A 24-year-old Illinois man is accused of fatally shooting his 2-year-old son’s mother and then leaving the toddler to die in a burning car, according to authorities.
Jeremiah Duncan is now in custody, charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Heaven J. Wood. As of Tuesday morning, no charges had yet been filed over the death of the couple’s son, KJ Duncan-Wood.
Per a series of statements from the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called out around 6:09 a.m. Friday to the 3500 block of Yorkshire after reports of a car on fire. The initial call had come from nearby Abby Circle, about a block away.
First responders arrived to find a vehicle fully engulfed and traced it back to a house on Yorkshire. Deputies went there to check on the residents.
Inside, they discovered Wood suffering from a gunshot wound. She was rushed to OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, where she later died. Two other children inside the home were unharmed.
“The preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle had been driven from the area of the shooting before crashing,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “After extinguishing the flames, first responders located a deceased infant inside the vehicle. Investigators determined the infant was the child of the female found deceased in the residence.”
Officials have not said how the fire started or whether it was set on purpose.
An autopsy performed by the Peoria County Coroner’s Office found that KJ died of severe smoke inhalation. Coroner Jamie Harwood told local NBC station WEEK that the toddler “likely passed away moments after the fire was started.”
Duncan quickly became the focus of the investigation, and authorities launched a search for him. The sheriff’s office cautioned the public that he might be traveling on foot and asked anyone who saw him to keep their distance and call 911 right away.
Around 12:05 p.m. Friday, officers located Duncan near the intersection of Molleck Drive and Oak Crest Drive and arrested him. Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins said he was carrying a knife at the time of his arrest. Watkins also confirmed to WEEK on Monday that Duncan was KJ’s father.
Duncan sustained “serious burns” during the fire and was being treated at a medical facility that has not been disclosed while remaining in custody.
Watkins described the killings as the result of domestic violence, calling the day “a very tragic day in our community.”
Duncan’s injuries kept him from appearing in court for his detention hearing. A judge has set his next court date for Oct. 5, WEEK reported.
