ASHLAND, Illinois – A tragic incident in Cass County late Thursday resulted in a triple homicide-suicide, leaving four people dead and one man in critical condition. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, along with four other law enforcement agencies, including the Menard County Sheriff’s Office, Ashland Police, Pleasant Plains Police, Illinois State Police, and other law enforcement officials in Beardstown, were dispatched to a residence in the 300 block of Philadelphia Road in rural Ashland.
Upon arrival, law enforcement found a man with a gunshot wound alongside Autumn Bell, 19, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The injured man provided information about another related incident in the 700 Block of Lockard Street, Ashland. There, two women, Christina Bell, 53, and Aleria Bell, 16, were discovered dead inside the residence. The injured man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The suspect, Ronald L. Cobrun, 62, was found deceased in his vehicle at the corner of North Main and Oak streets in Jacksonville, having died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn expressed the profound impact of the tragedy on the small, rural community, urging the community to offer support, care, and remembrance to the affected families. Meanwhile, authorities have not provided a motive for the shootings, and autopsies for the three women are scheduled for Monday.
This incomprehensible act of violence has shaken the tight-knit community, reminding everyone of the importance of coming together in times of tragedy. The investigation into this tragic event is ongoing, as law enforcement works to piece together the events that led to this devastating outcome.