Cold Case Breakthrough: DNA Links Former Detective to 1960 Murder of Young Girl

LAS VEGAS, NV / CHICAGO, IL — In a significant development for cold case investigations, a deceased former detective with the Chicago Police has been connected to the 1960 kidnapping and murder of Gloria Kowalewicz, an 8-year-old girl. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the FBI revealed on October 13, 2026, that Thomas Francis McInerney Jr. was behind the slaying, which took place on November 12, 1960.

McInerney, who became a detective investigating violent crimes after joining the CPD in 1959, later moved to Las Vegas where he worked for the Federal Public Defender’s Office until 2004. He passed away in 2006 without facing charges. The case was revitalized by advancements in forensic genetic genealogy, allowing investigators to trace male DNA recovered from the victim’s clothing and match it to McInerney’s fingerprints from his police application.