UPDATE: Bodies of missing persons found at Blackhawk Park; suspect dead in suicide
By Jim Hagerty
Contributor
ROCKFORD — The bodies of missing persons Danielle Son, 22, and her boyfriend Sergio Quiroz, 25, were found this morning at Blackhawk Park on Rockford’s south side, Rockford Police said Thursday.
Danielle Son was reported missing on Monday, Feb. 19, after family members alerted authorities they had not heard from her since Saturday. A welfare check at her 834 10th Ave. residence found her two children, ages 2 and 11-months, alone.
Investigators determined that Quiroz and Son’s estranged husband, Hand Son, 26, were also missing.
Hand Son died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound following an attempted traffic stop, Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said at a press conference, Thursday.
Hand Son was charged after a reported domestic violence incident in mid-January. Court records show that Danielle Son had filed for divorce on Feb. 16, just before her disappearance. Hand Son was scheduled in court on April 19 in the domestic violence case.
Wednesday, the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Son with two counts of kidnapping and a search for his 2007 Toyota Sion intensified. Rockford Police officers located the vehicle at around 4 a.m., Thursday and were able to reach Son by cellphone.
Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said Son failed to stop for officers and a pursuit ensued. The chase ended when the car flipped in the area of 15th Avenue. When officers approached the crash, they heard a single gunshot and found Hand Son suffering from a bullet wound to the head. A handgun was also found inside the car.
The bodies of Danielle Son and Sergio Quiroz were found a short time later. Hand Son died at a local hospital.
Winnebago County State’s Attorney Joe Bruscato said his office is working with preliminary causes of death, but won’t release information until the investigation is complete.
“Certainly, there is some idea of what the cause of death is but we can’t release that hastily, not until the corner has the chance to do his job,” he said.
Bruscato added that investigators will close their investigation after determining if anyone else was involved.
Both officials reiterated that the deaths appear to be domestic-violence related and that their respective officers are continuing to work together in combatting the issue.
“This a domestic-related case, and domestic violence is something we are going to continue tor work on,” O’Shea said. “Our detectives continue to work with the (City of Rockford).”
Bruscato added that domestic violence is a concern that “must be addressed now, not later.”
A portion of Blackhawk Park is still cordoned off as of this report.
Anyone with additional information is urged to call the Rockford Police Department non-emergency number at 815-966-2900 or the Investigations Bureau at 779-500-6551.