Tyler James Martin, the Denver man suspected of gunning down his ex-girlfriend in Wheat Ridge on Tuesday, may have gone home and picked up his pets before vanishing.

Police released a photo of Martin with a cat and dog they said may be traveling with him. Martin and his pets were gone when police searched the home Wednesday morning.

"Reportedly, he has a dog and cat," said Lisa Stigall, spokeswoman for the Wheat Ridge police. "But we found no evidence in the house. There was no kitty (litter) box or water bowl. We don't have any information about the animals."

Stigall said there have been no reported sightings of the 35-year-old Martin's Mercury since the Tuesday night killing of Amber Cremeens, 34, of Denver.

Martin is believed to be heading toward his hometown of Wonder Lake, in northeastern Illinois. Stigall said Illinois authorities are keeping an eye on the homes of Martin's relatives and friends, where the suspect might seek refuge.

The McHenry County, Ill., Sheriff's Office issued a statement Thursday saying the Colorado "investigation has developed credible information indicating that he may be headed" to the region 60 miles northwest of Chicago.

Warning people to avoid approaching Martin, who is "considered armed and dangerous," the sheriff's statement said it "is working actively to assist in the location and apprehension of Tyler James Martin."

News media in the area are publicizing photographs of the 6-foot, 250-pound suspect and reporting that he was last seen driving a green 1998 Mercury Mystique, with Colorado license plate 720-SXA. The public is being urged to call the sheriff's office with any information.

Was being followed

Martin is suspected of attempting to run Cremeens' car off the road after she left a 24 Hour Fitness Center at 4600 W. 38th Ave. at about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Cremeens realized she was being followed and called her current boyfriend, telling him that her pursuer "was weaving in and out of traffic and making abrupt lane changes," according to court documents.

Then, after the woman's car swerved off Wadsworth Boulevard and crashed into a chain- link fence, the assailant exited his sedan, walked up to Cremeens' Dodge Caliber and pumped three gunshots through the driver's window as a witness watched in horror.

Investigators hope an autopsy and crime-scene analysis of Cremeens' car will determine whether the gunman shot her during the car chase, possibly causing the wounded woman to crash, Stigall said.

The witness who stopped to help after the wreck told the Rocky he never saw the gunman's car swerve toward or hit Cremeens' Dodge before it slowly veered off the road and crashed.

The witness initially thought the woman had fallen asleep or suffered a heart attack, until he watched the gunman shoot Cremeens at point-blank range after the crash.

"I think the shooting actually began in the car (on the road)," said the witness, a 27-year-old Arvada man whose name is being withheld by the Rocky because the suspect is still at large.

"I'm pretty sure she was incapacitated before she wrecked," he added. "That's why she was swerving back and forth. She may have been dead before she crashed. His car never contacted her car."

Broke up in August

Martin and Cremeens met in Illinois and their turbulent relationship spanned eight years before they broke up in August, according to police records.

Since then, according to an affidavit filed with an arrest warrant for Martin, he had followed her and "called her numerous times."

Cremeens' relationship with Martin was so worrisome that her current boyfriend transferred her bills and her phone into his name to help hide her whereabouts, according to the affidavit.

Developments

* Tyler James Martin may be headed to McHenry County, Ill., where he has friends and family.

* He is suspected of traveling with a dog and a cat.

* An autopsy on Amber Cremeens was completed by the Jefferson County coroner's office Thursday, but results were not available.

Suspect: Tyler James Martin

* Age: 36

* Height: 6 feet

* Weight: 250 pounds

* Vehicle: 1998 Mercury Mystique, dark green, license plate 720-SXA

* Status: At large, considered "armed and dangerous." Police said he may be traveling with a dog and cat.

* Tip line: 303-235-2947

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