Chicago: A man shot dead eight people at three locations in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois since Sunday and remains loose as of now. Illinois authorities have launched a manhunt for the accused with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) task force assisting the local police in locating the suspect, saying that the motive for the killing remains unclear.

The victims were located on Sunday and Monday at three separate locations, authorities told reporters Monday evening, several hours after warning on social media that the man should be considered “armed and dangerous”. Authorities said the man knew the victims. One body was found in Will County, while seven others were located in two homes in Joliet on Monday.

According to the Joliet Police Department, a 23-year-old man named Romeo Nance was seen driving the suspect vehicle – a red Toyota Camry – with Illinois plate number Q730412. Authorities also believed another shooting in Joliet that wounded a man on Sunday is connected to the string of violence but did not share details.

Joliet Police Chief William Evans said, “I’ve been a policeman 29 years and this is probably the worst crime scene I’ve ever been associated with”. Will County Chief Deputy Dan Jungles said deputies had been staking out one of the houses since Sunday evening in case the suspect in that day’s shootings returned to them. When no one showed up, deputies finally went to the door of one of the houses. They checked the second house when no one answered at the first one and found the first bodies, he added.

Evans said the victims in the houses were family members. When asked if the victims were members of the suspect’s family, Jungles said he couldn’t comment except to say that the suspect knew them. Joliet Police said in a Facebook post earlier on Monday afternoon that they were investigating “multiple” people found dead and shared the man’s photo and images of a vehicle. Authorities identified the vehicle as a red Toyota Camry.

In one of the Sunday attacks, a 28-year-old man described as a Nigerian immigrant was found shot in the head outdoors at an apartment complex in Joliet Township, which is patrolled by the sheriff’s office, according to NBC News. He was declared dead at a hospital and was identified as Toyosi I Bakare.

(with inputs from AP)