Brandon and Rachel Dumovich newly Wisconsin married couple cause of death revealed to be murder-suicide. Husband shot wife dead then self.
Their love affair was doomed … An autopsy has revealed a newly married Wisconsin couple who were found deceased last month in a car died as a result of a murder-suicide according to medical examiner’s.
Brandon Dumovich, 30, and his wife, Rachel Dumovich, 29, both of Sharon, were found dead in Harvard, Illinois, late at night on October 6 by police. A gun was found inside the vehicle.
Both of them died from a single gunshot wound to the head, the McHenry County Coroner’s Office stated.
Wisconsin couple found dead six days before one year wedding anniversary
The investigation determined that Brandon who had married Rachel almost a year to the day, shooting his bride before turning the gun on himself, the Harvard Police Department said in a Facebook release on Thursday.
On the day of the couple’s discovery on October 6, Brandon was found dead in the passenger seat and Rachel dead in the driver’s seat of their parked car along Route 14. Officers had approached the vehicle to see if they needed motorist assistance, according to a previous police release on Oct. 8. The car had its ‘hazard lights activated.’
According to their wedding website on The Knot, the couple got married on October 12, 2024 and were days away from celebrating their first wedding anniversary when they were found.
Rachel and Brandon met in middle school and were friends for 15 years before they started dating in 2022, the couple shared on their wedding website.
Social media profiles hid a dark reality of married couple
Leading up to their deaths, Rachel updated her Facebook profile picture with a selfie alongside Brandon on the same day that they were found dead.
Minutes later, she uploaded a picture the couple took during a trip to Greece, captioned: ‘Forever chasing sunsets. Wishing we were back in Greece!’
Police found their bodies later that night along Route 14, near North Division Street.
Relatives on either side of the groom and bride declined to comment on what relationship fractures may have existed between the married couple.
Brandon was born in Barrington, Illinois, and served in the US Navy as a petty officer, his obituary stated. There was no mention of his wife.
A review of publicly available records showed that Brandon had several run-ins with the law and was cited for at least 33 alleged traffic violations across Wisconsin and Illinois. Not all cases resulted in a conviction.
Couple both had fractured pasts with the law
His most serious charge was for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2016. He appears to have accepted a plea deal in that case.
Rachel was a 2018 graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She had last worked as a human resources manager according to her obituary.
Her public obituary hailed Rachel as a ‘natural connector, advocate, and loyal friend’ with a ‘strong sense of empathy, compassion, social justice, and fair play, always championing those who needed a voice.’
Rachel, like her husband, had previously been found guilty of multiple traffic offenses. The most serious of her seven citations was for speeding.
Her family held a visitation and memorial service for her on October 17.
Not immediately clear behind the seemingly happy social media profiles was what marriage troubles the couple were undergoing before Brandon deciding to take his newly married wife’s life then his.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Harvard Police Department at (815) 943-4431 or submit tips anonymously through Crimestoppers.
