EP. 122 ILLINOIS - America's UNSOLVED Mass Shooting: The Lane Bryant Massacre
01:05:30 Share

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Whether you're selling a little or a lot, Shopify helps you do your thing however you cha-ching. From the launch your online shop stage all the way to the we just hit a million orders stage. No matter what stage you're in, Shopify's there to help you grow. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash special offer all lowercase. That's shopify.com slash special offer.

Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder,

and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned. On February 2nd, 2008, it was a cold and snowy Saturday morning in a suburb of Chicago called Tenley Park. Six different women got up that day expecting it to be an average morning.

The women came from all different backgrounds and walks of life, but one thing they all had in common was that they had plans to stop by the clothing store called Lane Bryant. The store opened at 10:00 AM and one by one people walked through the front doors and started to shop. Some of the people inside were workers, others were customers, but one person in the store was neither.

He was disguised as a delivery man, but as soon as he pulled out a 40 caliber pistol, everyone quickly found out that this was not an average Saturday morning. Over the next 45 minutes, the suspect terrorized the women inside, binding them with duct tape, taking money from the cash register and stealing jewelry off the customers. But their nightmare did not end there.

Before leaving, the suspect would shoot each of the women execution style in the back room of the store. Five of the women would die immediately, but one would survive. And because of her testimony, we know exactly what happened within those horrifying 45 minutes inside Lane Bryant.

But the one thing we don't know, still to this day, is the suspect's identity. So this is the story of America's unsolved mass shooting, the Lane Bryant Massacre. I'm Courtney Browen. And I'm Colin Browen. And you're listening to Murder in America. Murder in America

Tinley Park is a suburb located in southwest Chicago that's known for its low crime rate and exceptional education. Three of the high schools in Tinley Park are ranked in the top 100 in the state of Illinois. And because of this, many people around the Chicago area moved to Tinley Park to get away from the city and raise their families in a better area.

In fact, in 2009, according to the Businessweek magazine, it was voted the best place in all of America to raise a family. The study factored in test scores at their schools, housing affordability, safety, and job growth. The former mayor, Ed Zabrocki, who served the city from 1981 until his resignation in June 2016, said, "...we pride ourselves on creating a community that people want to stay in."

What that emphasizes is the Midwestern down-home values, work ethic, devotion to family, that's refreshing in today's society." And that seemed to be the overall attitude for everyone that lived here prior to February 2nd, 2008. That Saturday morning was cold, gray, and snowy, with a dark cloud that loomed over the city, which was very fitting for the day ahead.

The temperatures were in the mid-20s, and the high that day was just below freezing, but the citizens of Tinley Park were used to that kind of weather, so many people got up and got dressed for their Saturday plans, including six different women who all had plans to go to a store called Lane Bryant, located at the Brookside Marketplace, an outdoor shopping mall on 191st Street and Harlem Avenue.

And as a little background on the retail store, it was created in 1904 by a Jewish refugee named Laina Bryant, who wanted to make maternity clothes for women. And she was actually the first person who commercially made maternity dresses. And then throughout the years, they expanded to making plus-size clothing for women. Lain Bryant is currently the largest plus-size clothing store in America.

And people really love it because it makes plus-size women feel beautiful and empowered. Which is exactly why many of the employees at the Tinley Park location absolutely loved their job.

The manager of the store was 41-year-old Rhoda McFarland. She was born on January 10, 1966, in Joliet, Illinois, to a large, tight-knit family. And growing up, it was clear that Rhoda was a smart and hard-working young woman. She graduated from Lyons Township High School in 1984, and following graduation, she decided to enlist in the United States Air Force.

She was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George's County, Maryland, where she worked as a nurse, which was a great career for her because she was known to always help people in need. But once her career with the military was over, she returned to the Chicago area and became active in her local church, eventually leading her to a career as a pastoral assistant in Crest Hill,

at the Embassy Christian Center. Luckily, the church was near her family in Joliet, and it was a great career choice because she was able to help people in need. During her many years with the church, Rhoda made a difference in so many lives. She even started a youth program called Princess Unveiled, where she helped young girls prepare for the real world.

She also helped inmates through rehabilitation programs, where she helped them integrate back into society after they were released from prison. So, as you can see, this woman was a saint. Her friends often described her as an extremely giving person. Anthony Franklin would later tell the Herald News, Rhoda's passion was just helping everybody. If you ran into her, she would have helped you. She was just a giving person in every manner of the word.

As Rhoda settled into her early 40s, she was fresh into the dating world after her divorce. But eventually, a man named Stuart Gibbs would cross her path and she finally found love again. The two even got engaged and were very excited about their future. And at the time, everything was going really well for Rhoda. The only issue was that she was in between jobs.

For a while, she was working as a supervisor at a business called Nykor Gas, but she wasn't very passionate about it and wanted to find something more fitting. So one day, she decided to apply for a position at Lane Bryant, the fashionable plus-size women's clothing chain. In the beginning, she only planned on working there until she found another job, but she ended up really liking it.

And then after a while, she was offered the position as the store's manager. So even though the job was supposed to be temporary, Rhoda had actually been working there throughout 2007 and into 2008. And everyone that worked with her had nothing but great things to say about her. Like we mentioned, she would often come in to work on her off days, just to help out the other employees.

She was also known to use her employee discount to buy clothes for the less fortunate. Now, this particular weekend, the first week of February 2008, was a very busy weekend for Lane Bryant.

as they were having a huge sale. The company had been promoting the sale for weeks so they expected a lot of customers. Which is part of the reason Rhoda came off on her off day, to help out her part-time employee, a 33-year-old nursing student who is often referred to as Martha since we don't know her actual identity.

But unbeknownst to Rhoda, this decision to come in on her off day would ultimately cost her her life. She would open the doors to Lane Bryant at 10 a.m., and within a few minutes, a number of customers walked in and started browsing through the aisles. One of the first customers in the store was 22-year-old Sarah Szafranski.

Sarah was the oldest of three children and had recently graduated from Northern Illinois University in May of 2007. To many who knew her, she was a bright, loving, and kind person. She had excelled in numerous academic activities throughout her high school and college careers, including the Academic Talented Program, Mathletes, Interact Club, and Spanish Club.

She often spent the weekends with her boyfriend, Brian Phelan. But on this weekend, she decided to go shopping for some new winter work clothes as she had just accepted a job at CNA Financial in Chicago. Another customer in the store that morning was 33-year-old Carrie Chiuso. She decided to go to Lane Bryant to pick out a new shawl for an upcoming get-together with former classmates.

They were going to have a girls' night out, and she wanted to look nice for it. Carrie was known as the life of the party, with an extremely outgoing and outspoken personality. Carrie had been married for nearly two years, and she and her husband, Anthony, had recently started the discussion of expanding their family. The two had embarked on a whirlwind romance that started with a date at the popular chain restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings. Seven months into their relationship, Anthony popped the question in a Chicago hotel suite that he had decorated with rose petals, candles, and toy frogs.

The frogs represented that Carrie had finally met her Prince Charming. They were married on June 10th, 2006 at St. Joseph Church in Homewood, Illinois. Anthony would later say, quote, That was the happiest day of my life. Just being able to share her and share that moment with her on the altar of looking into her eyes and telling her how much I love her.

End quote. Carrie had always been a go-getter in her life, receiving a bachelor's degree from DePaul and a master's degree in social work from Loyola University. From there, she worked as a counselor at Homewood Flossmoor High School, a school that meant a lot to her as it was also her alma mater. Carrie coached the girls' golf team there and helped at-risk youth. Another customer in the store was 37-year-old Connie Woolfolk, who was also scheduled to go to a girls' night out that night.

That day, she got up and got a manicure and pedicure, the first time she had done that in ages. Then afterwards, she decided to stop by Lane Bryant for a new outfit. Connie was a hardworking, devoted single mother of two young boys.

Her youngest son, 10-year-old Mayrick, suffered from spina bifida, and her oldest, 16-year-old Victor, was a student at Homewood Flossmoor High School. Throughout Connie's upbringing, she was a straight-A student and had once worked for the village of Park Forest, doing a variety of different jobs including finance and community development.

The village manager, a man named Tom Mick, would later say, quote, "She was fantastic in everything that she did. She was tremendously upbeat. She could take the angriest customer that came into the village hall and work with them to do a 180 on their attitude." And being a single mother wasn't easy for Connie.

So to make ends meet, she had recently taken a job working the night shift at Target, which happened to share a parking lot with Lane Bryant. But in the months before this very day, things had been looking up for Connie. She and her mother, who lived with her and her two sons, had recently started a mortgage company together, and they were really looking forward to growing their business.

Another customer in the store was 34-year-old Jennifer Bishop, known as Jenny. She had just celebrated her birthday and one of her family members had given her a Lane Bryant gift card. Jenny had traveled to Dinley Park that weekend with her husband, Brian. That morning, he was at a work conference in town and to pass the time, she decided to use her gift card and browse the store for new clothes. Jenny was from South Bend, Indiana, where she worked as an ICU nurse at South Bend's Memorial Hospital. She was also a nurse at the South Bend Memorial Hospital.

She had worked as a nurse for over a decade and had eventually worked her way up to shift supervisor. She graduated from Indiana University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and started working at Memorial Hospital almost immediately. Jenny and Brian had married on July 26, 1997 at St. Bavo Catholic Church in Mishawaka, Indiana, and they had three children together.

7-year-old Jacob, 5-year-old Jocelyn, and 6-month-old Alan John. To friends and family who knew her, they said that her children were her entire world and she was a devoted, compassionate, and caring nurse in the ICU. Jenny's supervisor at South Bend's Memorial Hospital would say, "Jenny had beautiful eyes. She was an exceptional person, an exceptional nurse, because she was so caring of everyone." All six of these women would walk into Lane Bryant that morning thinking they were safe.

thinking they would go home to their families. But that wouldn't be the case. Shortly after opening the store at 10:00 AM, customers started coming in to shop. But one person who walked through the doors was a male. Witness accounts would later describe him as an African-American male, average height, and husky.

His hair was cornrowed with the braids going back towards the back of his head, but one single cornrow hung down by his right ear and it had small lime green beads on the end of it. Now the man was carrying a stack of papers when he walked in and soon enough he approached Rhoda, the store manager, and started speaking with her about a delivery.

But Rhoda was confused because they didn't have a delivery scheduled for that day. So to get a little clarification, she walked over to the phone and called another Lane Bryant, thinking maybe they were the ones who were supposed to get the delivery. Now, while Rhoda was on the phone, the delivery man paced around the store. He even spoke with a few customers and the girl called Martha, the part-time employee who was a nursing student.

But after about 15 minutes inside of the Lane Bryant, the man pulled out a .40 caliber Glock from his waist-length coat and started yelling that this is a robbery. I'm sure some of the women looked at the front door. They probably weighed out the risk of running outside to safety.

But ultimately, they all decided to follow the robbers instructions and stay put. From here, the suspect turns to Rhoda and Martha and tells them to take out all of the money from the cash registers. And while they do that, he turns to the customers and orders them to take out all of the money from their wallets and purses. He also makes them remove their jewelry

Now, something important to note is that the only people in the store at this very moment were Rhoda and Martha, the two employees, and two other customers. We aren't sure which customers were inside at this point, but besides the gunman, there were only four women total inside of Lane Bryant. After stealing the cash, the man orders all of the women into a back room.

Once inside, he makes them lie face down on the ground and then he grabs a roll of duct tape that was hidden in his coat pocket. It was clear that he came prepared. Over the next few minutes, the women lie down on the ground, terrified for their lives, as the man tightly wraps duct tape around their wrists.

Now, there was no evidence of sexual assault on any of the women, but it was reported that the gunman groped one of them while they were lying in the back room. And then afterwards, he would go back into the store and grab four pairs of women's underwear. When he returned back to the room, he placed a pair over each of their heads, hoping to obstruct their vision.

Which is very interesting because all of them had already seen his face. Before they even knew he was a robber, he was speaking with each of them face to face. But as he was putting the underwear over their heads, two other customers walked into the store having no idea that they just walked in on an active robbery.

Again, we don't know exactly which women came in where, but we do know that one of the women that came in at this moment was Connie Woolfolk. In just a few moments after walking in, they suddenly see a man emerge from the back room. He quickly brandishes his weapon and orders the women into the back, but Connie decided she wasn't going to go out without a fight.

As the man approaches her, she screams as loud as she can, but no one outside of the store can hear her. And when the man goes to grab her, she punches, kicks, and scratches him with all of her might. And the scratch had enough force that the suspect's DNA would end up under her fingernails, which is a huge life lesson for anyone listening.

One of the best things you can do if someone is ever attacking you or trying to kidnap you, scratch them as hard as you possibly can. Because even if they kill you, your body will leave behind clues. And hopefully they'll be able to solve your murder. But even though Connie fought as hard as she could, the gunman was stronger. He ended up hitting her in the face multiple times and then pistol whipped her with the butt of his gun.

Connie's brother Aaron would later say, quote, she was beat up. He must have pistol whipped and beat them up pretty bad, end quote. Bloodied and bruised, Connie and the other woman were forced into the back where the other four women were.

They were also duct taped, forced on their stomachs, and underwear was placed over their heads. Now by this point, the gunman had been inside of the store for nearly 40 minutes. 40 minutes of pure terror. And all they wanted at that moment was to be back home with their families. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be their fate.

After the altercation with Connie, the gunman had grown angry and belligerent. Rhoda, the store's manager, feared for the safety of herself and the other women on the ground with her. So it was here where she decided to secretly dial 911 using her Bluetooth headset she had worn at work. The call was received by the Will County Sheriff's Department at 1044 a.m.,

911 emergency. Are you Brian? No. Where at? Tenley Park. Stay on the line. Stay on the line. Let me get you to Tenley Park. Don't hang up.

- What are you doing? - I'm not. I'm just going to be there. - That's what you're going to do, huh?

Now sadly, as the call was being transferred over, the line went dead. It's assumed that the gunman noticed Rhoda was making the 911 call because just moments later, he would open fire on all six women lying on the floor. One by one, he held his .40 caliber to each of their heads.

and pulled the trigger execution style. Five of them would die immediately but one, the part-time employee Martha, would survive. As the gunman pointed his gun at her, she turned her head at the last second and the bullet ended up grazing her neck. And once he thought everyone was dead, the suspect took the stolen money and fled the store.

Meanwhile, Martha stayed on the ground playing dead until first responders arrived. Believe it or not, Tinley Park police officers arrived on scene very quickly. One officer actually arrived within one minute of Rhoda's 911 call because he had been at the neighboring Target parking lot that was located only a few hundred feet away. But when the responding officer entered the store, it was apparent that the gunman had already escaped.

While doing a sweep of the scene, he found the six victims in the back room and all appeared to have been shot. He immediately called for backup and within minutes, more police officers arrived alongside paramedics. They attempted to treat the victims, but unfortunately, Rhoda McFarland, Sarah Schafrankski, Carrie Chioso, Connie Woolfolk, and Jenny Bishop were pronounced dead at the scene. However, 33-year-old Martha would be the only woman to survive.

she was quickly rushed to st james hospital in olympia fields while police in the area did everything that they could to find the gunman even officers from nearby cities and counties made their way to the brookside marketplace shopping center a lockdown was implemented as investigators went store to store to sweep locations hoping to find the gunman witnesses would later say that police were seen running through stores with their hands on their holsters prepared at any moment to encounter the man who had brutally slaughtered five innocent women

They eventually expanded their search to nearby stores such as Target and PetSmart. However, it soon became clear that the gunman had made a clean escape. One man named Sean Tyus, who was African American, had been sitting in his car in the Target parking lot when police officers approached him. According to his story, he was apprehended for more than an hour while they interrogated him. He was asked where he put the gun, if he had taken the beads out of his hair. He told police that he had taken his girlfriend to Target and that he was simply waiting in the car while she shopped.

but he was eventually cleared of any involvement when it was found out that he had arrived after the shooting occurred. Now, a police helicopter was brought in to scour the area, and a nearby retaining pond was searched to see if the killer had disposed of the weapon. But unfortunately, the weapon was never found. Investigators continued to search the location for hours, but were not successful in finding anything.

Now, right outside of the shopping center is Interstate 80, which could have taken the gunman out of Illinois within an hour. And it's widely believed that's exactly what happened. And as the town of Tenley Park was getting word of the horrible massacre that occurred, everyone was heartbroken. Things like that don't happen here. It's supposed to be a safe city.

one of the best cities to raise a family. But no one felt that way today, especially since the gunman was still at large. Earlier that morning, Carrie Chiuso's husband, Tony, received a call from his wife stating that she was going to run to the bank and then afterwards, she was going to make a quick stop to Lane Bryant.

He had been home that Saturday morning waiting for Comcast to install cable. And after a few hours, he received a call from his coworker telling him about the shooting. And at that moment, his heart sank.

Carrie was supposed to run by Lane Bryant earlier that morning. So after getting that news, Tony quickly calls her phone to make sure she was okay. But there was no answer. And he would soon find out that his wife was one of the six victims. The surviving victim, Martha, stayed overnight at St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields.

and then was discharged on Sunday, February 3rd, 2008. And because she was the only surviving victim, police had to rely on her to provide details on exactly what happened. Now again, everyone refers to her as Martha because her real name has never been released.

Since this is an unsolved case, and the gunman is still out there, she feared that he might come back to finish the job. So once she was released from the hospital, she was placed in protective custody. And from there, she gave investigators a detailed account on the worst 40 minutes of her entire life.

Martha told police that the gunman was an African-American male with a medium to dark skin tone. He was approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall, with a husky build weighing approximately 200 to 230 pounds. Approximate age was 25 to 35 years old.

And according to Martha, the man had three to five puffy cornrows pulled towards the back of his head and one braid hung down over his right cheek that had four light green beads on the end. He was wearing a waist-length dark colored winter jacket, black jeans with embroidery on the back that appeared to be a cursive G, and a charcoal gray skull cap. In the days after the massacre, Martha spent a lot of time thinking about the women that were with her in that back room. The five women who died right next to her

She also thought about their families. So in an effort to reach their loved ones, she wrote a letter that was delivered to the press by the Tenley Park Police Department. It read, quote, "On Saturday, February 2nd, an unspeakable tragedy occurred, and five of the bravest women I have ever met

were senselessly murdered and taken from their families. My deepest sympathies and condolences go out to their family and friends. Please know that during the unfathomable events of that day, their thoughts were focused on you and coming home. My heart aches that they were unable to do so.

and I am working with the authorities in any way possible for all of the victims. I ask that the media please respect all of our families and allow us to grieve and cope privately with the horrific crime that ripped our worlds apart.

End quote.

22-year-old victim Sarah Schafranski's family released a statement after her death that said, "...our emotions are raw and we are still in shock. There is nothing adequate anyone can say at a time like this. Sarah was loved by all who knew her, and we are counting on that love to sustain us while we mourn." A few days after the shooting, Rhoda McFarlane was laid to rest at the Word of Life Church, the same church where she had once served as assistant pastor.

And now we're going to take our one and only ad break.

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. There have been so many times in my life where I had no idea where I was going, what I was going to do next. I'm actually there all the time trying to figure out how I'm going to innovate on my YouTube channel, what we're going to do with the podcast. Courtney and I always talk about this. And sometimes, especially for certain people, it can be hard to make decisions, especially when it comes to things like your career, relationships in your life, or really anything else.

But that's where therapy comes in. Therapy can help you stay connected to what you really want while you navigate life. So you can move forward with confidence and excitement. I can tell you that I love therapy. I have done so much therapy in my life and it has helped me get through so many different things, so many obstacles that I've faced. And honestly, if you're out there listening to this podcast and you've never tried going to therapy, it

It's the number one thing I would recommend you doing that can help improve your life. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. All you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire and you can get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. I love that part of BetterHelp.

If you're not vibing with your current therapist, you can just switch at any time. It costs no extra. And seriously, BetterHelp is an amazing service. So let therapy be your map with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash MIA today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash M-I-A.

As a lot of you probably know, Courtney and I's time is already really stretched thin. We have multiple projects that we're working on. I'm working on a documentary. We're posting a video every week on YouTube, a podcast, a second podcast. So we don't have a lot of extra time in our lives, especially when it comes to cooking. I know that for myself at the end of a long workday, the last thing that I want to do is get in the kitchen and cook myself something. And meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking can be a huge hassle.

But Hungry Root makes it possible to spend less time doing all of that and more time doing what you love. Hungry Root is simply the easiest way to eat healthy. They send you fresh, high-quality groceries, simple, delicious recipes, and essential supplements.

It's like having someone else do all the planning and shopping so you don't even have to think about it. And something that Courtney and I love is that Hungry Root gets to know your personal health goals, dietary restrictions, favorite foods, how much time you want to spend cooking, and more. Then they build you a personalized cart with all your grocery needs for the week, including easy four-ingredient recipes to put those groceries to use. Each order is free,

The groceries that Courtney and I received from Hungry Root were of the highest quality, and the meals that we made from them not only were quick and easy, but they were delicious to boot. And that's because everything from Hungry Root follows a simple standard.

It's got to taste good, be quick to make, and contain whole trusted ingredients. Right now, Hungry Root is offering Murder in America listeners 40% off your first delivery and free veggies for life. Just go to HungryRoot.com slash MIA to get 40% off your first delivery and get your free veggies. That's HungryRoot.com slash MIA. Don't forget to use our link so they know we sent you. Anyways, let's get back to today's episode.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Whether you're selling a little or a lot, Shopify helps you do your thing however you cha-ching. From the launch your online shop stage all the way to the we just hit a million orders stage. No matter what stage you're in, Shopify's there to help you grow. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash special offer all lowercase. That's shopify.com slash special offer.

Go to your happy place for a happy price. Go to your happy price, Priceline.

And now let's get back to today's story. Soon enough, a week passed and there was still no arrest in the case, which was shocking to everyone. Mass shootings weren't as common back in 2008, but the fact that the gunman was able to escape without anyone even knowing his identity was unheard of. And it was very unsettling that he was still out there flying under the radar,

But based on Martha's description of the shooter, they were able to draw up a rough composite sketch. They even took the sketch to local hair salons in the area to see if somebody recognized him by his hairstyle.

but no luck. Last weekend police say a man came into this Lane Bryant clothing store outside of Chicago with a gun and he soon opened fire. When he was done five women were dead and the gunman had vanished. Saturday police released a sketch of the suspect based on a description given by the sole survivor of the attack

Authorities say he is an African-American male who is thought to be between 5 feet 9 and 6 feet tall. They also think he weighs roughly 200 pounds and has thick braided hair and a receding hairline. Police say the killer remains at large. The woman who helped draw the sketch has not been named and authorities say she is in protective custody. She did release a statement through police, however, calling the victims of the attack five of the bravest women she'd ever met.

Meanwhile, funerals were held on Saturday for three of the women killed. Camille Bohannon, The Associated Press. - During the initial investigation, investigators described the shooting as a botched robbery. Tenley Park Police Sergeant T.J. Grady said in a press conference that the robbery, quote, "At some point went rather poorly," end quote. And investigators were certain that the shooting was not personally motivated.

They researched the background of each victim thoroughly to find out if any women had someone in their past that held a grudge. But they couldn't really find anything. In addition, none of these women lived high-risk lifestyles either. They were social workers, retail workers, and nurses.

Not to mention, they were also wives, mothers, and daughters. And based on Martha's account, none of the women knew the man when he entered the store unmasked.

The only lead for a personally motivated attack was found through Rhoda McFarland's background. According to her family, Rhoda attended a church in her past where she had disagreements over the handling of their finances, and she eventually left the church because of it. So investigators wanted to track down the leadership of this church, who had recently relocated to Texas. But after following the lead, they were unable to link any members of the church to the shooting. And that was the end of that.

So from here, investigators turned back to their original theory, robbery. According to Martha's story, the man had come into the store and demanded cash from the register and from customers' wallets. He also took jewelry from all of the victims. And at the end of it all, it was determined that the gunman escaped with just $200 in total.

$200 for the lives of five women. However, the robbery motive has come under scrutiny in the last few years, mostly because Lane Bryant isn't known for having expensive items and most customers use credit cards or debit cards. In an article for American Crime Journal, journalist Michael Whelan said, quote, Lane Bryant is not exactly a cash-rich setting.

It's also not a very expensive retail chain, with most of its clothing being pretty affordable. So the odds of a thief trying to make it off with any loot, so to speak, is pretty low." Another thing to think about is the timing of the robbery. If someone wanted to make it out with the most money possible, you would think they would want to rob a store at the end of the day, when they've racked up a good amount of cash.

But this gunman came right after they opened. It's theorized that maybe he thought the money from the previous day would still be in the register. But according to Lane Bryant's parent company, Charming Shops, Lane Bryant deposits were made each night, so there wouldn't have been much cash.

Tenley Park resident, Lindy Strodle told the New York Times that she didn't believe robbery was the motive due to the time and location of the murders saying, "You have to wonder, is there another connection there?" Now, some people think that maybe the robber was a drug addict who just needed a quick fix. So it didn't really matter to him how much money he was getting. He just needed something.

They also theorized that he could have even been on drugs during the robbery or withdrawing and once he started losing control of the situation, he decided to kill everyone.

Another theory suggests that the gunman didn't intend on killing everyone, but when he saw Rhoda calling 911, he panicked and started shooting so that the women wouldn't have the chance to identify him. An unnamed source within law enforcement spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times in 2008 and expanded upon this theory by saying, quote,

End quote. The source also said that the gunman had planned to take every person who came into the store into the back room with the others, binding them and isolating them. However, when he noticed Rhoda on the phone with 911, he realized that his robbery scheme was over. She tried to close the phone and he shoots her, then he shoots the rest of them. There are also speculations that maybe this robber specifically chose Lane Bryant because it caters to plus-sized women, and that maybe the robber was trying to send a message.

Now, there isn't any evidence to support that, other than that he chose that specific store, so we don't know. And without the gunman in custody, it would be impossible to know for sure if any of these theories held any truth. Now, following the massacre, Lane Bryant offered to pay for all of the victims' funerals, and their parent company offered a $50,000 reward for any information on the case. But sadly, there hasn't been a payout because it's still unsolved.

And out of respect to the people who lost their lives in the store, five white crosses were erected in a snow band outside of the Lane Bryant building, and one single red rose was placed in front of each cross to honor the victims. Flags were also ordered to remain at half-staff for five days after the shooting. But there was still a dark cloud that loomed over Tinley Park. Five people were murdered, and there was no justice. Tinley Park residents were leery of shopping the Brookside Marketplace in the weeks and months after the shootings, with one resident saying, quote,

He's long gone probably across the country. Sad part as to why I don't go to that shopping plaza. It's an easy getaway with the highway right there."

But even though this crime is somewhat of a mystery, investigators did have a lot of evidence. They found bullets and shell casings at the scene that came from a .40 caliber semi-automatic Glock. And investigators searched everywhere for that murder weapon, including nearby bodies of water, trash cans, and wooded areas nearby. But the handgun nor any ammunition was ever found.

Martha also led investigators to a discarded coffee cup that the gunman had brought into the store that morning and DNA was collected from underneath Connie Woolfolk's fingernails. And that evidence was the most shocking of all because they ran the DNA through their database and everyone was positive they would surely get a match to someone. But when the results came back,

The DNA didn't match anyone in the national database, meaning this person had no criminal record. Which is just so weird because how does someone go from never being arrested to murdering five people at once?

But even though the DNA couldn't point us to one person in particular, it did confirm the gender and ethnicity of the man. Now, you might be thinking, well, what about security cameras? Surely they would have had video showing where the gunman went after he left the store.

Well, unfortunately, because this was back in 2008, there were not as many cameras as there are today. And Lane Bryant actually didn't have any cameras in or outside of the store. So police were forced to use footage from other stores around them. But even then, that footage didn't really help.

According to an article in the American Crime Journal, the most helpful security camera footage came from the Brookside Marketplace's Target, which was located just a few hundred yards away from Lane Bryant. But even then, the footage was very, very blurry. So investigators ended up hiring Dr. David Hathaway and his team at NASA to enhance the footage.

And from there, they were able to determine that a dark-colored sedan and a large SUV pulled up in front of the store at 10:39 a.m. and 10:40 a.m., just minutes before Rhoda placed her call to 911. Then, interestingly enough, both cars left the scene just one minute after Rhoda's phone call.

at 10:45 a.m. Investigators are hoping this video helps solve the Lane Bryant shooting case. This grainy black and white video shows a dark colored SUV and a dark sedan near the suburban Chicago clothing store around the time of the deadly February 2nd shootings.

A surveillance camera at a Target store about 100 yards away captured the images, and Fox TV's America's Most Wanted paid a NASA scientist to enhance it. Police caution they still don't know if one of the vehicles was used by the gunman, or if it is witnesses fleeing after shots rang out. Regardless, officials say they'd like to track down the vehicle owners.

Meantime, the search continues for the gunman who tried to rob the store before opening fire, shooting six women. Four shoppers and a store manager were killed. The lone survivor was able to get a look at the shooter and provided officials with a description that led to this sketch. So far, no arrests have been made. Ed Donohue, The Associated Press.

But even with this news hitting the media, neither of those drivers ever came forward, leading many people to believe they were involved. Investigators theorized that one car served as the getaway car and the other was used as a lookout during the robbery. And if that theory is true, then that means this was a planned and thought out attack.

Now, there are two criminal profilers named Greg McCrary and Clint Van Zandt who actually gained notoriety by helping police identify the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. And they would take a look at all the evidence in this case and they came up with their own theory on who this gunman was.

They suggested that the killer may have known one of the victims or had personally targeted one of them, and in order to never be identified, he felt the need to kill all of them. Greg McCrary said, "Once they've killed somebody and a cycle passed away of thinking, everybody else has to die." Clint Van Zant added, "Either way, something went wrong that caused him to take six women down. Maybe one of the victims recognized him or he felt he'd been recognized."

They went on to say, "...if he, the gunman, feels that anyone is in a position to help police catch him, he will kill again, even if it is his girlfriend or a relative or someone close to him. He's still very dangerous."

Now, following the shooting, the Tenley Park Lane Bryant location permanently closed its doors and donated all of the clothing inside to local charities. And the building would remain vacant until 2013 when a TJ Maxx took over the lease. Lane Bryant's parent company created the Tenley Park Memorial Fund, which would give money to the victims' families and support them after the horrible tragedy.

But year after year, it's hard to properly grieve when no one's been held accountable. On February 2nd, 2018, the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy, investigators remained hopeful that the case would one day be solved. Detective Violetto, one of the lead investigators, said, quote,

End quote.

Throughout the years, the Tinley Park Police Department has received help from a number of different agencies, including the Illinois State Police, the FBI, Scotland Yard, NASA, and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. They have also received over 7,500 tips from all over the United States.

But clearly, none of them have ever led to any arrests. But despite that, they refuse to call it a cold case because they believe that it will still be solved. Now, Michigan State University helped create a 3D composite sketch of the perpetrator. This 3D image is more accurate and realistic of what the suspect would have looked like.

So they released this image on the 10 year anniversary hoping to bring in more leads.

Developing at 11, police in Tinley Park say this new 3D enhanced image could provide the clues they need to solve a 10-year-old murder mystery. I'm Erin Kennedy. Ten years ago tomorrow, five women were brutally murdered inside a Lane Bryant store. To this day, the crime remains unsolved. And I'm Marissa Bailey. Right now, that image and enhanced audio from a 911 call could change all that. CBS 2's Lauren Victory joins us live from Tinley Park with more. Hi, Lauren.

Hi there, Marissa and Aaron. Well, I just spoke with Tinley Park's police chief. He tells me this sketch was released on the eve of the anniversary on purpose because people tend to have the most interest in this cold case this time of year. The new 3D image is now hanging inside the police station and it's broadcast everywhere. It is an enhanced version of a

previous sketch drawn from an eyewitness account in 2008. The new photo uses facial identification technology to make it more lifelike. Now, whoever that man is entered a Tinley Park Lane Bryant 10 years ago and announced a robbery. He ordered a group of women into a back room, tied them up with duct tape and shot five of them dead. One of the victims dialed 911. Police released a snippet of that call years ago.

Police say the suspect's voice can also be heard on the background of that call. Detectives have now isolated the voice, although his words are almost indistinguishable. I'm looking at it.

Tinley Park's chief says one to two new tips come in on the case every week. They hope this sketch and voice recording will give them even more leads. Can you believe it's been 10 years? No, time goes by, but we've worked on it steadily for 10 years. Continue to work on it. There's five women that need us to clear this up.

Now, in honor of this decade-long anniversary, a special prayer service will be held tomorrow. It starts at noon. That's the very latest. I'm Lauren Victor reporting live from Tinley Park's Police Department, CBS 2 News. All right, Lauren, thank you.

At the memorial service that was held on the 10-year anniversary of the massacre, friends and families of the victims came out to honor and remember their loved ones, including Rhoda's younger brother, Hamilton, who said that he always thinks about his sister's glowing personality and great laugh. Charming Shops, Inc., parent company of Lane Bryant, raised the reward to $100,000, which still stands today. According to an article in the American Crime Journal, the reward

Thank you.

And sadly, that's where the case in this story sits today. Right now, in 2023, it's been 15 years since the tragedy, and Tinley Park is still picking up the pieces of this horrible shooting that forever affected their safe community. One Tinley Park father said, "...the killer has faded away and will more than likely never be caught. I comfort myself that he will rot in hell, hopefully sooner rather than later."

And I found this to be very interesting, but there were actually two employees of that Lane Bryant store that were supposed to be working on the day of the shooting. One was a part-time employee named Lori. On the night before the massacre, she called her manager, Rhoda McFarland, to tell her that she wouldn't be going into work the following day because her son was sick.

He was 13 years old and had recently undergone surgery. And the night before her shift, he started having a medical emergency where he was running a 106 fever. So Lori had to take him to the hospital. But she said that Rhoda was very understanding of the situation as always and that she was a great manager.

describing her as, quote, probably one of the most caring selfless managers I've ever worked for, end quote. The following day, as Lori was in the hospital with her son, she turned on the TV to see her place of employment all over the news.

She would later say, quote, I see on the TV Lane Bryant killing and I'm like, Lane Bryant? I work there. And I'm telling the nurses, oh my God, I work at Lane Bryant.

She said that the cell phone reception was bad inside of the hospital, but she was able to receive multiple text messages and voicemails of people that were reaching out to make sure she was okay. And she had similar experiences with those frantic phone calls. She stated, quote, people just start calling and calling and like, where are you? Are you at work?

It's one of the most infamous cold cases ever in the Chicago area. Fifteen years ago today, five women were murdered during a robbery at the Lane Bryant store in South Suburban Tinley Park. The gunman has never been caught. Tonight, for the first time, we hear from two women who worked at that store. They tell CBS2's Jim Williams how they happened to stay out of harm's way on February 2nd, 2008.

On that cold February morning, the morning of the murders here. Tinley Park police say one man walked into the Lane Bryant clothing store. It was a hair appointment and a medical emergency that kept cousins Laura and Lori, first cousins. First cousins. Away from the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park where they both worked part time. I called the store on Friday and said I wouldn't be able to come in for Saturday.

Lori, she's asked that we not use her last name, was unable to work her shift that Saturday because her 13-year-old son had surgery. Then a temperature of 106, she needed to be with him in the hospital. It was there she saw the first reports on television. A gunman took five women into a back room at this Lane Bryant store, including one employee. And I see on the TV, Lane Bryant killing. And I'm like...

Lane Bryant. I've worked there and I'm telling the nurses, oh my God, I work at Lane Bryant. Still not seeing Tenley. Cell service inside the hospital was spotty, but then a flurry of voice messages came in. And I hear ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. And I'm listening to voicemails and people are crying on my phone saying,

answer your phone, answer your phone. I hope you're not at work today. Laura had told cousin Lori she could not pick up her shift because she had a hair appointment. At the salon, she too was on the receiving end of frantic phone calls. People just start calling and calling and like, where are you? Are you at work? So your friends are horrified. Oh my God. What?

I was just talking to a girlfriend today who was saying, I just remember the day calling and begging you to answer your phone. Soon they learned who had been in the store. Five women shot to death. One wounded. Customers and co-workers, including store manager Rhoda McFarlane. Probably one of the most caring, giving, selfless managers I've ever worked for. Sweetheart.

Once they said who was in the store and I just, all I could do was break down and cry, you know, because I couldn't believe it. Police say the gunman had announced a robbery. Laura tells us little cash was kept in the store. We knew our customers. Our customers didn't use cash a lot. Our customers used credit card, roadie check, two registers in the store, $200 in each register.

That's it. That's it. On a 911 call made from inside the store, you can hear the murderer's muffled voice. So too, the faint voice of Rhoda McFarland. And when I, you know, heard that 911 call, I heard her voice.

Lori and Laura have fond memories of Lane Bryant. Lori's mother also had worked there. A family, they called it. You know, Lane Bryant was for full-figured women. And so making us feel good about ourselves was one of the joys of working there. Sure. And I loved it. Fifteen years later, that Lane Bryant store is gone. And the case is still cold. I'm still at that why question.

Why? Why did these women have to die? What was it that you were looking for to take five women's lives?

Authorities have released a sketch of the killer and Tinley Park detectives are still investigating. It's still being worked on on somebody's desk. That there's somebody that's still caring about the five lives that were taken senselessly. So if they're saying that they're still working on the case today, 15 years later, I'm grateful.

A large white cross is placed in the snow near five smaller crosses. Justice should be served for all those families that lost somebody on a cold Saturday morning. You have this alarming episode with your son, and that keeps you out of work, and so your life was spared. And I thank God for it.

As for the current whereabouts of the shooter, many police officers and investigators believe that the man could be deceased. But family members of the victims hope that that's not the case. And more than anything, they are still holding on to hope that one day, this individual will be caught.

Rhoda's brother Maurice Hamilton stated, "You keep the faith. You live every day and you never forget their memories. God willing, they will bring this man to justice." Tenley Park's Mayor Michael Golds spoke with Fox 32 in January of 2023 and he said that two new detectives have been assigned to the case.

and that they're looking through old and new tips every single day.

And until they get an arrest, the town of Tinley Park will do everything in their power to keep the case alive. As for any new theories, retired Chicago police commander Mark Buslick said, quote, because it was such an odd target for a robbery, I think it's a possibility that it was very much a random target and the offender may have been passing through and then continued on his way, end quote.

However, he remains hopeful that one day this cold case will have a resolution. He mentioned that all investigators need is that one big break. He even mentioned the Delphi murders as a source of inspiration. And I think it's important to note that cold cases do get solved. We can't give up on them. And the advantage we have in this case is that there is DNA.

Someone out there, either dead or alive, committed this crime. And people out there know him. And it's our job as people who consume true crime to keep these stories alive. To spread the word. And to never give up hope that one day these five victims will get justice. Like I said, someone out there knows something. And someone out there would likely recognize the person in the photos.

So make sure you take a look at the pictures. If you know anything about this case, the Tinley Park Police Department is requesting that you reach out to the following phone number. 708-444-5394 You can also reach out to the Cook County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-535-7867 You can also email any tips to lanebryant.tipline at tinleypark.org

Today, the killer in the Lane Bryant massacre remains at large and is still considered armed and dangerous. And the victims, Rhoda McFarlane, Carrie Chioso, Connie Woolfolk, Jennifer Bishop, and Sarah Schafranski, all deserve justice for their murders on February 2nd, 2008.

Hey, everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. Now, this story is horrific. It's just such a tragedy. And I cannot believe that it remains to this day unsolved. So, yeah, if you hear this episode, you have any information about this case. Please share it with those numbers and emails that we listed at the very end of the show.

I just can't believe personally that there's a mass shooting like this that is unsolved and there's no real traction behind the investigation. But anyways, I want to thank all of our new patrons. Ashton Brown, Tina Cecil, Ozzy Boy, Amanda Gaines, Danica Hinecker, Sandy DeShiel, Amber Brown, Tessia Summers, Troy Wilcox, Marissa Martin, Joey King, Amy Dawkins, Ashley Burden, Will Gardner, Kevin, Kelly Ormsby, Savannah Marie, Nina Carlson, Kayla White, Jamie Bredstrand, Jen McClellan, T-Dub Gaming, Sarah Call, Kelsey, Robin Chinn,

Dusty Reyes, Tracy Estes, Maria C. Perez, Jez, Darius Williams, Lily Gonzalez, Abamanga, and oh my God, there's just so many more. We are still getting through our patrons from just a week or so ago. I just want to remind everybody we are posting bonus episodes on Patreon now. So we're doing, if you sign up for a $20 a month subscription, you get a bonus episode every week. $10 a month gets you a bonus episode every other week. And if you sign up for a $20 a month subscription,

And for just $5, you get the ad-free version of every episode along with the early release of all of our episodes. So if you love Murder in America, we have an amazing flourishing community on Patreon. And you help us support the show and you help us be able to produce more episodes. So thank you guys so much. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every case that we cover. And yeah, like always, everybody, we love you so much. And we'll catch you on the next one.

¶¶