4 dead, including 2 children, in possible murder-suicide in Joliet

Rusha Brooks on Thursday sat in a living room filled with boxes — a sign, she said, that her daughter was getting ready to move out.

But Jacquelon Gaskin never got that chance.

Gaskin, 28, her boyfriend, Brandyn Lee, and the two small children they shared were found dead in their Joliet home in an apparent murder-suicide.

At 10:19 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a call of people shot inside a house in the 500 block of Whitley Avenue, according to Joliet police.

Officers discovered the bodies of a male, a female and two young children on the second story. Investigators said there is no threat to the public.

“It appears at this time to be a murder-suicide,” police said. “No one else is being sought in reference to the incident at this time.”

The Will County coroner’s office said autopsies were scheduled for Friday.

Brooks and the coroner’s office identified the children as Gianna Lee, 6, and Giovanni Lee, 1. Brooks said her daughter had been with Lee for about 10 years.

“He was too controlling and she was just unhappy,” Brooks said, but added she didn’t know her daughter had planned to leave — until she saw the boxes Thursday, after police had removed the yellow crime tape and had allowed the family inside.

“She was an excellent mother to her children. She was loved and adored by many and will be missed dreadfully,” Brooks said.

Brooks said her daughter had graduated from Joliet Central High School and was working as a day care assistant. She had plans to study to become a nurse, Brooks said.

Brooks said her last contact with her daughter was when they texted back and forth Wednesday evening, while Brooks was shopping for some boots for her daughter.

“We were laughing about it. We were texting pictures of shoes to each other,” Brooks said.

Contributing: Sun-Times Wire