IL IL - Lane Bryant Murders, Tinley Park, 2 Feb 2008

[annemc2]

Interesting theory about dehumanizing the women. On a simpler note, it could just be his way of speaking. I worked in a hospital where most of my co-workers were black and would hear "that" and "them" a lot instead of "your." For example, "let me help you brush that hair, Mr Jones." This might be more of a Southern thing, though.

Is there a transcript of the call? The entire thing sounds so garbled. I could barely even make out the "cover that head" phrase!

 

[dotr]

Interesting theory about dehumanizing the women. On a simpler note, it could just be his way of speaking. I worked in a hospital where most of my co-workers were black and would hear "that" and "them" a lot instead of "your." For example, "let me help you brush that hair, Mr Jones." This might be more of a Southern thing, though.

Is there a transcript of the call? The entire thing sounds so garbled. I could barely even make out the "cover that head" phrase!

Hmm, maybe like Jesse Matthews he worked at a medical facility of some sort? imo.
Murderer Jesse Matthew gives jailhouse interview: ‘I stepped away from Christ for awhile’
Audio at link..
Lane Bryant Mass Murder: 10 hard years

 

[LurkingSleuther]

I've lived my whole life 3 miles from where Lane Bryant was located and drive past that shopping center weekly. I've heard tidbits (task force alternates people for fresh eyes, camera footage of one of the victims in Taco Bell drive-thru prior to entering Lane Bryant) but nothing earth shattering. TPTB are likely as stumped as we are.

I've never seen someone with that hairstyle matching that description in the area. Doubt anyone has - otherwise the perp would've been caught.

The shopping center is located right off I-80 and near I-57.
(1) If the perp exited left onto 191st, he would've had one more stoplight before entering the interstate off Harlem and likely chose 80E, 57N, or 57S from there.
(2) If the perp exited right, he could've driven 191st to LaGrange and turned right for I-80 or quickly turned right at 76th before two more rights on 183rd and Harlem onto I-80.
(3) Perp exits left onto 191st, turns right on Harlem, left on Vollmer, before hitting I-57 in 2-3 minutes.
The first method is quickest but riskiest with the Harlem/191st stoplight and being seen. I'd imagine police cars drove right past him while he waited in the LT lane.
The second method is slower but most risk-adverse, particularly if he used the non-busy 76th Ave.


It is highly unlikely the perp was local to Mokena/Frankfort/Tinley. Interstate accessibility makes the store more target-able for an out of town criminal.

It is absolutely stunning this case never ends up on 48 or any crime show. Almost like LE *avoids* giving attention to this case when, given the VERY distinct hairstyle, mass marketing is probably the best route to solving it.

You also wonder if the perp is long deceased. The way the crime was carried out was disorganized and chaotic. The perp was a trainwreck. It's simply unfathomable he never committed another crime. Frankly, from his perspective, it's a miracle he was never caught. This is solved 99 times out of 100.

 

[jbirner]

It does seem like LE avoids exposure to this case. It almost seems like they want to solve it without help from anyone. If they are going to offer such a large reward, why not expose this case to millions of other people. Who knows who is out there that might recognize this person that lives far away and might not go on the internet as much as watches TV. At this point there is nothing to lose. It has been 12 years now.

He may well be dead and I find it impossible for him to not commit another crime. It is possible he is hiding somewhere in plain sight and the people around him have no idea who he is.

 

[flgrl017]

I think it’s option 2. I drew a diagram of all the ways he could have left. The green is the way that I would leave the lot if I was in a hurry. The black dot is approximately where the suv of interest was parked. This parking lot is a maze when you first start shopping at this center. Whoever was driving knew it. I don’t think the face we see is the driver though.

 

[flgrl017]

This is showing how cop 1 (target cop) got in his position. He took either blue line and is sitting where the blue dot is when cop 2 (dash cam cop) arrives. The green lines are the way I think the suv probably left.


This is how cop 2 most likely came. He’s the red line. The lane Bryant store front is the black dot, and the target cop is the blue dot.

This is the arrival of dash cam cop (red line). Target cop is already there (blue dot)(green lines are routes target cop most likely took). Black dot is lane Bryant store front.

 

[dotr]

I've lived my whole life 3 miles from where Lane Bryant was located and drive past that shopping center weekly. I've heard tidbits (task force alternates people for fresh eyes, camera footage of one of the victims in Taco Bell drive-thru prior to entering Lane Bryant) but nothing earth shattering. TPTB are likely as stumped as we are.

I've never seen someone with that hairstyle matching that description in the area. Doubt anyone has - otherwise the perp would've been caught.

The shopping center is located right off I-80 and near I-57.
(1) If the perp exited left onto 191st, he would've had one more stoplight before entering the interstate off Harlem and likely chose 80E, 57N, or 57S from there.
(2) If the perp exited right, he could've driven 191st to LaGrange and turned right for I-80 or quickly turned right at 76th before two more rights on 183rd and Harlem onto I-80.
(3) Perp exits left onto 191st, turns right on Harlem, left on Vollmer, before hitting I-57 in 2-3 minutes.
The first method is quickest but riskiest with the Harlem/191st stoplight and being seen. I'd imagine police cars drove right past him while he waited in the LT lane.
The second method is slower but most risk-adverse, particularly if he used the non-busy 76th Ave.


It is highly unlikely the perp was local to Mokena/Frankfort/Tinley. Interstate accessibility makes the store more target-able for an out of town criminal.

It is absolutely stunning this case never ends up on 48 or any crime show. Almost like LE *avoids* giving attention to this case when, given the VERY distinct hairstyle, mass marketing is probably the best route to solving it.

You also wonder if the perp is long deceased. The way the crime was carried out was disorganized and chaotic. The perp was a trainwreck. It's simply unfathomable he never committed another crime. Frankly, from his perspective, it's a miracle he was never caught. This is solved 99 times out of 100.

Not that i have looked for that hairstyle everywhere, but i really did look high and low and have not found anything quite like those cornrows, oddly- they remind me of an Egyptian and/or Native American jewellery design.
imo, speculation.

 

[kemo]

Not that i have looked for that hairstyle everywhere, but i really did look high and low and have not found anything quite like those cornrows, oddly- they remind me of an Egyptian and/or Native American jewellery design.
imo, speculation.

I recall see young Afro-American men incorporating beads with their cornrows in Oakland in the mid-2000’s. Projected a dapper-gansta vibe.

 

[dotr]

Audio at link.
The Lane Bryant Murders - Criminology - Omny.fm
Published Jan 18, 2020
''In February 2008, a lone gunman entered the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park, Ilinois and shot six women. Five of the women died that day while the sixth barely survived. The store manager managed to call 911 just before the shooting began. The resulting search for the killer would turn into a massive investigation.

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the Lane Bryant Murder case. The surviving victim was able to give a description of the killer but police have not been able to identify him. There are some that wonder if the killer was a man at all, or rather a woman in disguise. There are many unanswered questions in this case that have puzzled amateur sleuths for years.''

New 3D Image Of Lane Bryant Suspect Released By Tinley Police
''TINLEY PARK, IL -- Almost 10 years to the day, Tinley Park Police Department released a new 3-D image Thursday of the man suspected of killing five women at a Lane Bryant store on the morning of Feb. 2, 2008.

The new image, prepared by Michigan State Police, is an enhanced version of the original sketch made in 2008 from an eyewitness account. It utilizes the latest in facial identification technology to provide a more life-like representation of the suspect.

"We hope this enhanced version will lead to the identification of the suspect in this horrible crime," Tinley Park Police Chief Steve Neubauer said.


Police say the suspect is 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, making him 35 to 45 years old today. He has a medium to dark skin complexion.''

 

[jbirner]

Lane Bryant Murders Remain Unsolved After 12 Years

Today is the 12 year anniversary. So far the only article I found. Just the same stuff we've been seeing for the last 10 years or so.

 

[flgrl017]

Lane Bryant Murders Remain Unsolved After 12 Years

Today is the 12 year anniversary. So far the only article I found. Just the same stuff we've been seeing for the last 10 years or so.

I feel at this point we aren’t going to get anything new. They’re waiting on the main gunman to slip up (if he’s still alive) or a tip from someone he knows. My gut feeling is the main gunman is dead and gone, but his accomplices are still out there, and it would be wonderful if they were brought to justice. I just feel like the main gunman would have slipped up by now if he was still alive. It’s still crazy to me that someone could do this in that shopping center at that time of day and get away with it.
RIP ladies.

 

[flgrl017]

There is an interesting comment on the Tinley Park Patch Facebook page on this article. I doubt the suspect worked at that gym. Surely it’s been reported to police, and they would have investigated and cleared that person.

 

[MntnHiker]

So sad it hasn't been able to be solved yet. My thoughts are with the survivor and all the victims' families.

 

[FinePrint]

12 years...wow is all I can say. I'm 12 years older but still remember it like it happened this morning! Usually its the weather that reminds me of that day but yesterday and today are unseasonably warm. That day was so cold. The sky had that "any minute its going to snow" look. In fact I remember having my windshield wipers on because there were flurries and snow was piled up high in the parking lots....on to 13 years!!

 

[jbirner]

There is an interesting comment on the Tinley Park Patch Facebook page on this article. I doubt the suspect worked at that gym. Surely it’s been reported to police, and they would have investigated and cleared that person.

Some interesting comments there. I doubt he ever worked at that gym either as it wouldn't make sense to commit an armed robbery less than a mile from where you worked all the time showing your face, although it's possible he never meant to leave any living witnesses.

 

[Userid]

I have some thoughts on this case -- if any of this has already been mentioned, I apologize.

First, a little background: I began working in this area (not in Tinley Park but a surrounding suburb) in 2009. For the first few years at my job, I always took LaGrange Road. I had of course knew about the Lane Bryant Murders all this time, but was never sure of where it was exactly, as I wasn't familiar with the area until I worked near there. Anyways, about 5 years later, I began taking alternate routes to work: I-80 and even Harlem, etc. I have actually been to this very shopping area many times without ever realizing that the Murders occurred here, as the Lane Bryant turned into a TJ Maxx sometime after the murder. There is a Best Buy and a Target that I have frequented many times in this area. Point being, I just learned that this was the store yesterday, which is extremely odd to say the least, as I drive past it pretty much every single day.

Which brings me to my thoughts: this shopping area is big. There are many stores surrounding it, and the Lane Bryant (TJ Maxx) store is pretty much in the smack dab middle and rear of the lot. Honestly, out of all the stores in this entire section, this store would have been the hardest to rob in my opinion, ironic but true. So someone went out of their way to get to this particular store. They had to drive around/through the huge lot (with many lanes) to get to this place, especially if the killer came from the second entrance (farther west from Harlem), which as someone else already mentioned is quite maze-like.

Other than being directly inside the shopping area, the store itself (i.e. the rear) is the most visible from Harlem Avenue, just before you reach 191st, traveling south. I drove past it today to get a better idea of whether or not the killer had the option to park behind the store -- which he did, as there is a "lane" wide enough to drive through and which seems connected to the parking-lot-complex; however, I did not see if there was a back-door to the store (I will see tomorrow).

I think the killer picked this specific store on purpose, and that his motive went beyond simple robbery. I feel like he had been there before (perhaps at this very time and day of the week) and knew the area, and I feel like perhaps he had gone there because he was in search of an employee he had seen there before (i.e. perhaps a love interest, who was unaware that he had been there before and that had never spoken to him). Either way, the killer wasn't just there to simply rob people -- Lane Bryant is too random and illogical of a location for that lone goal; especially this particular Lane Bryant.

I feel like the killer probably escaped by blowing the light at 191st and Harlem and headed East on 191st, as that would have been the most secluded stretch of road. 191st going west would have been too busy. That is, if he exited at the entrance with the street light; and knew his way around the area (which again, I have to think he did, considering the fact that he knew where this Lane Bryant was).

 

[Userid]

This is showing how cop 1 (target cop) got in his position. He took either blue line and is sitting where the blue dot is when cop 2 (dash cam cop) arrives. The green lines are the way I think the suv probably left.
View attachment 227648

This is how cop 2 most likely came. He’s the red line. The lane Bryant store front is the black dot, and the target cop is the blue dot.
View attachment 227650
This is the arrival of dash cam cop (red line). Target cop is already there (blue dot)(green lines are routes target cop most likely took). Black dot is lane Bryant store front.
View attachment 227649

These are very good, thank you. I'm new to the exact details, but the more I look at the area, the more I feel like he parked behind the building -- that's how he was able to escape undetected.

I think that before he ever entered Lane Bryant, he parked behind the store, then simply walked along the wall and around the corner of the building (see photo below), entering through the front entrance. When police arrived, he was able to exit the back door of the store to his car, then drive his car around the back of the parking lot complex

Google Maps

From there, he could have taken any number of lanes out of the lot. He could have taken one of the two lanes that go behind the Best Buy; or he could have stayed on the same lane that went from behind the Lane Bryant store all the way around the Kohl's/Old Navy/Dick's and exited on Marketplace Drive (see 2nd photo below). I said before that I didn't think he would turn right (west) on 191st, but now I'm beginning to reconsider, especially if the police came from Harlem.

Google Maps

 

[flgrl017]

These are very good, thank you. I'm new to the exact details, but the more I look at the area, the more I feel like he parked behind the building -- that's how he was able to escape undetected.

I think that before he ever entered Lane Bryant, he parked behind the store, then simply walked along the wall and around the corner of the building (see photo below), entering through the front entrance. When police arrived, he was able to exit the back door of the store to his car, then drive his car around the back of the parking lot complex

Google Maps

From there, he could have taken any number of lanes out of the lot. He could have taken one of the two lanes that go behind the Best Buy; or he could have stayed on the same lane that went from behind the Lane Bryant store all the way around the Kohl's/Old Navy/Dick's and exited on Marketplace Drive (see 2nd photo below). I said before that I didn't think he would turn right (west) on 191st, but now I'm beginning to reconsider, especially if the police came from Harlem.

Google Maps

These routes are based off of what the suv from the target surveillance camera would have taken.

Do you think that if any activity was going on behind the store that day that someone would have noticed since you have the exit ramp traffic and Harlem traffic? I think any activity behind the store would have been noticed. I feel like the front lot would have been easier to blend in.

The Lane Bryant back door was blocked in from what I can tell. There is one coming from the mattress store but it seems to me like that one is too far over. I’ve convinced myself that you can see the door outline if you look really closely. Looking at the building it’s to the left of that pipe that runs up the back. I drove by this site a few hours ago myself. Small world.

 

[flgrl017]

The cops also need to look at stolen vehicles from around the time this happened. I pay attention to all the crimes that occur around this area, and it always seems they are in stolen cars. I know it’s a stretch but any clue could help at this point.

 

[flgrl017]

There is a shot from google earth. I circled what I think are blocked in doors. I’ve convinced myself that it happened at #2.