An Indiana mother is accused of carrying out a deadly attack on the father of her children before turning the gun on his parents inside their Illinois home, authorities said.
Jenna Strouble, 30, has been charged with first-degree murder in the killings of 32-year-old Jacob Lambert and his parents, Stacy Forde, 54, and Patrick Forde, 55, in unincorporated Crete Township earlier this week.
Police allege Strouble traveled from her home in St. John, Indiana, to the Illinois home, about eight miles away, where she allegedly shot and killed all three people before fleeing back across the state line.
Will County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home on Norway Trail around 2 a.m. Monday for a welfare check requested by a concerned family member, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“When deputies arrived on scene, they found the bodies of three adults, two men and one woman,” authorities said. “The victims, all residents of the home on E. Norway Trail, included a man and his parents.”
According to investigators, Lambert was found dead in a car in the driveway, and his parents were discovered inside the home on the first floor near the front door. Lambert and his parents lived in the home, police said.
Investigators said Strouble fled back to her own home, where she was later taken into custody by local police.
Authorities have not released a motive, but said Strouble had an on/off relationship with Lambert, and they had children together. It’s unclear where the children were at the time of the killings.
“The preliminary investigation shows this was a targeted incident,” investigators said. “During the detectives’ interviews, Strouble gave incriminating statements, following the homicides.”
A firearm believed to have been used in the killings was recovered, but officials have not released details.
Strouble is being held at the Lake County Jail in Indiana. She is expected to be extradited to Illinois at a future date.
