Cold Cases in Illinois
ColdCaseIndex documents 16 cold cases in Illinois, spanning 1924–2014. 10 of these cases remain fully unsolved. Each case page includes documented details, status, and information on how to submit a tip.
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All Illinois Cases
Diana Reyes
Twenty-five-year-old Diana Reyes was found murdered in Chicago, Illinois in August 2014. Despite investigation by Chicago Police, the case went cold. It remains in Cook County cold case files.
Laquan McDonald
Seventeen-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke. Dashboard camera footage was suppressed for 13 months. Van Dyke became the first Chicago officer convicted of murder for an o
Darnell Donerson, Jason Hudson & Julian King
Actress Jennifer Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, brother Jason Hudson, and seven-year-old nephew Julian King were murdered in their Chicago home. William Balfour, ex-husband of Hudson's sister Julia, was convicted of t
Stacy Peterson
Stacy Peterson disappeared from Bolingbrook, Illinois. Her husband Drew Peterson, a former police officer, was suspected. He was later convicted of the separate murder of his third wife Kathleen Savio. Stacy's body has n
Brenda Robinson
Twenty-eight-year-old Brenda Robinson was found murdered in Springfield, Illinois in June 1996. Despite investigation by Springfield Police, the case went cold. It remains in Sangamon County cold case files.
Laquanda Benson
Fourteen-year-old Laquanda Benson was found murdered in Chicago, Illinois in November 1993. Despite investigation by Chicago Police, the case went cold. It remains in Cook County cold case files.
Tammy Zywicki
College student Tammy Zywicki's car was found abandoned on Interstate 80 with a flat tire. Nine days later, her body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag along Interstate 44 in Missouri, over 500 miles away. A witness saw
Chicago Jane Doe (1982)
The remains of an unidentified woman were found in a wooded area in Cook County, Illinois in October 1982. Despite forensic examination and DNA testing, she has never been identified. Her case is entered in NamUs and inv
Chicago Tylenol Murders Victims
Seven people in Chicago died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules in 1982. The deaths prompted a nationwide recall and led to tamper-resistant packaging regulations. James W. Lewis was convicted of extortion relat
Dorothy Hunt
Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate figure E. Howard Hunt, was killed in a United Airlines plane crash near Chicago. She was allegedly carrying $10,000 in cash. Some investigators and family members believed the crash was sa
John Wayne Gacy Victims
John Wayne Gacy tortured and murdered 33 young men and boys, burying 26 under his house. He was convicted in 1980 and executed in 1994. After his execution, investigators used DNA to identify unknown victims. Some remain
Richard Speck Victims
Richard Speck broke into a Chicago townhouse and methodically murdered eight student nurses. Corazon Amurao survived by hiding under a bed and later identified Speck. He was convicted and sentenced to death, later commut
Valerie Percy
Valerie Percy, daughter of Senate candidate Charles Percy, was stabbed and beaten to death in her family's lakeside mansion in Kenilworth. A mysterious intruder entered through a window. Despite federal and local investi
Barbara & Patricia Grimes
Sisters Barbara (15) and Patricia (13) Grimes disappeared after seeing an Elvis Presley movie in Chicago. Their nude bodies were found in a ditch outside the city weeks later. Despite extensive investigation and multiple
Suzanne Degnan
Six-year-old Suzanne Degnan was abducted from her bedroom in Chicago and dismembered. William Heirens, known as the 'Lipstick Killer' for writing on walls with lipstick, was convicted in 1946 and spent 65 years in prison
Bobby Franks
Fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks was murdered by wealthy University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb as a thrill kill. Attorney Clarence Darrow's defense saved them from execution; they received life sen