On December 19, 2021 the bodies of Andrew Hintt and his two young sons were found inside their Union Avenue home in Belvidere, Illinois. Seven-year-old Benjamin Ben Andrew Hintt and his 5-year-old brother Sebastian, both described as Caucasian, and their father had all been fatally shot. The Boone County Coroner’s Office ruled the deaths homicides.

The boys’ mother contacted the landlord after she couldn’t reach Andrew; the landlord then discovered the victims. Investigators recovered 9mm shell casings at the scene but did not recover the firearm. A Jeep Grand Cherokee registered to Andrew Hintt was missing from the property and is believed to have been taken by the perpetrator or perpetrators.

On January 5, 2022, 24-year-old Alize Q. Smith of Huntley was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings and was held without bond. The community held a vigil for the family. If anyone has information about the Union Avenue home, the missing Jeep, or these deaths, please share what is known with investigators.