On December 18, 2024, three members of the Mason family were killed in Mahomet, Illinois. Police found 26-year-old Sara E. Mason, her mother Janis Mason, 61, and her brother Caleb Mason, 23, with life-threatening gunshot wounds in the 1100 block of Riverside Court. Sara was pronounced dead at the scene; Janis and Caleb were taken to Carle Hospital and later died there.

Authorities identified 24-year-old John R. Lyons of Westchester, Illinois, as the suspect. That same evening Lyons was involved in a separate confrontation with Berwyn police after officers responded to reports of an armed individual. Lyons fled, entered a residence, shot and killed two dogs, and fired at officers; officers returned fire and Lyons died. The motive for the Mahomet killings remains under investigation. Court records note a civil dispute between Lyons and Caleb Mason prior to the incident, which investigators say may be connected.

Sara Mason was a 2016 Mahomet-Seymour High School graduate and earned a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies from the University of Illinois in 2020. She worked as a researcher for the Illinois Natural History Survey and was remembered for a passion for living creatures and artistic talents. If anyone has information about the events in Mahomet on December 18, please come forward.