The death of a 35-year-old Yorkville father and his four-year-old son has been ruled a murder, suicide.
It took a panel of six jurors about 10 minutes to rule that Joseph R. Schmitt killed his son Wyland and himself through carbon monoxide poisoning in October, Kendall County Coroner Ken Toftoy said.
A toxicology report revealed the two Schmitts had “very high levels” of carbon monoxide in their system, which was the cause of death, Toftoy said.
On Oct. 24 Yorkville police discovered the two bodies in the garage of a home in the 300 block of Bertram Drive after being called to the home for a well-being check. Schmitt was found on the floor of the garage and Wyland was found unrestrained in a chair.
When authorities entered the garage the family vehicle was not running, but the keys were in the ignition and the gas tank was empty, leading investigators to believe the vehicle had been running.
An inquest is required any time there is an unexplained death, Toftoy said.
Preliminary autopsy results for the two Schmitts revealed amounts of carbon monoxide in their systems. Although the toxin was found in their system after an autopsy, at the time Toftoy said he could not confirm whether the levels of the toxin were lethal.
Toftoy thought the tests would reveal some other drug in the youngest Schmitt’s system to explain how he remained in the garage since there were no signs of restraint.
Schmitt and his wife, Kyle Weber, of Naperville, were in the process of getting a divorce at the time of the incident.
Toftoy described the case as the toughest during his tenure at the Kendall County Coroner's Office. He said it was a tough weight on him emotionally particularly when they removed the body of Wyland from the scene.
Read More:
Police Find Man and Boy Dead in Yorkville Home
Carbon Monoxide Found in Systems of Father and Son Found Dead in Garage
