Chicago detective identified in killing of 8-year-old girl in decades-old cold case
Evidence points to former detective
Police say newer technology enabled investigators to connect a crime-scene fingerprint and DNA to Thomas F. McInerney Jr. He joined the Chicago Police Department in 1959 and later served as a homicide detective handling violent crimes.
The girl vanished while on her way to church more than 65 years ago. Her body was discovered roughly four hours later in a forest preserve in southwest Chicago.
Items preserved at scene
Investigators collected and kept a bullet, the girl’s coat and shoes, and a white communion purse. The purse contained her prayer book. Police said more than 1,300 people were interviewed during the investigation. More than a dozen people also underwent polygraph questioning.
Officials examine other cases
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said it is working to identify cases that may have involved McInerney. The office shared that statement in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The FBI told The Associated Press it was pursuing investigative leads that could provide answers in other potential unsolved crimes from that period in the area. McInerney later worked for the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Reno and Las Vegas, retiring in 2004, according to a Chicago Tribune obituary.
DNA methods draw scrutiny
DNA analysis has helped investigators in other cases, including the identification of the Golden State Killer through DNA recovered from a tissue in a trash can. The technology has also raised privacy concerns.
Key points
- Police say DNA and fingerprint evidence link McInerney to the girl’s killing.
- The child disappeared while walking to church and was found about four hours later.
- Investigators preserved a bullet, clothing, shoes and a communion purse with a prayer book.
- Cook County officials are assessing whether McInerney may have been involved in other cases.