7,500 Tips, 15 Years: Village Still Hopes To Solve Lane Bryant Murders

TINLEY PARK, IL — It's been nearly 15 years since a gunman walked into a woman's clothing store in Tinley Park and took the lives of five women inside, wounding a sixth victim who survived. Just as quickly as he was there, he was gone—elusive still today.

The gunman had forced the six women — four shoppers, the store manager and an employee — to the back of the Lane Bryant store in Brookside Marketplace at 191st and Harlem and opened fire around 10:44 that Saturday morning. Killed on that February day in 2008 were Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; Sarah T. Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; Carrie Hudek Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort; Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet; and Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Indiana. The employee survived only by playing dead and waiting for the gunman to leave.

Five years later, TJ Maxx moved into the storefront—a new sign, fresh start. Had some not seen the news coverage, the shootings might be a moment lost, slipping through the cracks of time and other significant news events.

But so many still want answers, and on Feb. 2 the Village will join the entire Tinley Park community in remembering the 15th anniversary of the tragic killings. In the nearly 2 decades since, police have explored 7,500 leads, to no avail. They have a composite and an audio snippet of his voice from the 911 call to go off of—the latter just a brief glimpse into the chilling moments inside the store.

"The Tinley Park Police Department and the Village of Tinley Park remain dedicated to finding the person who committed these murders and bringing them to justice," the Village said in a press release this week.

Tinley Park police in 2022 assigned a new Lane Bryant detective to the case, and he continues to work with the crime lab and review new and old tips daily, the Village said. Every year since 2008, the Village has made sure the police department has funding for evidence testing, travel and any other resources it needs to solve the case, according to the release.

Police said they've received thousands of leads over the years, and continue to explore those submitted.

“The police department has followed up on about 7,500 leads so far since the case began,” Tinley Park Police Chief Matthew Walsh said. “We’re hoping that new advancements in technology will help us solve this case once and for all.”

The Lane Bryant tipline is still fielding emails at lanebryant.tipline@tinleypark.org. Those with information are urged to call the tip hotline at (708) 444-5394 or email; tips can be submitted anonymously. There’s a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

“A tragedy as horrible as this isn’t something you forget,” Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz said. “It stays with you. This crime hasn’t just affected the victims or their families; it’s affected the entire community. All of us continue to grieve with the victims’ families, and all of us want justice to be served.”

A composite likeness of the suspect and an audio recording of his voice from the 911 call are available on the Village website at TinleyPark.org/LaneBryant. Police describe the suspect as a man between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall, with a husky build and broad shoulders. He appeared to be 25 to 35 years old at the time of the killings. He has a medium to dark skin complexion.

“Someone out there knows something,” Glotz said. “They owe it to the five women who lost their lives, and to their families, to come forward and help us finally close the book on this horrible tragedy.”