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Cold Case Solved: DNA Ties Ex-Detective to 1960 Murder
13 Oct
Summary
- DNA evidence linked a former detective to a 1960 murder case.
- The killer, Thomas McInerney, died 20 years before being identified.
- Gloria Kowalewicz was abducted and murdered in 1960.
Chicago police announced on Monday that they have identified Thomas McInerney, a former homicide detective, as the murderer of eight-year-old Gloria Kowalewicz. The girl was abducted and fatally shot on November 12, 1960, while walking to church.
Her body was discovered later that day in a forest preserve southwest of Chicago. Despite extensive investigations at the time, including interviews and forensic evidence like a fingerprint from her purse, no suspect was identified.
In 2026, the FBI utilized DNA from a family tree website to link McInerney, a U.S. Army veteran who lived near the Kowalewicz family, to the crime scene. Ballistic and further DNA testing confirmed his involvement.
McInerney, who joined the Chicago police force in 1959 and retired in 1987, died on August 30, 2006. He had also worked as an investigator for federal public defender offices in Nevada. His death occurred 20 years before his connection to Gloria's murder was publicly revealed.
