Two young sons of an immigrant Indian couple were in hospital with severe burns after their father allegedly doused them in gasoline and set them afire in what a relative described as a "botched" suicide bid.
The police were questioning the father, Kaushik Patel, but investigations were hampered because of his medical condition as he too was being treated for burns.
The sons, four-year old Om and seven-year-old Vishv, were in a drug-induced coma and doctors said every minute they survive is an improvement.
Patel's sister-in-law Kamini Patel told The Chicago Tribune that he described the incident as a botched suicide attempt involving himself and his sons.
On Sunday night, Kaushik arrived at his brother's Hanover Park home with the badly burned children buckled into their car seats, she said. The boys had burns on their faces, chests and knees, and the younger one was naked but in a blanket, she said.
Kaushik worked in a printing board manufacturing company for about 10 years and vice president of the firm Paresh Patel said he loved his children.
"We're still getting over the shock," he added. The two Patels are not related. The police were also talking to Kaushik's wife Nisha but no arrest has been made so far and no one charged with any crime.
Kaushik had moved to Addison from Gujarat in 1992 with his two brothers and parents. After marrying in 1997, he waited two years for his wife to get a visa. But the couple's marriage had been troubled in recent years, Kamini said.