Monday, February 2, 2009

LANE BRYANT MASSACRE: YEAR LATER FAMILIES REMEMBER, NEED YOUR HELP

Mike Hudek holds a picture of his sister, Carrie Chiuso, in Chicago, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009. For the past year, Hudek has grappled with the sudden loss of his older sister. Chiuso was one of five women fatally shot inside a Lane Bryant store Feb. 2, 2008, in Tinley Park, Ill. One year after the tragic events, many of the victims' families have tried to move on as a single male suspect remains at large. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

In this Feb. 3, 2008 file photo, Greg Zanis, of Sugar Grove, Ill., puts up five crosses and leaves flowers as police investigate the fatal shooting of five women the previous day at the Lane Bryant store at the Brookside Shopping Center in Tinley Park, Ill. One year after the fatal shootings, the crime remains unsolved and many of the victims' families have tried to move on as a single male suspect remains at large. (AP Photo/Jerry Lai, File)

Victims' families mark anniversary near Chicago
By SOPHIA TAREEN / Associated Press
February 2, 2009


TINLEY PARK, Ill. (AP) — Mike Hudek still longs for the 12:15 p.m. daily phone call with his sister. The short check-in at lunch was a time to recount the day's events with his best friend, get advice and indulge in a mutual love of celebrity gossip.

For the past year, Hudek has grappled with the sudden loss of his older sister, Carrie Chiuso. She was one of five women killed by a gunman in a Lane Bryant clothing store during a botched robbery on Feb. 2, 2008.

The lone gunman remains at large, even though investigators have spent 30,000 hours combing through 5,600 tips and have worked closely with the sole survivor — whose identity police have kept secret.

The killings rocked this quiet Chicago suburb, and the atmosphere on Monday's one-year anniversary was "eerie," said Mayor Edward Zabrocki.

"This one incident has changed the lives of literally hundreds of people," Zabrocki said by telephone. "You remember it. Your heart goes out to the family and friends of the victims."

Hundreds of people attended a community memorial service Monday. Members of the Tinley Park Ministerial Association offered prayers and scripture in remembrance of the victims.

Every morning for the past year, 12 investigators whose sole task is solving the crime have gathered in the "War Room" at the Tinley Park Police Department. Plastered to the walls are aerial maps of the shopping complex, enhanced digital photographs of the store and binders upon binders of paper.

Taped in one corner are photographs of the victims: Chiuso of Frankfort, Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet; Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; Sarah T. Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; and Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Ind.

"I come in every morning and I start my day by looking at the pictures of the victims. It gives you a renewed sense of cause," said Cmdr. Patrick McCain, a 21-year department veteran overseeing the investigation. "We don't discount anything. Nothing is trivial."

DON'T FORGET THIS CRIME!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/%20ALeqM5g3UPsNkJWEzlSe0jvDk9sC9pdZvwD963R6VG0

PLEASE, HELP!
HELP IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION.
HELP IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS.
HELP!
Tinley Park Police: http://www.tinleyparkpolice.org/


For Mike Hudek, this time of year is bittersweet.
Just 12 hours after his sister Carrie died, his daughter was born.
They named her Carrie.
To honor his sister: Carrie's Fund: http://www.carriesfund.org/