Chicago detective identified as killer in 1960 child murder

Advances in DNA technology and genetic genealogy have solved the 65-year-old cold case murder of 8-year-old Gloria Kowalewicz. Investigators have identified the suspect as Thomas Francis McInerney, a former Chicago homicide detective and Army veteran.

Kowalewicz was killed on November 12, 1960, after leaving her West Englewood home for a walk to a nearby church. Her body was later discovered in a ravine several miles away with two gunshot wounds to the head. While the original investigation involved massive searches by local, state, and volunteer forces, no suspect was ever identified.

The breakthrough occurred after the FBI used DNA from a family-tree website to link McInerney, who was 24 at the time of the crime, to the scene. Subsequent analysis of DNA, fingerprints, and ballistic evidence led authorities to conclude that McInerney, who lived around the corner from the victim, was responsible for the killing.