Highland Park murders: Jeffrey Austwick accused of fatally shooting his brothers Marc and John, burning down his mother's house

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (WLS) — A man wanted in the shooting deaths of two brothers in Highland Park is now in custody, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force announced Friday.

Jeffrey Austwick allegedly shot his two brothers before setting fire to their mother's house. He was taken into custody in St. Louis, police said.

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The bodies were discovered Wednesday as firefighters responded to a house fire in the 1700 block of Park Avenue West.

First responders found brothers Marc Austwick, 63, of Lake Forest, and John Austwick, 60, of Mundelein, outside the burning home. Both men died of multiple gunshot wounds, autopsy results from the Lake County coroner showed.

Firefighters extinguished the fire and no other victims were found inside or outside the home.

The three brothers were meeting to discuss the assets of their elderly mother, who died earlier this week, police said.

Investigators said that after Marc and John Austwick arrived at the property, Jeffery shot them both and set the house on fire. He then fled the scene in his vehicle

Jeffery was arrested in a St. Louis, Mo., park by local authorities around 5:30 a.m. Friday after authorities in Lake County, Ill., obtained a wide arrest warrant national.

Phyllis Austwick, the brothers' mother, lived in the Highland Park home and died May 31 at Evanston Hospital following a medical issue, the coroner's office said.

Authorities have not given an exact motive for the shooting, but the news of an arrest comes as a relief to residents near the crime scene.

At the now-closed house on Park Avenue West, a statue of the Virgin Mary was framed by police tape, belying the horror of what happened there.

“There's a resolution for the neighbors, and there's a resolution for the community, but I think for the family, it's a tragedy,” said neighbor Lisa Spathis. “There's a strange aura about this house and what's going on there, but like… we never would have expected this.”

Neighbors said Jeffrey lived with his mother and while there were few signs of trouble, there had been some strange encounters. Julie Moss says that over the past year, Jeffrey called the police at least once a week to complain that his dog Milo was barking in the adjacent yard.

“Very strange,” Moss said. “I'm so happy there's an end to this story. It's crazy.”

The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force said the shooting was an isolated incident and there was no threat to the community.

Jeffery remains in custody in Missouri pending an initial court hearing, police said.