Former Chicago police detective linked by DNA to 8-year-old girl's cold-case murder, police say

DNA evidence and a fingerprint linked Thomas F. McInerney Jr., a former Chicago police detective, to the 1960 cold case murder of Gloria Kowalewicz.

Former Chicago police detective linked by DNA to 8-year-old girl's cold-case murder, police say

TL;DR

  • Former Chicago homicide detective Thomas F. McInerney Jr. identified as the killer of 8-year-old Gloria Kowalewicz.
  • Gloria Kowalewicz disappeared and was murdered in 1960 while walking to church.
  • Advances in DNA technology and a preserved fingerprint from the crime scene led to the identification.
  • McInerney, who joined the police department in 1959 and retired in 1987, died in 2006.
  • Authorities are examining other cases that may have involved McInerney.
  • Gloria's parents died without knowing who killed their daughter.