US News
Chicago police identify former detective as killer in 1960 girl's murder
NBC News reports police and the FBI identified Thomas F. McInerney Jr., a former Chicago detective, in the 1960 killing of Gloria Kowalewicz.
The short version
- NBC News reports Chicago police identified former detective Thomas F. McInerney Jr. as the killer of Gloria Kowalewicz, solving a 1960 case.[NBC News]
- Kowalewicz was abducted in November 1960 while walking to church on Chicago's South Side, then fatally shot twice in the head.[NBC News]
- Investigators say a 2024 FBI genetic genealogy comparison and a 1959 fingerprint match linked McInerney, who retired in 1987 and died in 2006.[NBC News]
Key facts
- Gloria Kowalewicz was abducted on Nov. 12, 1960, while walking to church on the South Side of Chicago.[NBC News]
- Gloria Kowalewicz was fatally shot twice in the head and left in a ditch in a forest preserve southwest of Chicago, police said.[NBC News]
- The Chicago Police Department said in a statement to NBC News that DNA technology combined with a preserved fingerprint led investigators to Thomas F. McInerney Jr. in July.[NBC News]
- In 2024, at the request of Chicago police, the FBI compared DNA on the clothing with genetic samples submitted to family tree research websites and identified McInerney.[NBC News]
- Police matched McInerney's fingerprints from his 1959 CPD job application to a fingerprint found on Gloria's purse strap, police said.[NBC News]
- McInerney retired from the Chicago Police Department in 1987 as a detective after 28 years and died in 2006 at age 70 in Las Vegas.[NBC News]
What remains uncertain
- The identification rests on police and FBI accounts of DNA and fingerprint evidence, reported by a single outlet, NBC News, without independent confirmation.[NBC News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.