An Illinois man left a note to his estranged wife after allegedly drowning their three children, prosecutors said Wednesday, according to ABC 7.
Jason Karels, 35, appeared in court Wednesday, where his bond was set at $10 million in connection with the alleged incident, ABC 7 reported. The prosecutors on Jason’s case are hoping to petition the court for no bond at a hearing set to happen later in the week, the outlet also indicated.
The bodies of Jason’s three children were discovered Monday by the Round Lake Beach Police, according to a press release from the department. The police found the children dead after they were contacted to perform a wellness check at the home on the 200 block of East Camden Lane at roughly 1:40 p.m., the release noted.
In a press conference Tuesday, Round Lake Beach Police Chief Gilbert Rivera said the children’s mother, Debra Karels, contacted police to perform the wellness check, as she was supposed to pick them up from her estranged husband. Debra was reportedly in an ongoing custody battle with Jason and had dropped the children off with him as part of their custody agreement when the alleged incident occurred.
Rivera went on to say that Jason was missing from the scene when the children were discovered. Police later spotted his vehicle, a 2010 Nissan, resulting in a 17-minute high-speed pursuit that ended in a crash near Interstate 80, Rivera said. (RELATED: Mom Admits To Drowning Her Three Kids ‘Softly’ While Apologizing To Them)
Jason allegedly admitted to officers at the scene of the crash that he was responsible for the deaths of his children, Rivera stated during the press conference. He also supposedly told police that he’d attempted to commit suicide after allegedly drowning his children, ABC 7 reported.
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In a note Jason left to his estranged wife, prosecutors said he wrote, “If I can’t have them, neither can you,” ABC 7 reported. Jason was said to have suffered from mental illness, with his wife seeking a divorce as the result of alleged abuse, the New York Post reported.
Debra described her children — Bryant, 5, Cassidy, 3, and Gideon, 2 — as “amazing” and “three beautiful little souls who didn’t deserve this,” according to ABC 7.
“I talked to the kids the night before. I said, ‘I love you so much. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.’ And the next day they’re gone,” Debra explained to ABC 7. “[Their father] knew that nothing mattered to me more than those children. He took them away from me because he knew it would hurt me the most.”
The Round Lake Beach Police Department hosted a gathering at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday to support the community following the deaths of the children.