Police ID Person Of Interest In Homicide Of Illinois Father And His Two Young Sons

Police have identified a person of interest in the slayings of an Illinois father and his two young sons.

Alize Q. Smith, 24, was taken into custody Tuesday for parole violations, but authorities have said they are questioning Smith about the triple homicides of Andrew Hintt, 31, and his sons, ages 5- and 7-years-old, according to the Rockford Register Star.

Smith was allegedly with Hinnt and his two sons on the morning of December 19 — the same day investigators discovered the three bodies in Hintt’s Belvidere home, Belvidere Police said in a statement announcing the arrest.

Hintt’s landlord had called 911 Sunday to request a welfare check at the home. When investigators went inside, they found Hintt and the boys dead, according to a press conference Monday.

All three of the victims had been shot. Boone County Coroner Rebecca Wigget later classified all three deaths as homicides after conducting an autopsy on the bodies, authorities said.

Smith was arrested Tuesday by the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force on a warrant for “parole violations.”

Police said Smith was interviewed in connection with the triple homicide, but no additional details were provided. A search warrant was also served on a Huntley, Illinois residence where “several pieces of evidence” were seized.

“The investigation is on-going and Belvidere Police are looking for any information that the public may have regarding the horrific tragedy,” police said.

Smith had been sentenced to four years in prison in March 2017 for aggravated robbery, according to court records obtained by WIFR. He was released in July 2021.

Andrew Hintt’s aunt Theresa Eileen told the Rockford Register Star that, at the time of his death, Hintt had been hoping to start a new life with his fiancée in California.

The couple had five children between them, although the two boys killed had been living in Illinois with other relatives. She said that Hintt had regular weekly visitation with the boys and described him as being “the best father.”

“He spoiled the heck of his kids,” she said. “He would take them everywhere.”

Hintt — who had reportedly owned his own meat truck — had been hoping to bring his sons to California once the family got settled.

“They were just trying to start a new life, somewhere beautiful,” Eileen said. “They both loved it out there. They had been out there for about a month looking for a place to live.”

Anyone with information about the triple homicide is urged to contact authorities.