On the morning of November 29th, brothers Marco and David Ceja Sanchez, 37 and 36 respectively, from Aurora, were found dead in an unfinished townhouse located in the Sagebrook subdivision on Coneflower Drive. Located only a mile from East Campus, the house is the site of Lockport’s first homicides in ten years. Autopsies conducted on Wednesday revealed that the brothers were shot to death.

“It’s very uncommon to have a homicide,” said Lockport Police Chief Terry Lemming in a statement. “This is a sleepy town, very uncommon.”

The brothers were born in Mexico and worked for the last two years hanging drywall for Legacy Decorating under Frank Dunbar, who said that the brothers were valued employees. “They were on time and always outstanding in their quality and performance for our company,” Dunbar said. “We are saddened by the whole occurrence and wish the best to the families and everyone involved.”

The brothers started working on the Lockport townhouse on Monday, November 28, and were seen alive that night, but neighbors started to notice that their truck was still parked in the driveway at 7:30 PM, long after everyone had left. However, they saw and heard nothing else.

In Aurora, Marco’s wife said that she knew something was wrong when he didn’t arrive home that night. At about 9 PM, the brothers’ aunt, whom David lived with, called to ask about them, and that’s when both of them began to worry.

The job foreman discovered their bodies the next morning when he arrived at about 6:30 AM, meaning that they died at some point during the night. The truck, which was still at the scene, was towed away for examination.

Lemming said that it was clear that the causes of death were not from natural causes. As a result, the Lockport Police Department, the Will-Grundy County Major Crimes Task Force, and the Will County state’s attorney’s office began investigating the deaths as a double-homicide. The autopsy results have confirmed their suspicions.

Lemming said, “We don’t believe the safety of the public is in jeopardy. It seems to be an isolated incident contained within that townhome. There’s nothing to show any nexus the victims have to Lockport. They were just here doing work.” Nonetheless, Lemming announced that additional patrol officers will be on the streets as a precaution.

Lemming also made an appeal to the public, saying, “At this point, we are sorting through the information we have, but we are looking for any leads from the public that can help us solve this case.” Anyone who might have information that could aid in the ongoing investigation should call the Lockport Police Department or the Will County Crime Stoppers. The WCCS offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.