Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz was found dead on Sept. 1 after he radioed that he was chasing "three suspicious subjects"

In a startling twist, the Fox Lake, Illinois, police officer who was found dead in the woods earlier this month, prompting a manhunt that involved hundreds of cops, may have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, sources familiar with the investigation tell The Chicago Tribune and Fox News.

Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, 52, was discovered dead on Sept. 1 after he radioed that he was chasing “three suspicious subjects” on foot. Responding officers said they heard a gunshot before they found the officer’s body.

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A manhunt ensued, closing local schools and even the airspace, as hundreds of officers searched for Gliniewicz’s alleged killers.

But now, multiple sources close to the investigation tell local outlets that it’s possible the officer could have taken his own life. Police said Monday they are still investigating Gliniewicz’s death as a homicide, but Detective Christopher Covelli of the Lake County sheriff’s office added that “every theory is being looked at,” saying that “nothing has been eliminated at this point.”

In the early days of the investigation, officers located three men captured on surveillance video who fit the description of the individuals Gliniewicz was pursuing, but those men were ultimately ruled out as suspects and released.

Since then, few details surrounding the probe have emerged as police continue to try to figure out what happened to the 30-year veteran officer and father of four. Police have since insisted they are still looking for three suspects that match the description Gliniewicz gave over radio: two whites male and a black male.

In the meantime, police are awaiting the results of ballistics to see whether Gliniewicz was shot with his own gun, as well as DNA tests on unknown DNA found at the scene.

“We are hopeful they will be in soon – like in the very near future,” Covelli said, according to The Chicago Sun-Times.

For his part, Gliniewicz’s son, D.J., insists that his dad “never once had a single suicidal thought in his life,” The Daily Herald reports.

“For someone who didn’t know him to go out and question that, then also release information that could jeopardize the investigation … my entire family isn’t happy,” he said.

The day after Gliniewicz was found dead, his wife, Melodie, addressed a crowd of well-wishers, telling them: “Joe was my best friend, my world, my hero, the love of my life for the last 26 and a half years. He was my rock as much as much as I was his rock. Every night he came home to me.

“He was the most wonderful caring and loving father to our boys,” she continued tearfully. “My world got a little bit smaller with his passing. He will truly be missed by all of us.”