Chicago police find killer in 65-year-old cold case murder of little girl — one of their own - BERITAJA

The acold lawsuit execution of an 8-year-old Chicago woman that bedeviled investigators for 65 years has been solved — and the man tied to the sidesplitting was a homicide detective for the city’s constabulary department.

The execution of Gloria Kowalewicz, who was abducted connected Nov. 12, 1960, arsenic she was stepping to religion connected the South Side of Chicago, sparked a citywide manhunt that went connected for months during which thousands of group were questioned and hundreds of leads were looked into.

But it wasn’t until July that a DNA exertion that didn’t beryllium erstwhile Gloria was killed, mixed pinch “a cautiously preserved fingerprint,” led investigators to Thomas F. McInerney Jr., the Chicago Police Department said successful a connection to Beritaja.

It was the aforesaid exertion that was utilized to seizure Joseph James DeAngelo, a erstwhile California bull dubbed “The Golden State Killer” who committed 13 murders and galore rapes from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s and is now serving life successful prison

But dissimilar DeAngelo, McInerney managed to flight justice.

McInerney retired from Chicago Police Department successful 1987 arsenic a detective aft 28 years connected the occupation and died successful 2006 astatine the property of 70 successful Las Vegas.

“McInerney should ne'er person worn the CPD star, and it is devastating to judge that he was ne'er identified and held accountable while he was alive,” the CPD said successful a connection Monday.

Gloria’s brother, Adam Kowalewicz — who was an babe erstwhile his sister was killed — agreed.

“The 1 point that does play successful my mind (is), unfortunately, he lived a decent life and passed on,” Kowalewicz said of McInerney successful an question and reply pinch The Chicago Tribune. “He ne'er paid his dues. You dream he’s going to salary his dues pinch the bully lord.”

Then location is the nagging mobility that, truthful far, constabulary person not been capable to answer: Why did McInerney target Gloria?

McInerney’s parents lived little than a mile from the Kowalewicz family, but the serviceman does not look to person had immoderate anterior interaction pinch the small girl, constabulary said.

That said, McInerney’s DNA is successful the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, know arsenic CODIS, and the agency is checking whether location mightiness beryllium immoderate different victims.

“Based connected the grounds successful the Kowalewicz case, and rule enforcement’s profiling of kid predators and their victimology, we are pursuing each investigative lead that whitethorn bring closure connected different imaginable unsolved crimes that occurred during that clip play successful our area,” the FBI said successful a statement.

On the past time of her life, Gloria near location conscionable earlier 8 a.m. that Saturday to locomotion to greeting wide a fewer blocks distant astatine St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Church, constabulary said.

The third-grader, who conscionable precocious had her First Communion, was dressed successful a pink-and-brown checkered dress and bluish leotard that her mother had picked retired for her, the Tribune reported.

“She ne'er made it to mass,” the constabulary said successful a statement. “Somewhere betwixt her location and the religion that Saturday morning, Gloria was abducted.”

Gloria was fatally changeable doubly successful the caput and near successful a ditch successful a wood sphere southwest of Chicago, constabulary said. Her assemblage was recovered by a motorist who spotted Gloria’s colorful dress and went to investigate.

“Evidence was collected and cautiously inventoried and preserved — a bullet, Gloria’s coat, her shoes, her achromatic communion purse containing her dream book,” constabulary said. “Investigators besides lifted a fingerprint from the strap of Gloria’s purse.”

But constabulary could not pin the crime connected anyone.

Four days aft Gloria was killed, much than 1,000 group attended her ceremonial astatine St. Mary of Mount Carmel Church.

McInerney, astatine the time, was a 24-year-old patrol serviceman based connected Chicago’s westbound broadside and wasn’t promoted to detective until 1964.

It was not instantly clear if McInerney was ever progressive successful Gloria’s execution investigation. But aft he near the CPD and moved to Nevada, McInerney worked for the Federal Public Defender’s Office arsenic an investigator.

McInerney retired from that occupation successful 2004, according to his obituary successful the Tribune. He was moreover named Outstanding Federal Defender Investigator successful 2003.

An Army veteran, McInerney was besides a begetter of 5 and grandfather, his obituary noted.

Meanwhile, detectives continued to activity Gloria’s lawsuit arsenic the grounds sat successful storage.

“Even arsenic the lawsuit seemed stiff successful time, the Chicago Police Department ne'er forgot the small woman and ne'er stopped searching for her killer,” constabulary said.

The first tantalizing break successful the case, constabulary said, came successful 2010 erstwhile investigators were capable to build a antheral DNA floor plan of the imaginable slayer from traces of semen recovered connected Gloria’s clothes.

But that didn’t output immoderate arrests.

Then, successful 2024, astatine the petition of the Chicago police, the FBI compared the DNA connected the clothing pinch different familial samples submitted to family character investigation websites and identified McInerney from the semen samples.

Armed pinch a name, they matched McInerney’s fingerprints from his 1959 CPD occupation exertion to the fingerprint recovered connected Gloria’s purse strap, constabulary said.

“Identification was made done a fingerprint and DNA near down astatine the crime scene,” the CPD said successful a statement.