On December 14, 2023, a tragic incident occurred in Ashland, Illinois, resulting in the deaths of three members of the same family, including 16-year-old Alaria Bell. Alaria, born on May 29, 2007, at St. John's Hospital, was the daughter of Patrick Bell and Christina Bell. She was a student who had recently attended her school's homecoming and had a passion for fashion, makeup, and babysitting.
The events unfolded when law enforcement responded to a call about a shooting at a residence on Philadelphia Road in rural Ashland. Upon arrival, they found Brein Pena, 20, Autumn Bell's boyfriend and the father of her unborn child, suffering from life-threatening injuries, and Autumn Bell, 19, deceased. Pena directed officers to a second location, a mobile home park on Lockard Street, where they discovered the bodies of Christina Bell, 53, and her daughter Alaria Bell.
The preliminary autopsy findings indicated that Alaria Bell, along with her mother Christina Bell and sister Autumn Bell, died from gunshot wounds. Autumn was also pregnant, and her unborn child did not survive.
The suspect identified in the shootings was Ronald “Butch” Cobren Jr., 62, who was Christina Bell's fiancé. After the murders, Cobren called a friend and admitted to the shootings, stating he would kill himself. Despite the friend's efforts to locate him, Cobren was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his vehicle by the Jacksonville Police Department during a traffic stop near North Main and Oak Street in Jacksonville.
The community of Ashland was deeply affected by the tragedy, with friends and family expressing shock and devastation. A memorial service for Alaria was held on December 23, 2023, at Virginia United Methodist Church, where she was laid to rest with her sister and grandparents at Walnut Ridge Cemetery. A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up to help the Bell family cover funeral expenses.
