Whoever did this horrific act is truly evil,” said Belvidere Police Chief Shane Woody in a press conference Monday. “At this time, we’re still conducting investigations into who possibly is responsible.”
Andrew Hintt, Young Sons Shot Dead in Home
According to local reports, the crime scene was discovered after the boys’ mother called Andrew Hintt’s landlord and asked him to check in on the family. She said she had been unable to make contact with her sons or their father all day.
When he arrived at the Union Avenue home, the landlord said he found all three Hintts dead. He called police at around 9:45 p.m., Chief Woody said.
“We have currently recovered 9mm shell casings from the crime scene,” the chief told reporters Monday. “No, a weapon has not been recovered. The crime scene is currently still secure.”
A preliminary review found that all three died from gunshot wounds. “We’re investigating this as a triple homicide,” Woody said.
Outside, Andrew’s 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk was missing from the driveway. Police believe the vehicle was stolen and suspect the thief or thieves could be connected to the murders. Investigators are asking locals to be on the lookout for the car, which is light gray and has the license plate number “CT92923.”
No apparent motive was discussed, and no suspects have been publicly identified.
Gruesome Shooting Shocks Community
For residents of Belvidere, a small suburban city of 25,000 nestled some 70 miles west of Chicago, the brutal crime came as a shock. Since 2006, the city has reported only four killings in total — a figure almost doubled by the grizzly events of Sunday night.
“I just, it hurts,” Joshua Woodman, a neighbor, told MyStateline.com. “It hurts because you’ve seen the kids before, and I know they’re not here anymore. The children, the children were just heart wrenching.”
Others in the area wondered if their own families were in danger.
“Kind of worried, because all the children in the neighborhood,” another neighbor, Hailey Wilson, told the outlet.
“I have a 2-year-old, and I know they have little kids, so kind of worried to see what happened or how it happened, or why it happened.”
Family Calls for Assistance
Lacey Allison, a Belvidere resident who knew the Hintts, told reporters that Andrew Hintt leaves behind a fiance and three other children.
“His fiance is a stay at home mother of five,” she said. “He was the provider, and me and her had many talks about it through the summer when we would sit together. She would say if it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have anything.”
“It breaks my heart for her, now that not only are the other three children missing their father and their siblings, but now she’s missing her fiancé and they can’t continue their life together,” she added.
Allison also set up a GoFundMe drive on Monday to help Hintt’s fiancée handle the unexpected burden of funeral costs. As of Tuesday, the page has raised about $2,000 of its $10,000 goal.
