Chicago police link ex-detective to 1960 murder of 8-year-old Gloria Kowalewicz

Chicago police have identified former homicide detective Thomas F. McInerney Jr. as the killer of Gloria Kowalewicz, an 8-year-old girl abducted and murdered in 1960, according to a statement provided to Fox News Digital. The department confirmed that advances in DNA technology and a preserved fingerprint allowed investigators to make the identification more than 65 years after the crime. Authorities are now examining other cases that may have involved McInerney.

McInerney joined the Chicago Police Department in 1959, one year before Kowalewicz was killed. He served as a detective investigating violent crimes until his retirement from the department in 1987. The suspect died in 2006 at age 70 without facing charges for this murder.

Kowalewicz disappeared on Nov. 12, 1960, after leaving her home shortly before 8 a.m. to attend morning Mass at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Church, which was located just a few blocks away. Her body was found roughly four hours later in a ditch at a forest preserve southwest of Chicago, where she had been shot. The initial investigation was extensive, with police interviewing more than 1,300 people and knocking on hundreds of doors, but the case remained unsolved for decades.

Investigators preserved physical evidence from the crime scene and surrounding area, including a bullet, Kowalewicz's coat and shoes, and a white communion purse containing her prayer book. A fingerprint recovered from the purse's strap proved critical in linking the crime to McInerney. Working with the FBI and Illinois State Police, investigators used modern forensic technology to connect the DNA and fingerprint to the former officer.

Chicago police stated in their release that it is devastating that McInerney was never identified or held accountable while alive, noting he should never have worn the department's badge. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office is currently working to identify other cases that may have involved McInerney, according to The Associated Press.

Kowalewicz's parents died before learning who killed their daughter. Police expressed hope that identifying McInerney would bring some closure to those who knew her. After leaving the Chicago Police Department, McInerney worked for the Federal Public Defender's Office in Nevada before retiring in 2004, according to The Associated Press.