Major Case Assistance Team Crime Scene Command Unit at Park Street between Arlington Heights Road and Evergreen Avenue Tuesday evening.
Arlington Heights police confirmed Wednesday afternoon, after Kevin Finnerty, 46, died at 4:40 a.m., that he killed his wife and son, and was the cause of his own death. Investigators found a gasoline can in the master bedroom. A suicide note was also found. Details of the content of the note have not been released, but police are describing the tone of the note as discouragement over “general issues of the times” and “financial issues.”
Patricia Finnerty, 41, wife of Kevin, was found dead at the scene. Their son, Garrett, 11, was pronounced dead Tuesday about 4:00 a.m. at Northwest Community Hospital.
Two other children, Bridget Finnerty, 12, and Pierce Finnerty, 6, escaped with minor injuries. Bridget was injured when she jumped from the roof of her family’s home to go get help.
Breaking Story of Fire Scene from 3:45 a.m. Tuesday …
DONATIONS TO SURVIVORS
Bridget & Pierce Finnerty
Jennifer Murphy,
“Guardian of the Finnerty Children”
Village Bank & Trust
311 S. Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Floodlights from the Arlington Heights Public Works Department light the crime scene for the Major Case Assistance Team Crime Scene Command Unit forensics personnel.
Crime scene house at Park Street and Evergreen Avenue lit for forensics personnel on Tuesday.
Garrett’s Gift may not be a legit fund. Comments on other news sites report that the police have been notified about it and are investigating. The Herald had an article on it and pulled it off its website. Note that it lists only a PO box, which is unusual for a donation of this type, rather than a bank. Also the family has announced that a fund has been set up through Village Bank & Trust, not this alleged fund.
NOTE FROM THE MODERATOR: This comment is about another fund that was suspicious, and has since been removed from articles published by local media sources.
I lived in Arlington heights when I was in second grade our family knew the finnertys very well. 2006 was the last time I saw Garret I was 9. I remember saying good bye to him in his multi colored shirt. Telling him we’d see them soon. In 2008 we were going to go back but I had a concert. The biggest mistake was not going. 2009 we went back for the funeral. We all cried. This was the boy that was on my soccer team in kindergarten while his sister, Bridget, Garret, my little brother and I would play tag, climb trees, and run around, without a care in the world. Kevin Finnerty was an artist and in ’08 he painted some paintings for my dads wine thing. We were all very close. I can remember Mrs. Finnerty, a smile always plastered to her face. Garret Bridget, my brother and I would always play game cube together. Our favorite game was super Mario brother Meele, or Luigies mansion. I miss them, to this very day. God bless them. I visited just last year with Bridget, Pierce and there uncle and aunt. Great home nice family. I still can’t believe it happened even to this day.
Xoxo
-M