IL-OAK PARK- 01/08/1984 KATHLEEN LOMBARDO

[jaejae]

I could not find a thread about this case so have started this one.

 

[jaejae]

I think this was the case that was behind the initial interest of the late Michelle McNamara's interest in True Crime:

HBO probes Oak Park cold-case

True Crime Diary

Aug 3, 1984 story of Kathleen Lombardo's murder. - Newspapers.com

 

[flutieflakes]

I think this was the case that was behind the initial interest of the late Michelle McNamara's interest in True Crime:

HBO probes Oak Park cold-case

True Crime Diary

Aug 3, 1984 story of Kathleen Lombardo's murder. - Newspapers.com

Hey Jae Jae,

I'm totally new to websleuths, but I literally made an account to do research on THIS specific cold case. I'm still learning how to use this site. Any tips for a beginner? I'm disappointed that there isn't more conversation about this case, especially from readers of Michelle's book.

 

[jaejae]

Hello,

Thanks for the post. I was surprised there did not appear to be a thread about this case on here before unless I could not find it so that is why I started this one. As regards to tips I would say do your own research but learn and take the best bits from others. I did not know her as such but the late Michelle McNamara said you should always go past the first page of google hit when researching a case and this is a good idea. Also keep an open might and as the great Columbo might sat follow the evidence. There doe snot appear to be that much information on this case out there but here is a little more:

In the Footsteps of a Killer Los Angeles Magazine:

My own obsession with unsolved murders began on the evening of August 1, 1984, when a neighbor of mine in Oak Park, Illinois, where I grew up, was found murdered. We knew Kathleen Lombardo’s family from our parish church. She was out for a jog when she was dragged into an alley. Neighbors reported seeing a man in a yellow tank top and headband watching Kathleen intently as she jogged. He cut her throat.

How A Walkman Inspired McNamara's Golden State Killer Hunt

 

[Cubby]

Welcome to WS flutieflakes.

I wasn't familiar with this case until I saw it posted here. Just read the HBO link. Shame on Oak Park for not cooperating with the outside help offered regarding interviews and especially the DNA request to do the forensic genealogy.

Illinois is terrible when it comes to working with the public to get cases solved...... Anywhere but Illinois, things get done.

Parents of Murder Victims Tackle DNA Testing Backlog in Ill.

According to the above link DNA being tested at the Illinois lab has a 5 year backlog.

 

[dogsmack]

I was 13 when this murder occurred and lived on the block that it happened. I had been playing basketball in the same alley about an hour before the incident and my sister witnessed a man she believed may have been following Kathleen. Detectives were at our house until late in the night and we were all pretty upset. I knew Michelle McNamara and I can understand why this had such an impact. Before that day Oak Park seemed so safe and nothing like that had ever happened.

 

[dotr]

Kathleen Lombardo’s Death: Where Is the Case Today? | Heavy.com
July 5 2020
''The HBO series “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” shines a light on the infamous Golden State Killer who terrorized California in the 1970s and 1980s and Michelle McNamara’s hunt for the identity of the serial killer in her book of the same name. The docu-series also explores another, separate, case, which was the pivotal moment McNamara was plunged into the world of true crime and cold case investigations: the murder of Kathleen Lombardo.''

''There were a lot of theories about who killed Lombardo but her murder remains unsolved today. Ronald Surmin, who was one of the detectives on the scene in August 1984, said he received about 100 tips. According to the Chicago Tribune, witnesses said they saw a man following Lombardo before her death. The Tribune wrote that police reports described the suspect as “a 6-foot-tall Black man with short, curly hair, 25 to 30 years old, wearing a yellow tank top, dark shorts, knee-high socks and a blue bandana around his head.”

George Seibel, a former Chicago police homicide detective, told the outlet that he believed Lombardo’s killer was also responsible for the unsolved sexual assault and murder of 22-year-old Rita Hopkinson in 1978 at a CTA station.''

 

[sds71]

The episode will also feature another cold case that Michelle McNamara — the author of the book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark who relentlessly investigated the case but died in 2016, prior to DeAngelo’s arrest — was working on: the rape and murder of Kathy Lombardo in 1984 in McNamara’s hometown of Oak Park, Illinois, not far from where the author grew up. McNamara cited the Lombardo murder as the start of a life-long fascination with unsolved murders.

The special episode will return to Oak Park, where in 2013 McNamara conducted interviews with residents of present-day Oak Park and, through her research, found inconsistencies in the police work.

The one-hour special episode was directed by Elizabeth Wolff (who also helmed the I’ll Be Gone in the Dark series) and executive-produced by Liz Garbus. The episode will air on June 21st at 10 p.m. on [URL='https://www.rollingstone.com/t/hbo/']HBO and stream on HBO Max.

[/URL]
HBO Announces New Episode of True Crime Docuseries 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark'

 

[themonkboughtlunch]

We May Finally Find out What Happened to Kathy Lombardo

This is an interesting article. There is a rape victim/survivor and a neighbor/witness who saw the man. Also another murder they believe might be connected:

One assault survivor, Grace Puccetti, finally came forward about her similar experience in the Oak Park area in which she was held at knifepoint and threatened sexual assault. Puccetti’s mother advised her not to tell the authorities for fear of how she would be treated. Considering the way women are still treated when they come forward about sexual assault, it would be difficult to blame her mom for being protective.

There was a popular theory that the killer got off the "L" train to follow Lombardo, but McNamara debunked this herself as a creation to make the people of Oak Park believe the killer wasn’t among them. Keating believes that he saw a man emerge from an alley acting strange. His description matched up with a neighbor who believed the killer to be the same man.

One former homicide detective believes Lombardo’s murder is linked to the unsolved murder of Rita Hopkins from six years prior. But another detective thinks the killer must have been from Chicago, not Oak Park.

The series creators, along with Lombardo’s brother, Chris, are hoping that by bringing more publicity to Lombardo’s case and connecting more dots, we can all finally catch her killer. ​

 

[juicy_pizza]

Hi, I’m new and can’t find any updates on this case anywhere since 2022. I’ve got some personal invested interest in the case and wondering if anyone had any updates on the case?