Chicago police say a preserved fingerprint and modern DNA named one of their own as the child’s killer after 65 years.
Story Snapshot
- Police identified former Chicago detective Thomas McInerney Jr. as the suspect through DNA and a fingerprint.
- A fingerprint on 8-year-old Gloria Kowalewicz’s purse strap matched prints from McInerney’s 1959 job file.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Illinois State Police helped analyze preserved evidence.
- McInerney died years ago; no criminal charges will be filed, but police closed the case.
Two tracks of proof converge on one name
Chicago police announced that DNA from Gloria Kowalewicz’s clothing and a fingerprint on her purse strap identify former detective Thomas McInerney Jr. as the suspect in her 1960 abduction and killing. Detectives say they found a preserved latent print on the purse strap. They then pulled McInerney’s 1959 Chicago Police Department application file and matched the print to his job-file fingerprints. The DNA hit came through investigative genetic genealogy that led to his identity, according to police and the FBI partnership.
The department said the identification rests on both forensic paths, not a single witness or tip. Police added that the fingerprint had been carefully preserved for decades, allowing modern examiners to compare it to McInerney’s records. The twin findings—biological DNA and a physical print—give this closure unusual weight for a case this old. That matters, because cold cases often hinge on one fragile thread. Here, two distinct threads meet at the same point, which strengthens confidence in the result.
The suspect wore a badge in the right place and time
Records show McInerney joined the Chicago Police Department in 1959 at age 24, placing him in Chicago before Gloria’s November 1960 murder. The Chicago Tribune reported his parents lived only a few blocks from Gloria’s family, putting him near the victim’s neighborhood. After joining the force, McInerney later served as a homicide detective and worked in law enforcement beyond Chicago, according to press accounts. Police say McInerney is now deceased, which forecloses prosecution but not historical accountability.
Investigators credited agency teamwork for the break. Chicago detectives worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Illinois State Police to test and link the old evidence. The FBI compared DNA from Gloria’s clothing to genetic leads from family tree databases to isolate a likely suspect, then the case pivoted to fingerprint confirmation through the 1959 application card. The sequence shows how modern tools can unlock long-stored evidence and turn archived personnel files into key forensic references.
What solved a 1960 crime in 2026
Decades of careful storage preserved both the purse print and the DNA-bearing material long enough for today’s methods to work. Police say that technology unavailable in 1960 now makes it possible to find and compare tiny genetic markers and to search family networks for likely identities before confirmatory testing. That approach, paired with a simple but decisive fingerprint card from a job file, created an old-meets-new pathway. It is a reminder that good evidence handling is not glamorous, but it is decisive.
🚨 COLD CASE SHOCKER: DNA & a job file fingerprint have linked former Chicago detective Thomas McInerney Jr.—who died in Las Vegas in 2006—to the 1960 murder of 8-year-old Gloria Kowalewicz. Solved after 65 yrs. 🧬https://t.co/v0zkARPvnn
— 702times (@702times) October 14, 2026
Police also said they are checking databases for possible links to other crimes, a standard step when a new DNA profile enters the system. That is prudent policing, not proof of other offenses. The lesson for public safety is clear: invest in evidence rooms, fund cold-case units, and keep access to national databases strong. That simple, steady work delivers justice that flashy press conferences alone never will, and it does so without bending the rules or the facts.
Sources:
foxnews.com, nbcnews.com, people.com
