Ex-Chicago detective identified as killing child in 65-year cold case
The detail that gets me is the job title. Homicide detective. McInerney would have known exactly how these investigations run, what evidence matters, how to leave a clean trail. He used his professional knowledge to hide in plain sight, maybe even standing in the same squad rooms where Gloria's case was discussed. It makes you wonder how many other cold cases hide a similar secret: someone who knew the system from the inside.
I'm glad DNA finally gave Gloria's family an answer, even if it came after McInerney's death. Closure is a strange word here, because there's no trial, no confession, no chance for him to explain. But there's also a certain justice in the idea that the science outlasted his evasion. I'd want to know how the DNA was discovered and whether it points to other cases he might have been involved in. For now, it's a quiet, unsettling end to a very old horror.