Cops Fail to Find Serial Killer’s Victim in Crawlspace of Joliet House

JOLIET, IL — The Rolling Meadows police searched for the remains of a serial killer’s victim in the crawlspace of a Joliet house, a law enforcement source said, but came up empty Wednesday.

The source said the Rolling Meadows cops were investigating the handiwork of Russell Smrekar, who reportedly made a deathbed confession to the 1975 murder of his college roommate, Michael Mansfield. Smrekar, a Joliet resident, and Mansfield, who was from Rolling Meadows, attended Lincoln College in Lincoln.

At the time of his death, Mansfield was scheduled to testify against Smrekar for stealing from the college dorm rooms.

Just before he died at Menard Correctional Center in October 2011, Smrekar also confessed to killing Lincoln resident Ruth Martin, according to the State Journal-Register. Smrekar had been charged with stealing steaks from a Kroger and Martin was to be a witness for the prosecution.

“Lincoln police announced Friday that, before his death Thursday at Menard Correctional Center, Smrekar confessed to killing Ruth Martin of Lincoln and burying her remains under then-under-construction Interstate 55,” the Journal-Register said.

Smrekar was convicted and sent to prison for killing Jay Fry and his pregnant wife, Robin. Fry managed the Kroger and was also a witness to Smrekar’s petty crime.

Rolling Meadows police Cmdr. Thomas Gadomski failed to return calls for comment. A law enforcement source said the Rolling Meadows cops were looking in the crawlspace of a house on Barber Lane for Smrekar’s victim.

On Wednesday evening, Will County Coroner Patrick O’Neil said he had yet to be contacted about the police recovering any human remains from the house.

image via Mike Maxwell