Two people, including a child, were found dead in a home in the 100 block of Briar Ridge Lane in Lake Villa Thursday afternoon. | Photo: Joe Shuman.

Police say a father killed his 9-year-old daughter and then killed himself at their Lake Villa home. Officers discovered the bodies Thursday afternoon.

The Lake Villa Police Department responded around 2:15 p.m. Thursday to the 100 block of Briar Ridge Lane in Lake Villa for a well-being check on a child.

Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli said the mother of a 9-year-old girl called police to check on her daughter after the girl was marked absent from school.

A preliminary investigation shows the childโ€™s mother and father live separately but share custody of the girl, Covelli said.

Officers entered the home on Briar Ridge Lane and found the 9-year-old deceased along with her 36-year-old father, who was also deceased. The girl had what appeared to be sharp-force wounds, Covelli said.

On Wednesday, the child’s mother agreed to allow the girl to stay with her father overnight.

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Two people, including a child, were found dead in a home in the 100 block of Briar Ridge Lane in Lake Villa Thursday afternoon. | Photo: Joe Shuman.

“When the girl was not in attendance at school today, the mother attempted to call the father. After several attempts of not being able to reach the father, the mother called Lake Villa Police to conduct a well-being check,” Covelli said.

Police say that based on the facts and circumstances obtained so far, the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide. Investigators believe the father killed his daughter and then killed himself.

Due to the nature of the incident, the Lake Villa Police Department requested the assistance of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

The Lake County Coronerโ€™s Office responded and is in the process of scheduling autopsies on the child and the father.

โ€œThis 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,โ€ Lake Villa Police Chief Craig Somerville said.

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The incident remains under investigation by members of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force and Lake Villa Police Department.