Thomas Ann Riley woke up early to cook breakfast every day for her partially blind mother before heading to work at Saint Philip Neri School in the South Shore neighborhood.
When she didn’t show up for work this week, alarm bells went off in the minds of people who knew her punctuality.
Police conducting a well-being check on Tuesday found Riley, 64, her mother, Arteria Riley, 81, and her brother, Ruben Riley, 61, all dead from gunshot wounds in their home in the 11300 block of South Green Street.
Neighbors on Wednesday were heartsick over the loss of the longtime Morgan Park residents.
Arteria Riley was a retired postal worker and widower who raised her family at the home, according to neighbors who asked not to be named.
She was an avid bowler who was in a league and traveled for competitions before losing her sight, they said.
The family lived on a dead-end block full of tight-knit neighbors.
“They are the kind of people who would give you the shirt off their backs,” said one neighbor. “I have no idea why they would meet such a violent end. I am heartsick.”
Thomas Ann Riley worked as a secretary and finance manager for the last seven years at Saint Philip Neri School.
School administrators referred questions to the Archdiocese of Chicago, which shared a letter mourning her loss that had been sent to school families Wednesday morning.
“Ms. Riley was the face of our school,” the letter said. “She was the person who greeted every student and parent who entered the building. It was impossible to come to SPN and not encounter Ms. Riley. She was warm, yet firm with everyone she met, and she knew everyone in our community. She was an integral part of what made our school special.”
Neighbors said they had not heard any gunshots. Several retired law enforcement officers live on the block.
“I just hope they catch whoever did this,” said one of the retired officers, a former Chicago cop.
Anti-violence activist Andrew Holmes said family members suspect this could have been the result of a home invasion, likely sometime in the last 24 hours.
Police detectives were conducting door-to-door interviews on the block Wednesday.
Arteria Riley was shot in the right side of the head, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy released Wednesday ruled she died of multiple injuries from an assault.
Thomas Ann Riley and Ruben Riley were shot in the right side of their bodies, officials and the medical examiner’s office said. They both died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to autopsy reports.
All three deaths were ruled homicides, according to the medical examiner’s office.
The motive for their deaths was unclear and no one was in custody, police said.
