It has been 15 years since five women were killed inside the back room of a Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park in a murder that shocked many and left police and investigators perplexed.
In the years that followed the shocking and tragic crime, investigators say they have received some close calls, but the puzzle over what happened and who did it remains just out of reach.
“I feel like it was yesterday, probably because I still think about it every day,” said Michele Talos, whose sister Jennifer Bishop was among the victims that tragic day in February 2008.
Now, as Talos flipped through a family photo album, memories of her sister come flooding back. But memories are all Talos has left.
Bishop and four other women—Rhoda McFarland, Connie Woolfolk, Sarah Szafranski and Carrie Chiuso - were each taken from their families on that cold day 15 years ago. A sixth woman was shot, but survived.
Bishop, 34, lived in South Bend, Indiana, but drove to Tinley Park with her husband, who was attending a business conference. She decided to go shopping at the Tinley Park Mall while her husband was busy.
“It was just a day of bewilderment, like, this is not happening, but it is happening, I can see it and there’s her car at the Lane Bryant. And what the heck. How did this happen?” Talos recalled.
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That question remains unanswered 15 years later.
Tinley Park police described what happened as a robbery-gone-wrong. It ended shortly after store manager, Rhoda McFarland called 9-1-1. The killer’s voice can then be heard, muffled on the other end.
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The call’s audio remains on the Tinley Park Police Department's website on a page dedicated to the case.
It's a case Det. Ray Violetto has long believed could be solved.
“I think eventually one day, someone is going to come forward and with the evidence, we’re going to have conclusion to the case,“ Violetto said.
That day has yet to come, although there have been close calls.
On the day of the murders, Tinley Park police say the first officer arrived within a minute of the killer leaving as he was directly across from the Lane Bryant shop and rushed to the store.
Authorities even turned to satellite images, looking for a possible getaway car.
“The satellite just didn’t have enough image of the license plates to make out anything useful,” said Michele.
Tinley Park Police said they’ve followed up on roughly 7,500 leads.
In a press release, the Village of Tinley Park said it joins the community in remembering the anniversary, although it didn’t announce plans to commemorate the victims like it has done in years past.
An updated image of a man the only surviving witness described is posted on the Tinley Park police website.
“I know that somebody knows who it is that did it," Talos said, adding that that person has kept it a secret for a long time. “Even him, I mean why doesn’t he come forth and finally give in? It’s got to be eating at you somehow. You know, there’s a lot of healing that happens when you turn yourself in and admit what you did.”
The Tinley Park Police Department is offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the offender. The reward is not dependent on a conviction.
The Tinley Park tip hotline is (708) 444-5394 or via email at lanebryant.tipline@tinleypark.org
