Christina Bell and her two teenage daughters Alaria, 16, and Autumn, 19, were killed by Ronald “Butch” Cobren Jr., according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. Autumn had just recently shared the news that she was pregnant with her first child.
A single mother and her two daughters were killed in a brutal murder-suicide that has rocked a small town in Illinois.
The tragedy all unfolded on Dec. 14, when a call came in reporting that there had been a shooting at a residence in Ashland, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).
Deputies arrived on the scene to find a Brein Pena, 20, suffering from life-threatening injuries and a deceased female, who the CCSO later identified as 19-year-old Autumn Bell.
Officials spoke to Pena before rushing him to the hospital and learned that there may be a second crime scene nearby, said the CCSO.
He is still in the ICU at a local hospital the CCSO said on Tuesday.
Officers with the Beardstown Police Department arrived at that second scene to find two additional victims, who the CCSO identified as Christina Bell, 53, and her 16-year-old daughter Alaria Bell.
Those two women are the mother and sister of Autumn, who was pregnant with her first child, according to family members.
Pena is Autumn's boyfriend and was the father of the unborn child.
Officials were able to identify a suspect in the shootings and a short time later, members of the Jacksonville Police Department came across his car according, to the CCSO.
A traffic stop was conducted and officers discovered Ronald “Butch” Cobren Jr., 62, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his car, said the CCSO.
Cobren was Christina's fiancé.
The investigation into this unspeakable tragedy is ongoing, and the CCSO is releasing no further details at this time.
Meanwhile, friends of the victims have started a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs for the three women,
"This family has suffered an unimaginable tragedy. Dec 14th, 2023 Chrissy, Alaria, Autumn, and an unborn baby were tragically shot and killed," writes the organizer. "The family needs this community and surrounding communities to come together like never before and help them lay these three beautiful souls to rest."
As of Tuesday afternoon, just over $23,000 had been raised towards the goal of $25,000.
A-C Central Middle & High School also paid tribute to Alaria by asking all students to wear her favorite color purple in her memory on Monday.
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