Kimberly Vaughn’s sister admired Kim’s relationship with her husband, Christopher, after years of observing how he doted on her and their children.
She knew they were planning a romantic getaway this weekend, to the bed-and-breakfast where they honeymooned in their home state of Missouri more than a decade ago.
So Nikki Isemann was dumbfounded Thursday after learning that Kimberly Vaughn and her three young children were found shot to death hours earlier in their sport-utility vehicle near Interstate Highway 55 in rural Will County, and that Christopher Vaughn was found nearby with a minor gunshot wound.
It was the third multiple-death tragedy to strike Midwestern families this month. In Delavan, Wis., a murder-suicide claimed six lives, including those of two children, and in Griffith, Ind., another murder-suicide claimed the life of a 15-year-old girl and her stepfather.
Police investigating Thursday’s slayings, meanwhile, have not concluded what type of case it was but indicated that no one outside the immediate family was involved.
“This is absolutely a ridiculous tragedy,” Isemann said through tears. “She was my best friend and an excellent parent.”
Investigators questioned Christopher Vaughn, who had a gunshot wound to his thigh, during the afternoon. Officials declined to identify him as a suspect and said he was free to leave Illinois State Police District 5 headquarters in Lockport Township.
Isemann said she would be shocked if her brother-in-law had anything to do with the deaths of her sister and the children, Blake, 8, Cassandra, 11, and Abigayle, 12.
State Police Capt. Carl Dobrich, who is overseeing the investigation, gave assurances that the public was not in danger because police believe all the people involved were at the crime scene.
The children suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and the mother died from a single gunshot wound, Will County Coroner Patrick O’Neil said.
Christopher Vaughn was treated at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and released, police said.
“He’s been very cooperative in assisting us in this incident and gave us a good picture of what happened,” Dobrich said. “We are investigating all angles.”
Assisted by passerby
Christopher Vaughn, 32, who moved to Oswego with his family last year, flagged down a passerby about 5:25 a.m. on a frontage road near I-55, south of Bluff Road in Channahon Township, and asked the passerby to call 911, Dobrich said.
“The incident unfolded there, and he came upon the passerby shortly thereafter,” Dobrich said. The passerby was helpful and was interviewed, he added.
Found inside the family’s red 2004 Ford Expedition were Kim, 34, and their children. All were pronounced dead at the scene.
Channahon Mayor Joe Cook said a handgun was recovered from the Expedition. He said the crime appeared to be domestic.
Kimberly and Christopher Vaughn moved from Missouri to Washington state in June 2001, according to public records. Christopher Vaughn incorporated StoneBridge Security, a corporate computer-fraud and cyber-crimes investigation firm, in December 2003.
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Former Aurora residents
In 2005, they moved to an Aurora apartment complex, according to public records, and Christopher Vaughn continued his business, operating with a downtown Chicago phone number. Former neighbors at the complex described them as a clean-cut family with well-mannered children who elaborately decorated their front door each holiday.
Neighbor Martina Torres, 26, said Christopher Vaughn ran his business from their apartment, and she never saw the couple fight.
“The kids were so good,” she said. “I always said they were going to raise doctors and lawyers. I feel so bad for the kids.”
In May 2006, the couple bought a $417,000 home in Oswego, which state police searched after the shootings.
Neighbors, meanwhile, expressed disbelief.
“I know they always say this, but it’s just inconceivable that this could happen here,” said Tony Bridges, 56. “I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight.”
Bridges said Kimberly Vaughn took an attendant job at their subdivision clubhouse about a month ago, when he also took one. She took her two daughters to swim there on Wednesday night, he said.
Nothing seemed amiss, he said. Bridges described Christopher Vaughn, whom he met once, as “real mellow.” Neighbors said he likes to hunt and camp.
The employee calendar, meanwhile, indicated that Kimberly Vaughn would be gone Friday to Sunday, apparently for the getaway.
Anticipation about trip
“Kim was very excited about it, getting last-minute things packed,” her older sister said. “I know they were looking forward to this.
“Her husband, he adored her. He would do everything for her. He lavished her with gifts and jewelry. It was an enviable relationship. He put her on a pedestal. He was always doing those romantic gestures. Chris is a great guy. He’s not the most social, but I enjoyed his humor.”
Christopher Vaughn volunteered as a den father with his son’s Cub Scouts troop, she said.
Kimberly Vaughn, the identical twin of Jennifer Ledbetter, was devoted to her children, at one point taking a job as a paraprofessional at her children’s elementary school.
“Everything she did was about being a better mom,” Isemann said.
“I modeled my parenting style after her,” she added. “I can’t believe those three children are gone, too.”
She described “Abbi” as “an artist, very advanced for her age, an incredible talent.”
Sandi, she said, recently attended science camp. “She has tree frogs as pets,” she said. “She loves all things purple.”
And Blake was an avid reader for whom his mother went to battle, getting his teacher to allow him to read more advanced material, Isemann said.
“The teacher didn’t want him to read above his grade level,” she said. “Kim went up and had to do battle, and she won. He was gifted.”
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