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

[333_OnlyHalfEvil]

Well that was quick. Having never done this before, I didn't know what to ask for. Should I have asked differently?

I removed my name and the name of the officer and the reference # for privacy.
×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of August 12, 2025, Reference #

You are hereby notified that your request for disclosure, dated August 12, 2025, for the following record(s):

I would like any and all records of the Lane Bryant murders in Tinley Park on Feb 2, 2008.

Is hereby denied for the following reason(s):

This request deals with “Information specifically prohibited from disclosure by federal or state law. This is based on Section 7(1)(d)(i), “Interfere with pending or actually and reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings conducted by any law enforcement or correctional agency that is the recipient of the request”.

The person or persons making this decision to deny and their title or titles are set forth below:

Name: Title:
Deputy Village Clerk/FOIA Officer

You are hereby further notified that you have the right to a review of this decision by the Public Access Counselor in the office of the Illinois Attorney General by filing a request for such review with the Public Access Counselor within sixty (60) days of this denial. The Public Access Counselor may be contacted at 217-558-0486. The address of the Public Access Counselor is:

500 S 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62706
Email: [email protected]

You are further advised that you have the right to appeal this decision to the Circuit Court of this County under Section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act.



Tinley Park Police Department
Records Division

---

To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the Tinley Park FOIA Center.

 

[jbirner]

Thank you for going above and beyond. I just wish they would try to get this case out to more people. If you follow the Amy Bradley case, there has been so much that has come out since the documentary aired on Netflix. If they did the same thing for this case who knows what would happen.

 

[dotr]

Aug 15, 2025
Nearly 18 years later, a new film featuring never-before-heard interviews with victims' families examines how the brutal 2008 Lane Bryant killings remain unsolved.

 

[333_OnlyHalfEvil]

Aug 15, 2025
Nearly 18 years later, a new film featuring never-before-heard interviews with victims' families examines how the brutal 2008 Lane Bryant killings remain unsolved.

Thank God someone else got angry over the lack of justice here and is in a position to do something about it.

 

[dotr]

​

Aug 15, 2025​

https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/lane-bryant-murders-unsolved-travesty/

''(NewsNation) — A filmmaker working on a documentary about the unsolved deaths of five women at a Lane Bryant store in suburban Chicago is urging police to try something different.
“It’s been 17 and a half years — maybe change your strategy a little bit''

''Linn told “Banfield” that social media could one day break the case. He said police would do better at this point by being more open with the media, podcasters and filmmakers like himself who can reach wider audiences.

“I have a better chance of getting pregnant than the Tinley Park PD releasing any information. They are so tight-lipped,” he said.

NewsNation reached out to Tinley Park Police Chief Thomas Tilton by email seeking comment. The village’s website encourages the public to offer tips about the case, and a $100,000 reward is offered for information leading to the killer’s arrest. The phone number to leave tips is (708) 444-5394.''

 

[333_OnlyHalfEvil]

​

Aug 15, 2025​

https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/lane-bryant-murders-unsolved-travesty/

''(NewsNation) — A filmmaker working on a documentary about the unsolved deaths of five women at a Lane Bryant store in suburban Chicago is urging police to try something different.
“It’s been 17 and a half years — maybe change your strategy a little bit''

''Linn told “Banfield” that social media could one day break the case. He said police would do better at this point by being more open with the media, podcasters and filmmakers like himself who can reach wider audiences.

“I have a better chance of getting pregnant than the Tinley Park PD releasing any information. They are so tight-lipped,” he said.

NewsNation reached out to Tinley Park Police Chief Thomas Tilton by email seeking comment. The village’s website encourages the public to offer tips about the case, and a $100,000 reward is offered for information leading to the killer’s arrest. The phone number to leave tips is (708) 444-5394.''

Please note the 100k reward is for just an ARREST, not a conviction! If you know something, it's been long enough...call it in! Buy a burner phone or use a phone booth if you're scared, but do call. It's time.

ETA: I meant this toward the public in general, not toward fellow member dotr!

 

[mothwings]

I have officially placed the request, it is being reviewed and a reference # was given to me. So I guess now we wait and see.

Sorry for the delay, I was DX'd with cancer and have been preoccupied while making my treatment plan. Even if it doesn't run in your family, don't skip your yearly mammogram, ladies. We used a ton of endocrine disruptors back in the 90's and 00's without of realizing it. Remember all those Bath and Body works products and scented candles and plug ins at home? Yep. All of those. Not to mention the lining in all the canned goods we ate. There's so much we can't control, so catching it at stage 1 is very important.

Nice! I'm curious to see what they do. I hope it's granted!

What records did you request specifically? Did you have to call or was it an online thing?

Wonder what the bill will be if they do decide to release some. Hopefully not much.

Either way, I'm interested to hear what they say.

Best wishes to you and your health! My coworker was just diagnosed.

Seems to be happening more and more. Hoping for your speedy recovery!

 

[mothwings]

​

Aug 15, 2025​

https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/lane-bryant-murders-unsolved-travesty/

''(NewsNation) — A filmmaker working on a documentary about the unsolved deaths of five women at a Lane Bryant store in suburban Chicago is urging police to try something different.
“It’s been 17 and a half years — maybe change your strategy a little bit''

''Linn told “Banfield” that social media could one day break the case. He said police would do better at this point by being more open with the media, podcasters and filmmakers like himself who can reach wider audiences.

“I have a better chance of getting pregnant than the Tinley Park PD releasing any information. They are so tight-lipped,” he said.

NewsNation reached out to Tinley Park Police Chief Thomas Tilton by email seeking comment. The village’s website encourages the public to offer tips about the case, and a $100,000 reward is offered for information leading to the killer’s arrest. The phone number to leave tips is (708) 444-5394.''

Oh wow! Charlie Minn did Where is Robert Fisher? Which was a doc about fugitive Robert Fisher who murdered his entire family and exploded his house in Arizona. He was just recently removed from the FBI's most wanted list.

This is awesome news!

 

[333_OnlyHalfEvil]

Nice! I'm curious to see what they do. I hope it's granted!

What records did you request specifically? Did you have to call or was it an online thing?

Wonder what the bill will be if they do decide to release some. Hopefully not much.

Either way, I'm interested to hear what they say.

Best wishes to you and your health! My coworker was just diagnosed.

Seems to be happening more and more. Hoping for your speedy recovery!

Its an online form and I didn't know what to ask for. Maybe someone else has a better idea? Is there something specific we could ask for that they might release?

Thank you for the good wishes. It's always something, isn't it?

 

[jbirner]

Wow, I had no idea he was working on a documentary. He did such a great job with Nightmare in Las Cruces. I am so glad somebody is finally getting some information out. I cannot wait to see it.

 

[dotr]

Aug 15, 2025
Director Charlie Minn and the brother of victim Rhoda McFarland, Maurice Hamilton, joined WGN's Evening News at 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15, to discuss the documentary in the works that probes the 2008 cold case.

Aug 14, 2025 #Crime #LaneBryant #Chicago
Police in suburban Chicago are still working the February 2008 murders of five women at a Lane Bryant store, even after releasing sketches of the shooter and distributing audio of the killer’s voice. Filmmaker Charlie Minn, who is working on a documentary about the murders, urges police to be more forthcoming with information. “It’s been 17 ½ years — maybe change your strategy a little bit. It’s an absolute travesty that this is unsolved,” he tells “Banfield.”

Aug 14, 2025
Nearly 18 years since the Lane Bryant murders in Tinley Park, a documentary filmmaker has turned his attention toward the 2008 cold case in hopes of renewing interest and finding the killer.WGN's Dana Rebik reports on the story.

 

[Danaya]

One theory investigators had early on was that the murderer had intended to keep the staff in the backroom, while he robbed each customer that came in. He then planned on keeping everybody in that room, after directing them there one by one. The phone call that was made to 911 bungled his plans, causing him to panic. He then murdered the victims, to avoid anyone being able to identify him to police. This man was likely a career criminal, with a background in robberies.

 

[jbirner]

I applaud Charlie Minn for what he is doing now. As he says, he is not questioning the efforts, but the results. I have been posting here for 12 years saying the same things he is saying now. Is the TP police dept. exhausting all resources. Why not release more of the 911 call? Why not re-interview the survivor?

 

[lareportera]

I've always been of the opinion that the survivor may know more than she is letting on. A small detail that is always repeated is how the assailant before attempting to rob them scanned the store for cameras by glancing up. When you think about it, it such a weird detail for the survivor to remember, why would you even have notcied or made note of that behavior at a point when he was just a friendly delivery guy. The sketch is made up, she had doubts about what he exactly looked like, but that is why when the police was in all out search for a black guy with braids, the real perp looked nothing like that, allowing him to get away. The survivor can maintain her identity by putting out statements through the police, or victim advocates to continue to jog peoples memories on the case, help get justice for the victims- well shes no where to be found, has disappeared off the face of the earth, not even Rondas grieving brother can get in contact with her, the minimum a survivor can do is put out an annoymous statement or give an interview disguising their identity.

 

[jbirner]

I've always been of the opinion that the survivor may know more than she is letting on. A small detail that is always repeated is how the assailant before attempting to rob them scanned the store for cameras by glancing up. When you think about it, it such a weird detail for the survivor to remember, why would you even have notcied or made note of that behavior at a point when he was just a friendly delivery guy. The sketch is made up, she had doubts about what he exactly looked like, but that is why when the police was in all out search for a black guy with braids, the real perp looked nothing like that, allowing him to get away. The survivor can maintain her identity by putting out statements through the police, or victim advocates to continue to jog peoples memories on the case, help get justice for the victims- well shes no where to be found, has disappeared off the face of the earth, not even Rondas grieving brother can get in contact with her, the minimum a survivor can do is put out an annoymous statement or give an interview disguising their identity.

I'm hoping she could be a part of this documentary, even if she doesn't give her name or show her face. After all of these years I don't think there is much to lose now. She is the only one who really knows 100% of what happened. If nothing else, I hope this documentary starts to make people talk as other cases have heated up recently due to new publicity.

 

[IceIce9]

I've always been of the opinion that the survivor may know more than she is letting on. A small detail that is always repeated is how the assailant before attempting to rob them scanned the store for cameras by glancing up. When you think about it, it such a weird detail for the survivor to remember, why would you even have notcied or made note of that behavior at a point when he was just a friendly delivery guy. The sketch is made up, she had doubts about what he exactly looked like, but that is why when the police was in all out search for a black guy with braids, the real perp looked nothing like that, allowing him to get away. The survivor can maintain her identity by putting out statements through the police, or victim advocates to continue to jog peoples memories on the case, help get justice for the victims- well shes no where to be found, has disappeared off the face of the earth, not even Rondas grieving brother can get in contact with her, the minimum a survivor can do is put out an annoymous statement or give an interview disguising their identity

Something I have often wondered about.

What if the “black guy with braids, green beads” description was inaccurate? Or just plain false?

So many things about this case don’t add up.

JMO

 

[333_OnlyHalfEvil]

Something I have often wondered about.

What if the “black guy with braids, green beads” description was inaccurate? Or just plain false?

So many things about this case don’t add up.

JMO

I hate thinking along those lines myself, but just the fact that it took her SO LONG to give them a description has always bothered me. I am a victim of trauma and have Complex PTSD as a result, and have put real effort into understanding how our brain works when it feels threatened.

USUALLY (I know there are always exceptions) when we are truly afraid for our lives, our senses get heightened so the brain can get every scrap of info it can on the situation. That man's face would be burnt into her brain, she would see it every time she closed her eyes. Other things like the song playing in the background, the smell of his cologne or even the smell of gunpowder, those things can turn into triggers for her.

If she'd been young when it happened, I could understand more her shutting down and just refusing to deal with it, but she was in her 30's when it happened. And now is what, 50ish? And hasn't said anything about it that we know of.

She's obviously a victim, I don't mean to imply otherwise, she's just been an uncooperative one which I find fascinating.

ETA: by "uncooperative" I mean in the sense of a hostile witness at court. They'll show up and answer your questions, but they don't want to be there and aren't going to give you any extra info and they can't wait to get out of there.

 

[jbirner]

I hate thinking along those lines myself, but just the fact that it took her SO LONG to give them a description has always bothered me. I am a victim of trauma and have Complex PTSD as a result, and have put real effort into understanding how our brain works when it feels threatened.

USUALLY (I know there are always exceptions) when we are truly afraid for our lives, our senses get heightened so the brain can get every scrap of info it can on the situation. That man's face would be burnt into her brain, she would see it every time she closed her eyes. Other things like the song playing in the background, the smell of his cologne or even the smell of gunpowder, those things can turn into triggers for her.

If she'd been young when it happened, I could understand more her shutting down and just refusing to deal with it, but she was in her 30's when it happened. And now is what, 50ish? And hasn't said anything about it that we know of.

She's obviously a victim, I don't mean to imply otherwise, she's just been an uncooperative one which I find fascinating.

ETA: by "uncooperative" I mean in the sense of a hostile witness at court. They'll show up and answer your questions, but they don't want to be there and aren't going to give you any extra info and they can't wait to get out of there.

This could be part of the reason there is no arrest yet. What if she is not helping with investigation? What if they are waiting for her to make an ID or something like that. I would like to think she owes it to the 5 families who lost someone to help out. I don't know for sure that she isn't, but 18 years and no resolution?

 

[Danaya]

I don't think it's fair to blame a victim for a traumatic event. We have absolutely no evidence that she colluded with others in setting this up. If law enforcement has ever called her a suspect or a POI, please point it out to me.

I have faith that the authorities would have looked into her background, friendships, acquaintances, and so on. I think we need to focus on the evidence we do have: the police sketch, the known timeline, and the eyewitness account.

I’ve researched this case by looking into other robberies in the area around that time. I know some people believe that a certain bank robbery suspect may have been involved. He died in a police shootout following a high-speed chase. The cop who shot him in self defense provided his photos of the crime scene. There were a lot of robberies that year. For example, a jewelry store robbery in August 2008 ended with one of the suspects being killed.


IMO this was a lone-wolf criminal. I believe the early police theory: that he intended to rob each customer one by one as they came into the store, before forcing them into the back room. Hence the delivery man rouse so that he could look like he had a reason to be there as customers came in. Other robbers have used this tactic before. He was likely a reckless criminal with poor impulse control.

 

[333_OnlyHalfEvil]

I don't think it's fair to blame a victim for a traumatic event. We have absolutely no evidence that she colluded with others in setting this up. If law enforcement has ever called her a suspect or a POI, please point it out to me.

I have faith that the authorities would have looked into her background, friendships, acquaintances, and so on. I think we need to focus on the evidence we do have: the police sketch, the known timeline, and the eyewitness account.

I’ve researched this case by looking into other robberies in the area around that time. I know some people believe that a certain bank robbery suspect may have been involved. He died in a police shootout following a high-speed chase. The cop who shot him in self defense provided his photos of the crime scene. There were a lot of robberies that year. For example, a jewelry store robbery in August 2008 ended with one of the suspects being killed.


IMO this was a lone-wolf criminal. I believe the early police theory: that he intended to rob each customer one by one as they came into the store, before forcing them into the back room. Hence the delivery man rouse so that he could look like he had a reason to be there as customers came in. Other robbers have used this tactic before. He was likely a reckless criminal with poor impulse control.

That's my big hangup on giving the survivor the side-eye: it's been so many years that surely if she had been in on it, in any way, it would have come out by now. Just a really awful set of circumstances.

The perp being dead makes a lot of sense. I feel like they would have bragged to someone by now if they were alive.