How a ‘missing, endangered’ woman was the mastermind behind a Romeoville quadruple-murder

Recent details revealed by Romeoville police have provided a striking new light about the murder of a family of four in September 2023, revealing a possible motive behind the gruesome murders.

Zoriada Bartolomei, her husband Alberto Rolón, their two small children and three dogs were found shot dead in his own home on September 17, 2023.

The police report revealed a new motive for the murders. Murder suspect Nathaniel Huey Jr. and his fiancee Ermalinda Palomo fled to Catoosa, Oklahoma, after the killings, where they died in a murder-suicide following a police chase.

Palomo’s family first believed she had been taken and was in danger, and Palomo initially labeled her an “endangered missing person.” Police reports now show that Palomo played a larger role in planning the murders.

New Romeoville police body camera footage obtained by NBC Chicago shows officers at Palomo’s front door the day after the murder was discovered.

“I know you know what’s going on and why we’re here,” one officer said. “We are investigating a murder.”

Palomo seemed stoic and yet was somehow shocked to learn of the murder. She responded “who murdered someone?”

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New reports show that her fiancé, Huey Jr., not only killed the family of four, but suggests that Palomo herself persuaded him to do it and was the mastermind behind the gruesome crime.

The police report goes on to say that Huey “had a history of infidelity in his relationship” with Palomo, and that she knew of an affair he was having with Bartolomei.

In December 2021, almost two years before the murder, he began creating multiple online personas that he used to communicate with Huey under the guise of being Mexican cartel bosses, gunmen, hitmen, and hackers.

Investigation shows that she used a Pinger mobile app to generate phone numbers for each person, and they would encourage Huey to be loyal to Palomo. This eventually led Palomo, through these characters, to convince him that he was under constant surveillance by the organization.

Palomo’s fake accounts also sent threatening messages to Rolón and Bartolomei, threatening their children if they did not end their romance with Huey.

Police body camera footage from the next day shows police questioning Palomo about unknown phone numbers.

“We’re going to find out who those phone numbers belong to. Is there any reason why those numbers would come back to you?” an officer asked. Palomo answered no.

The messages escalated two days before the murder when police say Ermalinda, disguised as one of the “Turtle Cartel” hitmen, sent Huey a text message telling him that a mole was planning to attack him. The account did not say who the mole was, which left Huey “paranoid.”

The story later identified Bartolomei as the mole and helped Huey plan the murders of the entire family.

The texts in the police report say: “Release the dogs when they present themselves… move, locate and hit the two adults first… then the two children.”

Huey did as he was told, while Palomo waited outside in the car.

Huey didn’t know that the years-long communication was false, or that Palomo was behind the keyboard the entire time.

“I believe [that] ermalinda [Palomo] “He was able to trick Nathaniel Huey into believing that he needed to kill Zoraida and her family by posing as several members of a Mexican cartel who threatened violence and death because of Nathaniel’s affair with Zoraida and Nathaniel’s indifference towards his relationship with Ermalinda. “said a police officer. the officer’s report said.

An attorney for Palomo’s family declined a request for comment from NBC Chicago.