Round Lake Beach police: Jason Karels charged with murder after 3 children found dead in home on E. Camden Lane

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. (WLS) — Round Lake Beach police said Tuesday that a man has been charged in the deaths of his three children.

Police said a mother who was supposed to pick up her three children from her estranged husband contacted them around 1:40 p.m. to perform a well-being check inside a home in the 200-block of E. Camden Lane in the Sutton-on-the-Lake subdivision.

When police arrived, they found three children, identified to the Lake County Coroner’s Office as Bryant Karels, age 5, Cassie Karels, age 3, and Gideon Karels, age 2. The coroner’s office said preliminary autopsies indicate they died from drowning.

Police on the scene discovered the father, Jason Karels, was missing along with his car, a red Nissan Maxima. Illinois State Police later found the vehicle on I-57 at 115th Street and started a high-speed chase which would end in a crash in a wooded area off of I-80 in Joliet.

Police said Karels was taken into custody and told officers he was respsonsible for the deaths.

👉 For more insights, check out this resource.

Karels has been charged with three counts of murder.

A Go FundMe has been created to benefit the victims.

👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.