Emily Romo La Grange Highlands IL Obituary and Death – A west suburban community is grieving the tragic death of 16-year-old Emily Romo, who passed away Thursday night after a brutal home invasion earlier this week in unincorporated Lyons Township. Prosecutors revealed harrowing details Friday in court about the violent attack that left Romo dead, her mother severely injured, and the suspect wounded during a police-involved shooting.
Authorities said the incident began Monday evening, around 5:30 p.m., inside an apartment in the 6400-block of Joliet Road, near the border of La Grange and Countryside. According to prosecutors, Juan Carlos Perez-Abarca, 35, of Orland Park, allegedly forced his way inside the residence before launching a vicious assault.
Investigators allege Perez-Abarca suffocated Emily Romo with a plastic bag while her 48-year-old mother attempted to intervene. Despite her desperate efforts to save her daughter, the woman was repeatedly stabbed during the struggle. When a Cook County Sheriff’s officer responded to a domestic violence call at the address, he reportedly encountered the horrifying scene: Romo motionless and bleeding, and Perez-Abarca holding her injured mother at knifepoint.
Prosecutors said that as the officer tried to intervene, Perez-Abarca began stabbing the woman again. Fearing for her life, the deputy opened fire, striking Perez-Abarca in the leg. Emergency crews rushed both victims and the suspect to nearby hospitals. Tragically, despite days of treatment, Romo succumbed to her injuries Thursday night, leaving her family and community devastated. Her mother remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Following his release from the hospital, Perez-Abarca appeared in a Bridgeview courtroom Friday, brought in a wheelchair due to his gunshot wound. Prosecutors laid out the chilling details of the attack as Cook County officials announced charges of attempted murder and home invasion, charges that are now expected to be upgraded to first-degree murder in light of Romo’s death.
The presiding judge, emphasizing the severity of the crime, described the assault as “nothing short of a horrific act of violence” and ordered Perez-Abarca held in custody at Cook County Jail without bond until his next court appearance on September 5.
Court filings revealed that Romo’s mother discovered her daughter with a plastic bag over her head during the attack. Despite her own serious injuries, she fought to save Emily until the sheriff’s deputy arrived. Prosecutors credited the deputy’s swift actions with preventing further tragedy.
The loss of Emily Romo has sent shockwaves through the La Grange Highlands community. Friends and classmates remembered her as a bright, kind, and compassionate young woman whose future was cut tragically short. Counselors have been made available at local schools as students grapple with the devastating news.
As the investigation continues, authorities are working to establish Perez-Abarca’s motive and a full timeline of events. For now, a grieving community is left to mourn the heartbreaking loss of a teenager whose life was taken in a senseless act of violence.
Emily Romo’s passing serves as a painful reminder of the fragility of life and the need for vigilance against domestic violence and community threats.
