Lane Bryant murders case remains open 14 years after killings, 'We owe it to their families'
TINLEY PARK - It has been 14 years since the mass murder in south suburban Tinley Park at the now former Lane Bryant retail store. The killer has yet to be found.
On Feb. 2, 2008, a robber forced the store manager, a part-time employee and four customers into a rear room of Lane Bryant in the Brookside Marketplace at 191st and Harlem in Tinley Park. He then gagged them with tape and then shot them execution style.
One of the women survived, helping police create a sketch, later enhanced, so it was three-dimensional.
The five murder victims, however, will never be replaced. Rhoda McFarland of Joliet, Jennifer Bishop of South Bend, Sarah Szafranski of Oak Forest, Connie Woolfolk of Flossmoor, and Hudek Chiuso of Frankfort were all killed. The survivor has never been publicly named. Police still believe that advances in technology, like DNA analysis, or a new tip, will lead them to the killer.
A 911 call made that day can be heard on the village's website. Fourteen years later, the offender remains at-large. A $100,000 reward has been established for information leading to the arrest of the killer. Any information will be kept confidential.
Tinley Park Police Chief Matthew Walsh told FOX 32 that two new lead detectives have taken over the case.
"We needed to keep working on this case. The new detectives are eagerly getting to work. They will be looking at each lead again to pursue any avenue with fresh eyes," Walsh said.
Deputy Chief Lawrence Rafferty said the department still receives multiple tips a week, 14 years later.
"There isn't one person in this department that doesn't have this case on their mind," Rafferty said. "The Village of Tinley Park has never given up on finding the person responsible. We have five victims here, we owe it to their families … it is far too important to give up on."
Rafferty said the department is hopeful the murderer will be found soon, saying relationships change over the years, and that someone may eventually come forward with new information that leads to an arrest.
Anyone who may know anything about the murders is encouraged to send a tip to the department at lanebryant.tipline@tinleypark.org.