Shocking Details, Motive Revealed in 2024 Romeoville Quadruple Murders – NBC Chicago

The horrific story began on September 17, 2023, on a quiet block in Romeoville.

Romeoville police were called to a home where Zoraida Bartolomei, Alberto Rolon, their two young boys and three dogs lived.

The call was for a wellness check. Rolon didn't show up for work and Bartolomei's family couldn't reach her or the boys.

When Romeoville officers arrived, they found a crack in a window and saw overturned tables inside. As they went to the back, they saw two dead dogs and shouted for entry.

Inside, the house was full of horror.

Bartolomei, Rolon, the two children and dogs were shot. According to a Romeoville police report obtained by NBC Chicago, the family members were shot a total of 20 times.

The past year has been a whirlwind of questions, rumors and heartache. What happened to this family and why? These questions have so far remained largely unanswered.

Romeoville police concluded their investigation Thursday, saying evidence pointed to affairs, manipulation and deception.

Using doorbells, IPASS data, cell towers and stove camera systems, police were able to track a suspicious vehicle on a route from Streamwood to Romeoville. The vehicle was driven by Nathaniel Huey Jr., Bartolomei's colleague.

Police went to a home Huey Jr. shared with his partner, Ermalinda Palomo. The vehicle seen in front of the home in Romeoville was parked down the street.

While police worked to investigate the case and question Huey Jr., the two fled. Palomo's family filed a missing person report, believing she had been kidnapped and was in danger at that time.

The police report later painted a very different story.

Days later, a swarm camera system in Catoosa, Oklahoma, captured Huey Jr. and Palomo's vehicle at a Walmart.

Newly released bodycam footage captures the final moments before the deaths of the suspects involved in the shocking Romeoville murders of 2023.

Video obtained by NBC Chicago from Catoosa police showed the two entering the store side by side, purchasing electronics and in the makeup aisles.

As they left the store, the Catoosa officers stood in the parking lot, smiling and waiting for the camera. Video showed officers chasing the suspects, who managed to flee in their vehicle.

A police chase ensued that ended in a fiery crash on an Oklahoma highway. Police said Huey Jr. shot Palomo and then himself.

Oklahoma officials could be heard on body cameras saying Huey Jr. was an “armed and dangerous murder suspect” from Illinois.

Another person was heard saying, “She's the endangered missing person, he's the murder suspect.” A responding officer replied, “It didn't look like she was being held against her will.”

So who was Palomo? And why was the family killed in Romeoville?

Thursday's police report revealed a twisted tale of manipulation, affairs and fraud.

Palomo knew Huey Jr. was having an affair with Bartolomei a year before the murders, the report said. It details that Palomo created fake phone numbers and accounts online to communicate with Huey Jr. Several of the fake accounts appeared to appear to be members of a Mexican cartel, but were actually affiliated with Palomo, according to the report.

One report convinced Huey Jr. that it was run by a cartel hitman and said Huey Jr. was now involved in the group, but the report said it was a “virtual world that Ermalinda created”.

Over the course of the year, the messages escalated until one day the account told Huey Jr. that he had to kill Bartolomei and her family. Huey Jr., believing he was part of a dangerous cartel, committed the killings while police said Palomo waited outside in the car, the report said.

According to an official report, Huey Jr. likely never knew that Palomo was behind the accounts, even before his death.

It was also noted that Palomo's family also did not know what was happening.

A lawyer for Palomo's family had originally said they believed she had been kidnapped and said she was sleeping at home at the time of the murders.

However, in a statement late last year, the lawyer said the family “would like to express its deepest condolences to the Rolon/Bartolomei family and their loved ones.”

“The family had no prior knowledge of the information disclosed and will continue to work with law enforcement to seek answers that will help resolve and complete the investigation. Your prayers are with everyone, especially during the Christmas season,” the statement said.

Police said that while the latest findings mark the end of their months-long investigation, they do not end the pain suffered by many following the gruesome killings.

“The tragic deaths of a young family, including two young children, will forever impact the surviving family and those who investigated this case,” Romeoville Police Chief Brant Hromadka said in a news release. “Nothing can prepare a person for such an incident and nothing can justify such a senseless act of violence. Unfortunately, while this case is closed, the finality of this case does not provide closure for so many who continue to grieve.”