The coroner has identified a newlywed couple who were found dead in a car stopped in the roadway and police say both were shot in Harvard Monday evening.
Harvard Police Chief Tyson Bauman said an officer with the Harvard Police Department was on patrol around 11:52 p.m. Monday.
The officer spotted a parked vehicle in the 700 block of Division Street, also known as Route 14.
The car had its hazard lights activated and was stopped in the northbound lane near Burbank Street, Bauman said.
The officer approached to investigate what they believed to be a motorist assist.
Bauman said the officer discovered that a female driver and a male passenger were both dead inside the car.
The Harvard Fire Protection District was dispatched to the scene and it was relayed that one of the subjects had possibly shot themselves and was still in possession of a gun.
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein identified them on Wednesday as Rachel Dumovich, 29, and Brandon Dumovich, 30, both of Sharon, Wisconsin.
A preliminary investigation indicates that Rachel Dumovich and Brandon Dumovich suffered a gunshot wound, Bauman said. A firearm was recovered inside the car.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene to take possession of both subjects for autopsies.
Rein said autopsies have been scheduled on Rachel Dumovich and Brandon Dumovich for Thursday.
The McHenry County Major Investigative Assistance Team (MIAT), which is comprised of over a dozen investigators from law enforcement agencies, as well as the coroner’s office and state’s attorney’s office, was activated to respond.
Route 14 was shut down between Diggins Street, also known as Route 173, and McKinley Street to pedestrian and vehicle traffic, Bauman said.
Motorists were asked to avoid the area and use alternate routes as MIAT conducted an investigation.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said in an alert that heavy police activity was in the area due to the incident.
An alert from the Harvard Police Department told residents to “use caution, remain sheltered and avoid the area” and a subsequent alert said the activity concluded around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Bauman said that while “murder-suicide” is a potential scenario, no final determination has been made and the case remains under active investigation.
Rachel Dumovich and Brandon Dumovich got married less than a year ago on October 12.
A wedding event site said the couple met in middle school at 12 years old.
“I caught Brandon’s attention by stealing cologne from his locker and running away with it. After keeping in touch through many life stages and 15 years of friendship, we started dating in 2022,” Rachel Dumovich said on the site.
The couple is originally from Crystal Lake.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Harvard Police Department at 815-943-4431 or anonymously call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 815-943-4343 or email them at [email protected].