Father Drowns Children Amid Divorce Proceedings: 'If I Can't Have Them Neither Can You'

Chicago, Illinois, -- An Illinois father has been charged with murder after he confessed to drowning his three kids amid ongoing divorce proceedings with his estranged wife.

The 35-year-old man left a note to the children's mother saying that if he could not have them, neither could she, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Jason Karels allegedly murdered his three children, Bryant, 5, Cassidy, 3, and Gideon, 2, after they came to spend the weekend with him at his home in Round Lake Beach, the New York Post reported.

The incident came to light Monday when Debra Karels, the children's mother, asked police to conduct a wellness check at Jason's residence after she could not reach them. Debra, who reportedly shared the custody of the kids with Jason, was supposed to pick up the children from their father's home after the weekend.

When the police arrived, they found the bodies of three children in the bedroom. An autopsy report later revealed that they died from drowning.

Jason attempted to take his own life multiple times after the brutal killings, cops said. He fled his home afterward, but he was arrested Monday following a police chase that ended in a car crash.

Jason admitted to the killings during interrogation, according to police.

After the alleged murder, Jason left a note to Debra stating, "If I can't have them neither can you," prosecutors told the court.

"He knew that nothing mattered to me more than those children. He took them away from me because he knew it would hurt me the most," the grieving mother said, as per ABC Chicago." I just wish I was there for them that day. I wish I was there to grab them before this all happened."

Meanwhile, Round Lake Police Chief Gilbert Rivera said the incident was "motivated by a domestic situation" and did not detail any possible ongoing custody battle except that the couple was "estranged," Chicago Sun-Times reported.

"We're all touched by this. This is not something that you go to and are unaffected by," Rivera said in a news conference Tuesday, according to USA Today. "I don't know that anything could have could have stopped this or if there were any early indications of it."

A court has set a bond for Jason at $10 million.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.