HIGHLAND PARK, IL – A man has been detained and is currently being interrogated in connection with a double murder that shocked Highland Park early Wednesday morning. Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, confirmed the arrest and mentioned that more information would be provided by Friday.
The tragic event unfolded around 3:50 a.m. on June 7, when two brothers, Marc Austwick, 63, and John Austwick, 60, were found lifeless outside a burning house on Park Avenue West. Responding to the fire, Highland Park’s Police and Fire Departments discovered the men on the lawn, bearing suspicious injuries.
According to the Lake County Coroner’s Office, both victims succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds. No additional victims were found at the scene. Given the severity of the injuries, the Highland Park Police called in the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force for assistance.
Firefighting units from several neighboring communities, including Glencoe, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Northbrook, Northfield, and Long Grove, collaborated to extinguish the fire. The section of Park Avenue West between Ridge Road and Sunnyside Avenue was closed off on Wednesday and Thursday to allow for a thorough investigation.
Preliminary findings suggest that the incident was an isolated case, and there is no further threat to the public. Authorities are continuing their investigation and will release more details as they become available.