Update: Algonquin woman detained in Colorado on charges in double homicide

An Algonquin woman who police said killed two people Sunday in Algonquin and then fled the state has been arrested on first-degree murder charges in Colorado.

Arin M. Fox, a 39-year-old resident of Algonquin, was charged with first-degree murder, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated battery and domestic battery in connection with the deaths, according to an Algonquin Police Department news release.

The McHenry County Coroner’s Office has identified the victims as Leonard J. Gilard Jr., 73, and Noreen S. Gilard, 69, both of Algonquin, according to the release.

The pair appeared to have suffered stab wounds, although an official cause of death has not yet been confirmed, Algonquin Deputy Police Chief Ryan Markham said.

Autopsies for both Noreen and Leonard Gilard are scheduled for Tuesday, McHenry County interim Coroner John Miller said.

It was not immediately clear how long the pair had been dead, as Fox already was in Colorado by the time police discovered the bodies Sunday, Markham said. A third party tipped off investigators to Fox’s location, Markham said.

The Cinnamon Creek subdivision was quiet Monday afternoon as an Algonquin Police Department vehicle kept watch outside the Gilards’ home. A perimeter of caution tape divided the house at 635 Red Coach Lane from the neighboring homes, whose residents said the Gilards generally kept to themselves.

“It shakes up the neighborhood, that’s for sure,” said one neighbor, Karen, who asked that the Northwest Herald not use her last name.

Fox lived with the Gilards as recently as February, court records show. In an affidavit she filed for a separate case earlier this year, Fox indicated that she’d lived at the address for about two years with her boyfriend and his parents, Noreen and Leonard Gilard.

The Gilards’ adult son, Andrew Gilard, is not considered a suspect and police do not believe he was involved in his parents’ death in any way, Markham said.

Records show that Andrew Gilard, 38, has been in custody at the McHenry County Jail since Sept. 1 after violating the terms of his bail. He originally was arrested in June and charged with aggravated battery and domestic battery after police said he punched Leonard Gilard and another person, court records show.

Fox also has a history of violent allegations tied to the Gilard family. In October 2019, Fox was charged with aggravated assault after she allegedly threw a butcher’s knife at Leonard Gilard, court records show. That case was dismissed on Sept. 16 of this year, less than two months before she would be accused in the Gilards’ deaths.

The Algonquin police investigation began about 6 p.m. Sunday, when officers performed a well-being check in the 600 block of Red Coach Lane, according to the release. A family friend asked police to check on the home after they hadn’t heard from the victims in several days, Markham said.

When police entered the home, they found the bodies of a male and female who both suffered apparent fatal wounds, according to the release.

Fox is accused of having fled in the Gilards’ Buick to Colorado after the crime occurred. She’s currently being detained in the Douglas County, Colorado, detention center, awaiting extradition. In the meantime, Algonquin police officers are on their way to Colorado to speak with Fox and gather evidence, Markham said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Neighbors in the immediate area said they only occasionally saw Fox and Noreen and Leonard Gilard. Now and then Noreen Gilard would leave the house for doctor’s appointments, or Leonard Gilard would go outside to check the mail. Fox sometimes smoked her cigarettes in the garage, one neighbor said.

The Gilards have lived in the neighborhood for years, said Karen, who moved to the area in 1985.

“I haven’t seen [Noreen] in a very long time,” said Karen, who described Noreen Gilard as funny and friendly.

Fox’s criminal history in McHenry County dates back to 2011, when she was charged in two separate cases with possession of a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated battery to a police officer.

The battery charge stemmed from July 2011 allegations that Fox bit and punched multiple correctional officers at the McHenry County Jail. The possession of a stolen motor vehicle charges were dismissed, records show.

Watching the house from the end of her driveway Monday, Karen remembered seeing police across the street during the 2019 incident, she said. But if fighting and arguing were regularly occurring at the Gilard house, it wasn’t something Karen was aware of, she said.

“It’s shocking. It’s terrible,” she said.