Murder-suicide suspected in deaths of 9-year-old girl, father in Lake Villa

Police suspect that a 36-year-old man killed his 9-year-old daughter before taking his own life Thursday in northwest suburban Lake Villa.

Officers found Christopher Anderson and his daughter, Adrianna Anderson, dead about 2:15 p.m. inside Christopher Anderson’s home in the 100 block of Briar Ridge Lane, according to Lake County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials.

Preliminary autopsy results show that both died of sharp force trauma.

Police visited the home after the girl’s mother told them her daughter had been reported absent from school, and that she couldn’t reach the father after the girl had spent the night at his home, sheriff’s spokesman Christopher Covelli said.

The initial information suggests Christopher Anderson took his own life after killing his daughter, and police are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide, Covelli said.

“This is an incredibly tragic set of circumstances and our deepest condolences go out to the family of the child. I want to reassure the Lake Villa community that there is no evidence to suggest there is a threat to the public,” Lake Villa Police Chief Craig Somerville said.

The incident remains under investigation.