Murder weapon never recovered from Romeoville family mass shooting, police confirm

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- When hundreds of records were released to the ABC 7 I-Team last week about a Romeoville family murdered last year, many questions were answered but one riddle still remains and may never be solved: Where's the murder weapon?

The murder weapon used to kill the family of four was never recovered over the course of the department's yearlong investigation, Romeoville's deputy chief Christopher Burne confirmed on Tuesday.

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But new video obtained by the I-Team, backed up by investigative records, raises new questions over whether the alleged killer, Nathaniel Huey Jr., had assistance in hiding evidence.

Romeoville police discovered the bodies of Alberto Rolon, 32, Zoraida Bartolomei, 38, and their young boys all shot to death along with the family dogs on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.

The day after on Sept. 18, 2023, at about 2:15 p.m., investigators visited 32-year-old Huey, Jr. at his engineering workplace in Glendale Heights.

Huey, Jr. claimed that he was not involved with the killings, as seen in officer body-worn camera footage obtained through our Freedom of Information Act request, but he refused to let officers search his phone, or search his vehicle.

SEE ALSO | Red flags and warnings led up to mass murder of Romeoville family, police files show

If those investigators had a search warrant, they might have found evidence in Huey's car parked outside.

Two hours after the conversation with police, at 4:30 p.m., new surveillance footage obtained by the I-Team shows Huey, Jr. met someone in his employer's parking lot, where Huey, Jr. handed over an AR-15 assault-style rifle and a duffel bag of other gun-related items, including at least one Glock pistol, according to police records.

In the footage, Huey, Jr. is seen standing by his black GMC, and a red Chevrolet SUV backs into an open parking spot next to him.

Huey, Jr. and the unknown driver of the red SUV appear to open the doors of their vehicles, and investigators later confirmed Huey, Jr. handed over the items.

The male driver of that red SUV is not identified in the police reports, and the person has not been charged with a crime.

According to police reports, Romeoville investigators eventually interviewed that driver, who admitted to transporting the guns for Huey, Jr and Ermalinda Palomo, Huey, Jr.'s fiancé, and who police say was the mastermind behind the family murder plot.

READ MORE | Romeoville execution-style murders suspect had 'relationship' with mother of family, police say

The driver told investigators he "used to be close with Nathaniel [Huey, Jr.]" and "had work with Nathaniel when Nathaniel had a security company."

The I-Team previously reported Huey, Jr. had a private security company called "Black Bear LLC."

According to the driver of that red Chevrolet SUV, "Nathaniel lost the security contract approximately two years prior," and ever since then, Huey, Jr. had "appeared to have changed," and was using street drugs.

The driver told investigators he had "witnessed Nathaniel [using] Cocaine. a lot of it."

So much, in fact, that "when he picked the guns up from Nathaniel, [on Sept 18, 2023,] it appeared he was under the influence of cocaine," as Huey, Jr. was "very sweaty, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was very paranoid."

The driver said Huey, Jr. gave him an AR-15 and a bag that "weighed 25-30 pounds," police records state.

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The colleague told investigators he "didn't grab the 'weapons' for Nathaniel, he did this for Ermalinda," as she "was 'frantic' and 'scared' when he received the initial call from her, asking him to meet with Nathaniel at [his Glendale Heights engineering job]."

After placing the guns in his car, the driver said he left Glendale Heights, when Huey, Jr. called him.

"Nathaniel called when they were driving and told him to go a different way when he (Nathaniel) noticed he was being followed by [Romeoville police investigators.]"

Later that day, the driver said he received a call from Palomo, asking him to drive to Huey Jr. and Palomo's Streamwood home, where he "placed the AR-15 and bag in the trunk of [Palomo's] black Chevrolet Malibu."

Police records state that the bag remained in that trunk until more than two weeks later when, on Oct. 6, 2023, relatives of Palomo contacted investigators after they discovered the bag in the trunk of Palomo's car parked at her Streamwood residence.

When Romeoville investigators arrived that day, they inspected the bag and found inside a pistol, more than one-hundred rounds of ammunition for several different firearms, AR-15 and Glock magazines, as well as several pairs of gloves, a knife, and black zip ties, among other items.

The report does not state whether the AR-15 was recovered.

SEE ALSO | Romeoville murders suspect was 'irrational and erratic' according to internal investigative records

The pistol found in the duffel bag was tested, but Romeoville Police Deputy Chief Burne said it "was not determined to be the murder weapon," and that investigators "did not recover the murder weapon."

Romeoville police have repeatedly declined the I-Team's request for an on-camera interview about the case.

Huey, Jr. and Palomo died by a murder-suicide after a police chase in Oklahoma on Sept. 20, 2023. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner determined Huey, Jr. had shot Palomo before turning the gun on himself.

Police reports do not state what kind of weapon was recovered from the Oklahoma murder-suicide scene, but Burne confirmed it was not the Romeoville murder weapon.

According to the final case summary report, the investigation into the Romeoville family's murder has been closed, with Palomo and Huey determined to be solely responsible for the crime.

Final findings were presented to the Will County State's Attorney's office and there are no indications any criminal charges were filed.

"Nathaniel [Huey, Jr.] and Ermalinda [Palomo] are solely responsible for the murders that occurred at 512 Concord Avenue on September 17, 2023," the ending of the final case summary reads. "Both offenders are now deceased. Case closed."