Jaded Evidence · Interactive Investigation Case File
Heaven Wood and KJ Duncan-Wood
The deaths of a 20-year-old mother and her two-year-old son in Peoria County, Illinois, and the first-degree murder charges against Jeremiah J. Duncan.
Case status: Active prosecution · Two first-degree-murder counts · The charges are allegations, and Duncan is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Current case status and latest development
On October 13, 2026, a Peoria County grand jury indicted Jeremiah J. Duncan, 24, on an additional first-degree-murder count involving his two-year-old son, KJ Duncan-Wood. Duncan had already been charged with first-degree murder in the death of KJ’s mother, Heaven J. Wood, 20. An indictment is a charging decision, not a finding of guilt.
The full charging instruments, discovery schedule, defense filings, and next verified hearing date were not available in the reviewed public sources.
Victims and people involved
Heaven J. Wood, 20: Mother of KJ Duncan-Wood; found with multiple gunshot wounds at a nearby home on September 25, 2026, and later pronounced dead.
KJ Duncan-Wood, 2: Found inside a burning vehicle after the fire was extinguished. The coroner reported severe smoke inhalation as his cause of death.
View More — Defendant profile: Jeremiah J. Duncan
Jeremiah J. Duncan, 24, is the defendant charged in both deaths. Authorities reported taking him into custody on September 25 while he was armed with a knife and suffering serious burns. His medical treatment delayed court proceedings. The public reporting summarized here does not establish motive or adjudicate his responsibility.
Interactive event-by-event chronology
Open any event to review the source evidence, what remains disputed or unestablished, and original reporting.
September 25, 2026 · Approximately 6:09 a.m. — Emergency response
Deputies responded to a vehicle fire in the 3500 block of Yorkshire in Peoria County.
View More — Source, evidence and questions
Evidence: The reported dispatch time and location come from authorities’ account, as covered by local reporting.
Unresolved: Who started the fire, the sequence before the 911 response, and any independently authenticated recordings were not established by the sources reviewed.
September 25, 2026 · After fire suppression — KJ located
First responders found KJ inside the vehicle. The coroner reported that he died from severe smoke inhalation.
View More — Forensic findings and limitations
Evidence: Reported coroner findings and emergency-responder recovery.
Unresolved: Precise death timing, the origin of the fire, and what forensic evidence prosecutors contend links the defendant to the death.
September 25, 2026 · Time not publicly established — Heaven found
Deputies linked the burned vehicle to 3511 Yorkshire, where Heaven Wood was found with multiple gunshot wounds. She was later pronounced dead.
View More — Investigative sequence
Evidence: Investigators’ reported connection between the vehicle and residence; documented discovery and reported injuries.
Unresolved: Precise times of the shooting and vehicle fire, weapon-related findings, and complete chain of events.
September 25, 2026 · Later that day — Duncan taken into custody
Authorities reportedly took Duncan into custody while he was armed with a knife and suffering serious burns; treatment delayed subsequent proceedings.
View More — Custody and evidentiary questions
Evidence: Law-enforcement account reported in coverage.
Unresolved: Circumstances of the burns, whether any physical evidence was recovered, and the relevance of those findings in court.
October 13, 2026 · Time not specified — Additional indictment
A Peoria County grand jury indicted Duncan on another first-degree-murder count, relating to KJ Duncan-Wood.
View More — Charging record and legal effect
Evidence: Peoria County State’s Attorney’s public announcement.
Unresolved: Detailed charging language, eventual defense response, and future hearing dates.
Important: The indictment is an allegation, not proof of guilt.
Investigation, forensic evidence and source documents
Established through public reporting: a vehicle fire, recovery of KJ from the vehicle, a reported severe-smoke-inhalation cause of death, Heaven Wood’s multiple gunshot wounds, Duncan’s reported custody and burns, and the October 13 grand-jury charging decision.
View More — Vehicle fire and death investigation
The reviewed reports do not provide a complete fire-origin determination, laboratory report, autopsy, or chain-of-custody documentation. Forensic conclusions should not be inferred beyond the coroner information reported.
View More — Shooting, weapon and physical evidence
The reported injuries do not establish the identity of the shooter. Ballistics, weapon recovery, laboratory reports, and witness accounts require underlying records before being treated as independently verified evidence.
View More — Testimony, surveillance, digital and phone records
No authenticated surveillance, telephone extraction, transcript, or witness exhibit was included in the reviewed sources. This section will be populated with attributed evidence and primary links when available, without presenting missing material as fact.
Prosecution versus defense
View More — Prosecution’s allegations
Prosecutors have charged Duncan with first-degree murder in both deaths. The detailed theory concerning the sequence, intent, and forensic linkage requires the charging documents and presentation of evidence. The charges alone do not prove those elements.
View More — Defense positions and unresolved issues
A substantive defense filing or statement addressing the newly added charge was not included in the sources reviewed. No defense theory is attributed to Duncan without an identified record. He is presumed innocent.
Charges, hearings and courtroom developments
First-degree murder: one count involving Heaven Wood and a second count involving KJ Duncan-Wood, announced October 13, 2026. Court proceedings had been delayed during Duncan’s medical treatment.
View More — Court documents, future hearings and verdict status
The complete charging instruments, defense response, discovery schedule, and next verified hearing date are not included in this reporting. There is no reported verdict or sentence in these source records. This section must be updated using docket documents as proceedings develop.
Unresolved questions
- What was the complete sequence between Heaven Wood’s shooting and the vehicle fire?
- What physical, witness, forensic, and digital evidence underlies each murder charge?
- What is the medically and forensically documented chronology of both deaths?
- Has a specific motive been alleged in filed court documents?
- What do the full charging instruments and future hearings establish?
Court records and reliable reporting
Original published facts and links preserved. Last structural update: October 17, 2026. Facts over speculation · Follow the evidence.
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