Police have recently used newly discovered DNA evidence to link the 1960 murder of an eight-year-old girl to Thomas McInerney, a former homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department (CPD), who passed away in 2006.

Background

On Monday, the CPD announced that they had identified McInerney as the killer of Gloria Kowalewicz, who was abducted and fatally shot on her way to church on November 12, 1960. The CPD expressed hope that this revelation would bring closure to those who knew Gloria, stating, "McInerney should have never worn the CPD star."

The Crime

Gloria was last seen alive as she walked from her family's home in the West Englewood neighborhood to a nearby church. Tragically, she never arrived. Her body was discovered hours later in a ditch at a forest preserve southwest of Chicago. Evidence collected at the scene included:

  • A bullet
  • Gloria's coat
  • A white communion purse containing a prayer book

Investigators also lifted a fingerprint from the strap of Gloria's purse.

Investigation Efforts

Following Gloria's murder, a large-scale search was initiated, involving local firefighters, Boy Scouts, and military veterans. A police task force interviewed approximately 1,300 people, including a dozen who underwent lie-detector tests, but no suspects were identified at that time.