Palatine Police Department responded about 11:26 p.m. Friday, November 29, 2024 to a request for a well-being check in the block of 1700 North Hicks Road in Palatine. Upon arrival, police officers located 42-year-old Fatima Lizeth Escalante Matamoros with a single gunshot wound to the head. The Palatine Fire Department transported the victim to an area hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased.
Immediately after the shooting, Palatine Police identified Escalante Matamoros’ boyfriend, Sergio E. Velasquez Fuentes, as a person of interest. Velasquez Fuentes fled the scene prior to responding officers’ arrival, but was later located by Streamwood Police Officers during the morning of November 30, 2024. Streamwood transferred custody to Palatine Police Detectives, who were investigating the shooting with assistance from the Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT).
Sergio Velasquez Fuentes was released from Palatine Police custody without charges pending further investigation on Monday, December 2, 2024, but he remained a person of interest in the shooting death. Palatine Police Department detectives continued their investigation into the shooting in collaboration with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Palatine Police obtained an arrest warrant for Sergio Velasquez Fuentes for First-Degree Murder on Friday, December 13, 2024. Police learned that Fuentes was in federal custody on an unrelated matter. Velasquez Fuentes was taken into custody by Palatine Police detectives on January 6, 2025. He was charged with First-Degree Murder, a class M felony, and transported to the Cook County 3rd District Courthouse in Rolling Meadows on January 7, 2025, for a detention hearing. Velasquez Fuentes, 43, of the 1700 block of North Hicks Road, will remain in custody until his next scheduled court date on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
Previous Update …
The Cook County Medical Examiners Office has ruled that the shooting death of a 42 year-old woman in the block of 1700 North Hicks Road in Palatine is a homicide. The primary cause of death according to the Cook County Medical Examiners Office is a gunshot wound of the head.
The Palatine Police Department and the Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT) are investigating the shooting death of a 42 year-old woman, where she was found in a home or on a residential property across Hicks Road from the Deer Grove Preserves, and also across Hicks Road and just south of the Midtown Athletic Club property.
Initial Article …
Palatine police officers responded about 11:26 p.m. Friday, November 29, 2024, to a call for help for a well-being check in the block of 1700 North Hicks Road. Upon arrival, officers located a 42-year-old female victim with a single gunshot wound to the head. Palatine Fire Department paramedics treated the victim with Advanced Life Support, and transported the victim to Northwest Community Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
The Palatine Police Department is investigating the shooting incident with the assistance of the Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT).
The Cook County Medical Examiners Office (CCMEO) as of Monday morning, December 2, 202 had not indicated whether the cause of death was ruled a homicide or a suicide.
According to the Palatine Police Department, “at this time, there are no known threats or safety concerns to the public related to this incident.”
Also, according to the Palatine Police Department, “updates will be provided as information becomes available.”
The death investigation scene was located next-door to a property where a house fire destroyed a house on Thursday, March 21, 2024, although no connection of circumstances is indicated.
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