A McHenry man has been charged with drug-induced homicide after a Wauconda couple was found dead in a Libertyville motel with their 6-month-old baby, who was found in the room unharmed.
Erick Ruiz, 22, of the 5900 block of Cobblestone Trail in McHenry, was charged with two counts of drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony, which carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 6-30 years per count.
He was also charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 2 felony.
The Libertyville Police Department and Libertyville Fire Department responded around 11:08 a.m. on November 13 to Motel 6, 1809 North Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville.
Libertyville Police Department Sgt. Jason Kapusinski said officers responded to a report of two people found unresponsive in a room at the motel.
Officers arrived at the scene and confirmed Robert Callen and Amanda Dubin were both deceased in one of the rooms, Kapusinski and the coroner’s office said.
Callen, 35, of Wauconda, and Dubin, 34, of Wauconda, both suffered drug overdoses, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Preliminary tests by the coroner’s office determined Callen and Dubin had fentanyl, an extremely strong opiate, in their systems, prosecutors said.
A 6-month-old baby found in the room was transported by paramedics to Advocate Condell Medical Center for a medical assessment and hospital staff determined the baby was not injured.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Lindsay Hicks said that the couple checked into a Motel 6 at about 11 p.m. on November 12.
Just after 11 a.m. on November 13, hotel staff checking on the room heard the baby crying and entered the room.
The couple was found dead and the baby was found crying on the floor nearby, Hicks said.
Callen and Dubin were the parents of the 6-month-old who was found in the room.
Detectives observed no signs of foul play or trauma to the bodies, prosecutors said. Detectives did find fentanyl in the motel room.
The infant was taken into the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and later transferred to the care of family members.
Libertyville police did not say how they determined Ruiz was the suspect who delivered the drugs to the couple.
Ruiz was taken into custody after the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges on Thursday.
Ruiz attended bond court Friday morning and Lake County Judge Ray Collins granted the prosecutor’s request to set bond at $1 million.
“People who choose to make their money by dealing deadly drugs like heroin and fentanyl know that overdoses are on the rise. They know that these chemicals will kill,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.
“The facts of this case are particularly egregious in light of the death of two parents and the risk to a six-month old baby. Our office will support the surviving family members and seek a result in the courtrooms that tells dealers we will not tolerate their criminal business in Lake County,” Rinehart said.
Collins set a preliminary hearing court date of January 12 for Ruiz, who remains in custody at the Lake County Jail.