Security cameras recorded a visitor entering a suburban Illinois apartment building with a screwdriver in his hand. The cameras did not record him leaving.
Within an hour, firefighters were forcing their way into the same Downers Grove, Illinois, unit, where 30-year-old Eliza Morales, who was five months pregnant, lay near the door with dozens of stab wounds. Prosecutors now allege that the man seen on camera, 19-year-old Nedas Revuckas, had turned a planned Facebook Marketplace truck sale into a fatal attack, according to a detailed account from police and prosecutors reported by Fox News.
A Truck Listing and an Online Meeting
According to police statements summarized in the Fox News report, the contact between Morales and Revuckas began on a familiar note. Morales’ husband had listed a red 1994 Ford Ranger pickup truck for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Investigators say Revuckas responded to the listing and went to the couple’s home to see the vehicle.
Fox News, citing local outlet Fox 32, reports that after that initial visit, Revuckas left with the truck while it still had the Morales family’s license plates attached. A follow-up meeting was arranged at the couple’s apartment building in Downers Grove. The purpose, investigators say, was to return the plates and complete a bill of sale.
Police allege that what happened at that second meeting in the apartment building is now at the center of multiple felony charges. According to the Fox News account, Revuckas has been charged with first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, animal cruelty, armed robbery, and arson. Court records were not provided in the coverage, but those are the charges police publicly described.
What Investigators Say the Cameras Show
According to police, surveillance video from the building provides a clear timeline of key moments. Fox News reports that the video shows Revuckas meeting Morales outside the building at around 5:30 p.m. She was visibly pregnant and expecting her second child.
At one point, Morales is seen handing Revuckas a screwdriver. A few minutes later, cameras captured him entering the building, holding that screwdriver behind his back. According to investigators, he then walked toward the hallway where the Morales family lived.
Police told reporters that the apartment door was seen opening and closing several times. They said the movement of the handle from the inside suggested an attempt to escape during what they describe as a struggle.
Shortly afterward, surveillance video shows smoke seeping out from under the apartment door. Fox News reports that firefighters responded to the scene and found Morales on the floor near the entry. She was taken to an ambulance and pronounced dead.
Morales’ husband was at work, and the couple’s 2-year-old child was not home, according to the police account cited by Fox News. An elderly family dog, however, was inside the apartment.
A Dog Attacked and a Fire Set
Authorities say the dog was stabbed between the eyes and also kicked. Despite those injuries and the fire, the animal managed to escape through a sliding door and received treatment at a veterinary hospital.
Investigators told reporters that the fire had been set using household items and the stove. According to Fox News, Revuckas later admitted to starting the fire. Police say he described stacking items on the stove and using chemicals and sanitizer as accelerants.
From the fire scene, investigators followed the trail back to the truck that started the exchange. Fox News reports that officers went to a Westmont residence where Revuckas lived with his girlfriend and found the Ford Ranger parked in the driveway. He was taken into custody that night.
The Suspect’s Statement and a Key Contradiction
After his arrest, Revuckas was interviewed by investigators. According to the police account summarized in Fox News coverage, he initially said that he had gone to the Morales apartment building to return the plates and pick up the bill of sale. He claimed he left through the building’s main entrance.
Surveillance footage did not support that detail. Police say the cameras did not capture Revuckas exiting the building through the front door at the time he claimed he left.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for his home. According to Fox News, officers reported finding boots and clothing that appeared to be stained with blood.
At some point during the investigation, police say Revuckas confessed to killing Morales. Fox News reports that he told detectives he stabbed her 10 times. He allegedly said he was angry about the condition of the truck he had purchased and took out that anger on her. According to police, Morales told him she was pregnant during the struggle inside the apartment.
That claimed number of stab wounds would later clash sharply with the findings of the medical examiner.
Forensic Findings and Unanswered Questions
An autopsy by the DuPage County Coroner, as described in the Fox News report, found roughly 70 stab wounds on Morales’ body. Most of the injuries were caused by a knife. The coroner reported defensive wounds and said that many of the stab wounds were concentrated on her head and neck.
According to the coroner’s preliminary findings, the cause of death was multiple sharp force injuries. Soot was also found in Morales’ airway, suggesting she inhaled smoke from the fire while injured but still alive.
The coroner further concluded that intrauterine fetal demise occurred as a result of Morales’ injuries. In practical terms, the fetus did not survive the attack. That finding underlies the separate charge of intentional homicide of an unborn child that police say was filed.
Fox News reports that vaginal bruising was noted during the autopsy. Investigators ordered a sexual assault kit. At the time of the report, no lab results were publicly reported. According to police, Revuckas denied sexually assaulting Morales.
That leaves investigators and prosecutors with a complex evidentiary record. There is a detailed autopsy, a reported confession with a lower claimed number of stab wounds than those documented, and a pending sexual assault question that will depend on forensic testing and later court proceedings.
Charges, Custody, and Public Response
As reported by Fox News, Revuckas faced charges of first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, animal cruelty, armed robbery, and arson. The article did not specify his plea or the timing of any initial court appearances. Under U.S. law, he remains presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
The attack on the family dog and the arson charge stem from the same sequence of events that police say unfolded in the apartment. The armed robbery allegation appears to relate to items taken during the incident, though the Fox News report did not detail that charge.
In interviews with local media, Morales’ relatives described trying to comprehend the loss of both a mother and her unborn child in the same event. Her husband, Gabriel, spoke to WLS-TV, a Chicago television station, about his grief. He said, “I’m gonna spend the rest of my life missing her. I can get every second back with her and just continue trying to live through her for my daughter, and continue to be strong for my family.”
A GoFundMe campaign created to support the family had raised tens of thousands of dollars within days, according to the Fox News report. The organizer described the loss of a wife, daughter, and mother alongside the unborn child, and emphasized the depth of the family’s pain.
A shocking betrayal turned deadly: An Illinois teen, furious over a Facebook Marketplace truck sale, allegedly stabbed pregnant mom Eliza Morales ~70 times, knifed the family dog, and torched her home—killing her and her unborn child. What does this say about online meetups?… pic.twitter.com/eo6zuy3Hmd
— Leone Gratias Enterprises (@leo49702) January 29, 2026
What Remains To Be Resolved
Key elements of the case are not yet settled in public records. The Fox News account is mainly based on statements from police and prosecutors at an early stage, combined with the coroner’s preliminary autopsy findings. Defense attorneys will eventually have the opportunity to challenge the state’s version of events, the admissibility of any statements, and the interpretation of forensic evidence.
Questions remain about the extent to which the alleged truck-related dispute influenced the attack, whether any mental health factors will be raised in court, and what forensic testing of the sexual assault kit may show. The large gap between the number of stab wounds Revuckas reportedly described in his confession and the number documented by the coroner will also be a focal point for both sides.
For people who routinely arrange online sales, the details outlined by investigators highlight the risks that can exist even in what appears to be a straightforward neighborhood transaction. For Morales’ family, and for a future jury, many of the most important answers will now come not from surveillance cameras or autopsy tables, but from the slow process of a criminal court case that has only begun.
