Couple found dead of gunshot wounds inside of their car were just days away from their first wedding anniversary

Rachel and Brandon died just a week before their first wedding anniversary and being found with gunshot wounds in a car. - (Facebook/Rachel Dumovich)

A Wisconsin couple was found dead inside their car, just days before they were set to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.

The bodies of Rachel, 29, and Brandon Dumovich, 30, were discovered in their vehicle in a Chicago suburb when police officers noticed that the car's hazard lights had been left on as it was parked.

Authorities immediately issued an alert to residents informing them that authorities would be maintaining a significant presence in the area as they investigated the death.

It was later determined that there was a gun inside the car, leading police to determine that there was no further threat to the general public.

They were found dead on October 6, their anniversary fell on October 12.

“Brandon and I met in middle school at 12 years old,” Rachel wrote on the wedding website The Knot. “I caught Brandon’s attention by stealing cologne from his locker and running away with it. “After keeping in touch through many life stages and 15 years of friendship, we started dating in 2022.”

The couple was found dead on Division Street in Harvard, Illinois. The couple was married in Wisconsin in 2023. (Google Streetview)

According to the couple’s profile on The Knot, Brandon proposed at Big Cedar Lake in Slinger, Wisconsin, in 2023. At that time, they had been dating for a little over two years, though they were friends for 15 years before that.

Hours before her death, Rachel posted about a vacation that she and Brandon had recently taken together.

"Forever chasing sunsets,” she wrote. “Wishing we were back in Greece."

Underneath the post, family members and loved ones paid tribute to Rachel.

“Keep chasing those sunsets and never stop smiling, brighten up the sky,” one person wrote. “R.I.P. Rachel Dumovich”

According to Rachel’s obituary, she worked in Human Resources and studied at the University of Wisconsin, where she earned a spot on the Dean’s List honors every semester she attended. Her funeral is set to be held on October 17.

In a post on Facebook, Brandon Dumovich’s mother, Laura Lund Dumovich, asked “for prayers and gentle understanding” while her family grieves.

“From the moment he entered our lives, Brandon brought immeasurable joy, laughter, and love,” she wrote. “His sense of humor, warmth, and generous spirit touched everyone who knew him.

“He will forever be missed by all who had the privilege of loving him.”