Illinois father and his 2 young sons found shot to death in their home; person of interest in custody
12/22/2021 1:57 pm PST
BELVIDERE, Ill. (TCD) -- A person of interest is in custody after a 31-year-old father and his two sons, ages 5 and 7, were found dead in their home on Union Avenue Sunday night.
According to Belvidere Police Chief Shane Woody, the children’s mother asked the landlord to do a welfare check on her sons, later identified as Benjamin and Sebastian, as well as their father, Andrew Hintt. The landlord reportedly found their bodies during the check and called 911.
Woody announced that the victims suffered gunshot wounds. Police reportedly recovered 9mm shell casings from the crime scene, but the weapon was not found. In a press conference, Woody said, "Whoever committed this horrific act is truly evil."
According to the Rockford Register Star, police announced a person of interest, 24-year-old Alize Smith of Huntley. Smith was reportedly with Hintt and his sons Sunday morning.
On Tuesday, Dec. 21, Smith was taken into custody for unrelated charges, WTVO-TV reports. Smith had reportedly served four years in prison for a series of robberies in 2016 and was paroled in June 2021. He remains held at Boone County Jail without bond.
According to the Rockford Register Star, Hintt was self-employed and owned a meat truck. The Rockford Register Star reports that Hintt’s fiancée was in California with their other three children, ages 3 and under, at the time of the deaths. Hintt and his fiancée were reportedly planning to move to California and have Benjamin and Sebastian join them.
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