Newlywed couple found dead inside car just days before first anniversary
Rachel and Brandon Dumovich, 29 and 30, had each suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head when their bodies were found in their car on Route 14 in Harvard, Illinois on October 6
A newlywed couple were found dead just days away from celebrating their first wedding annivesary.
Rachel and Brandon Dumovich, 29 and 30, had each suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head when their bodies were found in their car on Route 14 in Harvard, Illinois on October 6.
A police officer from Harvard noticed the vehicle, which had its hazard lights flashing. As he approached, he saw Rachel in the driver's seat and Brandon in the passenger's seat. Both of them were dead.
A shelter-in-place order was briefly issued for locals, but then announced there was no ongoing threat. Tyson Bauman, Harvard chief of police, said the incident could have been a murder-suicide, but the force has not yet made a final decision.
It has now been revealed that each victim had a single gunshot wound to the head, according to Fox News Digital. The coroner's office is yet to release the full details of its autopsy report.
"At this time, this appears to be an isolated incident and there is no evidence to suggest that there is any danger or threat to the public," police said in a statement.
Wedding page The Knot states that the couple first met in middle school when Rachel was 12 years old. They were about to celebrate a year as man and wife when their bodies were discovered.
Writing on the page, Rachel said: "I caught Brandon's attention by stealing cologne from his locker and running away with it."
They then reconnected 15 years later as adults and started a relationship, getting married on October 12 last year at Big Cedar Lake in Wisconsin.
On the day of their deaths, Rachel shared a selfie of the pair of them on Facebook before sharing another image of them on a trip to Greece. The caption read: "Forever chasing sunsets. Wishing we were back in Greece!"
In a public obituary, it said Brandon was born in Barrington, Illinois. He had served as a petty officer for the US Navy and an "extraordinary ability to lift spirits and bring people together".
In Rachel's public obituary, she was remembered as a "natural connector, advocate and loyal friend". She had a "strong sesne of empathy, compassion, social justice and fair play" and always championed "those who needed a voice", the obituary read.