Making sense of Glendale Heights tragedy

Vishv Patel should be celebrating his seventh birthday.

Instead, the gregarious Glendale Heights child lay in a hospital burn unit, fighting to survive. His brother, Om, 4, also clung to life after both were doused in gasoline and set ablaze.

"It's a terrible time for our family right now," said their aunt, Kamini Patel of Hanover Park. "The family has been allowed to see the children. I believe their condition is improving."

Both boys remained in drug-induced comas as doctors work to stabilize them and avert infection.

Their father, Kaushik Patel, 34, is suspected of setting his sons on fire late Sunday in a bathroom shower stall inside their Harvest Lane home, several police sources said.

They reported finding new toy cars inside the bathroom that may have been used to lure the boys into the stall.

Their mother, Nishaben, was not home. Kaushik Patel also was badly burned, but his injuries were described as non-life-threatening. Police said he is their only suspect, but no charges have been filed.

After the fire, police said, the father drove his injured sons about 5 miles to his brother's house in Hanover Park, where rescuers were summoned at 9:15 p.m. Sunday. Authorities said Kaushik Patel made incriminating statements to his brother after arriving.

Kamini Patel, who is married to the brother, said her sister-in-law remained Tuesday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood to be near her boys. Patel said she's so shocked she hadn't told her own children yet. Though the couple had marital problems, she said the family can't explain what led to the tragedy.

"We're not getting any answers," Kamini Patel said. "Because it's a police case, we're not allowed to see the children's father."

Police said they do not anticipate immediate criminal charges given the medical conditions of their only three witnesses. The DuPage County Major Crimes Task Force is assisting with the investigation. Detectives also are talking to family to learn more of the father's mental history.

"The interview process is very time-consuming," Glendale Heights police Commander Dennis Schar said. "Because of his (the father's) medical condition, they can only interview him for very short time periods."

Police have not said publicly what led to the violence. But investigators have found several similarities with an earlier fatal fire in Naperville.

On Aug. 11, Nimisha Tiwari, 32, bought a can of gasoline, shut herself in her bedroom with her two young children and set a blaze, killing all three.

Amid the rubble, Naperville firefighters found the new toys she had bought her children that day. The father was not at home at the time; police described their marriage as troubled.

In Glendale Heights, a review of court records did not reveal any domestic discord between the Patels, but police confirmed they were called to the home Friday for a minor disturbance.

The boys attend Pheasant Ridge School in Glendale Heights. Vishv's first-grade teacher, Sheree Howes, said his classmates are making cards for him. She described the 7-year-old as well-behaved and outgoing. Tuesday was his birthday.

"They miss their buddy," Howes said of his classmates. "They know he's going to be gone for a long time."

"It's the hardest thing I've had to deal with in my teaching career," she said. "He was a very sweet little boy. Very loving, and just a spark in the classroom."

Social workers, counselors and psychologists spoke Tuesday with students and staff members to help the Glendale Heights-based school community cope.

"It's just a tragedy, and it's just so hard to comprehend," Pheasant Ridge Principal Diane Cantalupo said. "You certainly can't explain it to anyone when you don't understand it yourself.

"The teachers are all very upset, although they are holding it together as they know the kids look to them to take the lead. So, they're doing a great job with that."

The Patel home has been deemed uninhabitable. The family is from India, but police said they've been in the country for at least 11 years. They moved to Glendale Heights last summer and previously lived in Hanover Park and Addison, where Kaushik Patel works making printed circuit boards.

Neighbor Daisy Kalapurackal said she befriended Nishaben Patel after the family moved into the neighborhood. She spoke briefly with Nishaben on Monday when police escorted her to her home to collect some belongings.

"I was surprised and concerned, but I didn't want to believe what we were hearing," Kalapurackal said Tuesday. "Now I'm hearing the father is a suspect and it saddens me even more. It's just terrible. I feel for Nisha and the boys and hope they make it through this."