Detective suspected in girl’s murder may have killed others, former investigator fears

Chicago police have identified former detective Thomas F. McInerney Jr. as the man who abducted and killed eight-year-old Gloria Kowalewicz in 1960. The case, unsolved for more than 65 years, was reopened through preserved evidence and improved forensic technology; a former investigator now fears McInerney may have had other victims, though the article reports no confirmed links to other killings.

Kowalewicz disappeared while walking to church and was found dead in a forest preserve about four hours later. Investigators eventually connected McInerney to the crime through a fingerprint on her purse strap, alongside evidence retained from the scene. Police had interviewed more than 1,300 people and worked with state police and the FBI over the years; McInerney died in 2006.