Cold Case: Man Charged In Woman's 1992 Murder

NILES, IL — Police have charged a 72-year-old man in the 1992 murder of a Niles woman, officials announced Wednesday. Richard J. Sisto, who was in jail in Texas when police discovered his DNA matched samples at the scene, was a registered sex offender at the time of the killing.

Helen K. Cardwell, 35, was found strangled to death in her room at the Leaning Tower YMCA on Nov. 8, 1992. At the time, Cardwell had just moved to the area from New Jersey and was set to start working at Lutheran General Hospital.

She was found by her sister and brother-in-law when they came to visit. After a year of investigating, the case went cold in 1993.

Police reopened the case last year when they got the opportunity to submit some evidence to the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory in Vernon Hills. According to the lab, DNA from a few samples from the crime scene matched the DNA of a Texas man, Sisto.

While police were notified of the match in late 2020, it took almost a year for them to find the man to interview him and confirm DNA, Niles officials said at a press conference.

"He had completely gone off the radar. He was living dark. He was nowhere to be found," said Niles Detective Sgt. Michael Boba.

As of this year, Sisto was sitting in a Texas jail in connection with a warrant for a 2006 parole violation. Officials said a police database search revealed where Sisto was in August but did not comment on why they couldn't find Sisto prior to that.

Sisto was living and working in Niles when Cardwell moved to town, police said. The man was on parole for a 1977 aggravated rape conviction in Dallas, Texas. Investigators interviewed the man in early October, and he was later charged with Cardwell's murder.

Officials said Sisto will be extradited to Illinois for the trial. At the press conference, Noca Ervin, Cardwell's sister, gave a short statement.

"I just appreciate everyone's efforts in solving her murder," she said.

UPDATE: Man Accused Of 1992 Niles YMCA Murder Ordered Held Without Bail