Retired US postal worker kills his fiance and her two daughters - one aged 16 and her 19-year-old

A retired US postal worker gunned down his fiancée and her two daughters - one of whom was pregnant - before turning the gun on himself in a grisly mass shooting in Ashland, Illinois. 

The tragedy unfolded on December 14, with another unidentified man also reportedly shot in the home after gunman Ronald 'Butch' Cobren Jr. opened fire. 

Police say he caused the bloodbath at the family's ramshackle home near Springfield, Illinois, with first responders initially arriving at the scene to find pregnant 19-year-old Autumn Bell dead from a gunshot wound. 

As they moved through the home, officers found a man shot with life-threatening wounds, before they then discovered the bodies of Alaria Bell, 16, and Cobren's fiancée Christina Bell, 53. 

Ronald 'Butch' Cobren Jr. is believed by police to have shot his new fiancée Christina Bell (pictured together), her two daughters dead, and injured an unidentified man, in a brutal mass shooting on December 14 

Autumn Bell, 19, (left) and her sister Alaria, 16, (right) were both found shot dead in their home in Ashland, Illinois 

The grisly scene concluded as police found Cobren dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with the unnamed male victim reportedly later telling investigators the name of the shooter. 

The mass shooting rocked the small town of only around 1,200 people, and Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn told ABC7 that he personally knew all of those involved, including the gunman. 

'Heinous acts of this magnitude rocks the core of any community,' Ohrn added. 

Investigators said the tragic shooting unfolded following reports of a person being shot in the stomach. 

EMS responded to the call, with paramedics first discovering Autumn dead from a gunshot wound. 

Tragically, Autumn had shared images of her ultrasound on social media just a month before her death, celebrating the upcoming birth of her first child with her boyfriend. 

Police quickly established that Cobren Jr. was the shooter, and said he was a longtime resident of the small community and was a retired US postal worker. 

Investigators said he had recently become engaged to Christina Bell, and their social media accounts include several smiling selfies of the couple together. 

The tragic shooting unfolded last month at the family's ramshackle home in Ashland, Illinois, around 20 miles from the city of Springfield 

Investigators say Cobren and Bell were recently engaged, and their social media accounts show the couple in several smiling selfies 

Officers initially arrived on the scene to reports of a man shot in the stomach, before they tragically found the bodies of Christina (right) and her daughter Alaria (left) in the home 

Just a month before her death, Autumn shared an image of her ultrasound to social media as she celebrated the upcoming arrival of her first child 

After the discovery of the family's bodies in their home, police say they found Cobren's car parked in nearby Jacksonville, Illinois, where the suspected gunman was deceased after seemingly turning the gun on himself. 

Officials are yet to release any motive over the killings, and several law enforcement agencies including the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Division have launched an investigation. 

Sherriff Ohrn said the shooting has shaken his community, and felt that in a small town there is a familiarity that 'breeds trust'. 

'We will all get through this the Cass County way,' he continued. 

'Offering support, care and remembrance. Be quick to lend a hand or a hug and be slow to criticize. 

'Pray for the family and the many affected by these senseless acts of violence. Lastly, reach out if help is needed and always remember the victims.' 

Autopsies are set to be conducted on Monday, and officials insisted there is no further danger to the community. 

Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn (pictured) said the senseless shooting had 'rocked the core' of his community 

Tributes have poured in for the victims in the tragic shooting, with Daniel Castle, a close friend to several members of the family, saying on Facebook he loved them 'with all of my heart.' 

'I honestly also considered Autumn to be one of my best friends and I'm absolutely going to miss her for the rest of my life.

'Everyone here in Illinois has been so supportive and generous, so I'm posting to reach out to my friends and family out of state. 

'Anything you can do - share, donate, pray if you're religious, and keep my friends, their family, those no longer with us, and those who never got the chance to be, in your thoughts.'

He added that the man who was shot 'saved lives' and is 'still fighting.' 

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family recover and to pay for funeral costs, noting that 'this family has suffered an unimaginable tragedy'. 

'Chrissy, Alaria, Autumn, and an unborn baby were tragically shot and killed. The family needs this community and surrounding communities to come together like never before and help them lay these three beautiful souls to rest.' 

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