A Wisconsin couple who were found dead in their car each suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head, preliminary autopsy results have revealed.
The bodies of Rachel Dumovich, 29, and her husband, Brandon, 30, were discovered in the vehicle on a highway in Harvard, Illinois, just before midnight on October 6.
A police officer had spotted a car stopped on Route 14 northbound near Burbank Street with its hazard lights flashing.
When the cop approached the vehicle, he found both occupants dead – Rachel in the driver’s seat and Brandon in the passenger seat.
Authorities briefly issued a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents before confirming there was no ongoing threat.
Harvard Police Chief Tyson Bauman said while a murder-suicide is a potential scenario, no final determination has been made.
However, the McHenry County Coroner’s Office has now indicated that each victim had a single gunshot wounds to the head, Fox News Digital reports.
The autopsy report with the coroner’s office’s full results is yet to be released.
The McHenry County major investigative assistance team, which includes multiple law enforcement agencies and the state’s attorney’s office, was called to assist with the case and Route 14 was closed overnight, Lake & McHenry County Scanner reported.
‘At this time, this appears to be an isolated incident and there is no evidence to suggest that there is any danger or threat to the public,’ police said in a statement.
The Dumoviches were days away from celebrating their first wedding anniversary when they were found.
According to a wedding page on The Knot, Rachel and Brandon were middle-school sweethearts who met when Rachel was 12.
‘I caught Brandon’s attention by stealing cologne from his locker and running away with it,’ she wrote on the page, adding that the two reconnected in adulthood after 15 years of friendship.
The couple married on October 12, 2024, at Big Cedar Lake in Wisconsin.
On the same day that the couple was found dead, Rachel updated her Facebook profile picture with a selfie alongside Brandon.
Minutes later, she uploaded a picture the couple took during a trip to Greece, captioned: ‘Forever chasing sunsets. Wishing we were back in Greece!’
The couple were found dead by police that night.
A public obituary for Brandon said he was born in Barrington, Illinois, and had served in the US Navy as a petty officer.
He was remembered for his ‘extraordinary ability to lift spirits and bring people together.’
There was no mention of his wife.
Brandon was also not mentioned in Rachel’s public obituary, which recalled her as a ‘natural connector, advocate, and loyal friend’ with a ‘strong sense of empathy, compassion, social justice, and fair play, always championing those who needed a voice.’
The Highland Park, Illinois, native was listed as a 2018 graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
She had last worked as a human resources manager.
The investigation remains ongoing.
‘Our thoughts remain with the families and all those affected as the investigation moves forward,’ Chief Bauman said.
