Sheridan man charged with murder after two bodies found in rural fire

A Sheridan man has been charged with murder following a day-long investigation into the discovery of two bodies in rural Sheridan – but the suspect is not yet in custody, and the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office considers him armed and dangerous.

Ronald W. Martin Jr., 45, is charged in La Salle County Circuit Court with multiple counts of first-degree murder. The sentencing range is 20-60 years in prison with no possibility of probation.

Martin may be eligible for a longer stretch, as multiple murder convictions are subject to terms of natural life. Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011.

Martin’s charges were disclosed when the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office uploaded a six-count filing bearing his name Thursday afternoon. However, a spokesman for the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office said that Martin is not yet in custody. The office said he is armed and dangerous.

The murder charges come on the heels of a 14-hour (and counting) investigation begun when first responders were dispatched to rural Sheridan for a fire reported at 12:52 a.m. Thursday.

Authorities confirmed later that two bodies were discovered – a third victim survived unspecified injuries and was hospitalized – at the scene. La Salle County authorities have not yet confirmed reports that the two victims died from gunshots.

La Salle County Undersheriff David Ortiz confirmed a manhunt was launched and indicated that investigators “do believe this was an isolated incident.” Ortiz said the sheriff’s office is being assisted by Illinois State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This is the third multiple murder in the Sheridan area in just over 20 years.

In a case eerily similar to today’s incident, 61-year-old Mary Comer and 40-year-old James Larrison were found shot to death in July 2004 at Comer’s residence in rural Sheridan – a location believed to be very near the current crime scene. Comer’s residence was also on fire when the bodies were discovered. That case is unsolved.

More recently, Donald Fredres was sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 murders of his former in-laws, Brenda and Greg Barnes, of rural Sheridan.

This remains a developing story and will be updated as the investigation unfolds.