More than six decades after an eight-year-old Chicago girl was murdered on her way to church, authorities have identified her killer as a man who would go on to spend nearly three decades investigating violent crimes as a Chicago police detective.
Thomas F. McInerney Jr. joined the Chicago Police Department in 1959. Just one year later, on November 12, 1960, Gloria Kowalewicz disappeared after leaving her home shortly before 8 a.m. to attend morning Mass at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Church, located only blocks from her residence. Her body was discovered approximately four hours later in a ditch at a forest preserve southwest of Chicago. She had been shot and killed.
The murder launched an extensive investigation at the time, with police interviewing more than 1,300 individuals and conducting door-to-door inquiries across hundreds of residences. Despite these considerable efforts, the case remained unsolved for decades while McInerney rose through the department ranks, eventually becoming a homicide detective. He retired from the force in 1987 and died in 2006 at age 70, never having been identified as the perpetrator.
Chicago police confirmed that advances in DNA technology, combined with a preserved fingerprint, finally allowed investigators to identify McInerney as Gloria’s killer. Working alongside the FBI and Illinois State Police, investigators utilized modern forensic technology to establish the connection between physical evidence collected at the crime scene and the former detective.
Investigators had meticulously preserved evidence from the crime scene and surrounding area, including a bullet, Gloria’s coat and shoes, and a white communion purse containing her prayer book. Critically, a fingerprint recovered from the purse’s strap proved instrumental in making the identification possible after more than 65 years.
The revelation has sent shockwaves through the Chicago Police Department. In a statement, the department acknowledged the troubling nature of the discovery, stating that McInerney should never have worn the department’s star and expressing the devastating reality that he was never identified and held accountable during his lifetime.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has now undertaken the task of examining other cases that may have involved McInerney during his 28-year career with the department. Given his position as a homicide detective investigating violent crimes, the potential scope of this review remains uncertain.
Tragically, Gloria’s parents died without ever learning who killed their daughter. The case stands as a sobering reminder of justice delayed and the importance of preserving evidence even when solutions seem impossibly distant. It also raises profound questions about the presence of a murderer within the ranks of those sworn to protect and serve.
Modern DNA technology continues to breathe new life into cold cases across the nation, offering closure to families who have waited decades for answers. In this instance, however, that closure comes with the bitter knowledge that the killer walked among those searching for him, carrying a badge and the public’s trust for nearly three decades after taking a child’s life.
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