Man drowns his children, leaves note for wife: 'if I can't have them neither can you'

A 35-year-old man from Illinois, USA, allegedly drowned his three children in the bathtub of his house and left a note to their mother that read "If I can't have them neither can you."

Jason Karels killed the children, aged two, three and five, when they had gone to visit him over the weekend at his house in the northern Chicago suburb of Round Lake Beach.

The horrific crime came to light after Karels's estranged wife called police to do a well-being check on the children. When the police arrived at the accused man's house, they found bodies of three children lying on a bed.

However, the father wasn't home when the police found the bodies. They spotted his car a few hours later on Interstate 57 and chased after him. The man was eventually caught after his car crashed in a wooded area.

Karel later confessed that he had killed his children and had tried to kill himself too. He has been charged with three counts of murder. The police have said that the case remains an active homicide investigation.

According to Round Lake Police Chief Gilbert Rivera, they are not yet aware if the man has any history of abuse of the children or has any history of mental illness

"I don't know if anything could have stopped this, or if there were any early indications of it. As I mentioned, we were not familiar with this family nor with the house, but I can tell you we're all deeply affected," Rivera said.

Meanwhile, the man is being kept at the Lake County jail. A court has ordered him to be held on $10m bail. The police are yet to reveal more details about the case, including the motive behind the killings.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the mother and to raise money for the children's funeral costs. The page has been set up by Lake County Board member Dick Barr, per a report in The Independent.

"This tragedy happened in my own neighbourhood, and I need to make certain that this mother has everything she needs to not have to worry about money at this terrible time," he said in the post for funding.

"As heartbroken as I am, I am equally angry. I'm angry that this coward is not dead while his innocent children are stacked up at the morgue and his estranged wife weeps with sorrow no human alive should ever have to endure," he added.