The death of a hero cop sends a small town into turmoil | Forensic Files

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the morning of Tuesday September 1 2015 started out like any other for lieutenant Charles Joseph glynowitz
the 52 year old who went by Joe climbed into his squad car and began making his way towards the Fox Lake Community
Center in Southern Illinois Joe had important business to attend to he ran a program called The Fox Lake
explorers which was a collaboration between the Boy Scouts of America and the Fox Lake Police Department
a geared towards 14 to 21 year olds the Explorers gave youths who had an interest in law enforcement hands-on
experience with the different aspects of policing the young men and women who trained
under Joe's guidance were educated on everything from traffic stops to Safe firearm use to Crime Scene Investigation
and who better to teach them than Joe glinowitz a 30-year veteran of the force Joe had
dedicated his entire life to law enforcement after leaving high school he spent four
years in the United States Army before Rising through the ranks within the Fox Lake Police Department
he took on every role available from canine Officer to member of the SWAT team he continued to serve in the Army
Reserves amassing a long list of military and Department medals but for all his achievements Joe's
biggest source of Pride was his work with the Explorers within a year of taking over the post in
1987 Joe had turned to the program into something special his trainees revered him
if you were in Joe's Squad you were considered a badass Joe had recently been tasked with
completing an inventory of all the Explorers assets he headed to the post to get an early
start making a quick stop at a gas station at around 7 05 am despite being fit and strong Joe was
also a heavy smoker and he always kept two packs of cigarettes tucked in his car's sun visor
he stocked up his Supply and resumed his journey but as Joe made his way to the post he
took a detour past honing Road a rural stretch approximately one and a half miles from the community center
at 7 52 am he picked up his police radio and contacted dispatch to report some suspicious activity
Joe told the operator I'm going to be out at the old concrete plant checking on two males whites one
male black although Joe wasn't technically yet on duty there had been recent reports of
vandalism in the area and he had agreed to keep an eye on things besides he was the kind of officer who
considered himself on duty any time he was in town the dispatcher asked Joe if he needed
backup Joe responded negative at this time three minutes later at 7 55 am Joe radioed in again
he told the dispatcher the man had taken off towards the swamp and he was pursuing them on foot
he gave his location as the gravel road that ran between the cement plant and honing Road
although he sounded cool and calm the dispatcher once again asked if he wanted backup
this time Joe responded go ahead and send somebody [Music] [Music] three police cars were quickly
dispatched to the area arriving on honing Road at 801 am Lieutenant Joe Glenna wisser's squad car
was parked near the old cement factory but Joe himself was nowhere to be seen the backup officers headed into the
surrounding woods and battled their way through the marshy bog and thick scrub it was Springtime and the scrub was
dense with green vegetation making it near impossible to see through the dispatcher radio to Joe asking for
his current status there was no response they radioed for a second time still nothing
the dispatcher asked the other officers Fox Lake units on honing checked status on 6740.
one officer responded we don't have him right now we're looking for him suddenly a loud bang rang through the
air there was no mistaking the sound it was a gunshot the officers charged further into the
woods towards the swamp trying to follow the direction of the noise the dispatcher continually tried to
radio Joe but to no avail calls were placed to Joe's cell phone but those two went unanswered
the minutes ticked by as the officers battled onwards then at 809 one officer pushed their way
through the scrub and came to the bank of the swamp a little further into the woods lying
face down was the body of Joe glenowitz the officer rolled him over blood was coming from his nose and is
seeping out from above his collar the officer radioed at the dispatcher announcing
Officer Down [Music] it was a devastating site for the first responding officers
one in particular became overwhelmed with emotion touching Joe's hand and wailing
why Joe why Joe no no no no another said he's gone get your gun out and call out
anything you see and Joe glenowitz had been shot twice the first bullet struck him in the right
hip where he kept his mobile phone Joe was wearing a ballistic vest which prevented the bullet from entering his
body but his luck stopped there the second bullet had been shot downwards into Joe's vest striking him
in the chest and penetrating his pulmonary artery such an injury meant he would have bled
to death within minutes evidence at the scene indicated a struggle had taken place
scattered around to the ground were several of Joe's belongings including his pepper spray with that safety tab
removed a little further away leijo's baton and glasses two shell casings were also recovered a
short distance apart this meant the gunshots had been fired from two different locations within the
crime scene the showcasings Matched the 40 caliber service pistol carried by Joe glenowitz
however his holster was empty and to the pistol itself was nowhere to be seen this raised the harrowing probability
that the man Joe had been pursuing were now on the run with his stolen gun a police bulletin immediately went out
warning that the trio were armed and dangerous 400 heavily armed officers from across
Illinois sped towards Fox Lake a small village of less than 11 000 residents they sealed off the two square mile
radius surrounding the crime scene focusing the hunt for the shooters Within it wasn't an easy place to search
the designated Kill Zone consisted of heavily wooded areas waterways homes and businesses
it was also a hot day and the swampy landscape it generated harsh humidity officers wearing heavy tactical gear and
carrying rifles began passing out from the Heat but investigators were taking no chances
Joe glinowitz was the first officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty in Lake County since 1980 and the first
ever to be killed in Fox Lake furthermore the Labor Day long weekend was just four days away a holiday that
attracted thousands of tourists to the area apprehending those responsible was of
the highest priority a SWAT team and 45 canine units were brought in while five helicopters and a
fixed wing airplane surged overhead some businesses were closed while schools were put on lockdown
the local trains were stopped and residents were urged to stay indoors one sniffer dog successfully picked up a
cent it was followed until the scent was lost with no discoveries word of what happened spread quickly in
the close-knit community Lieutenant Joe glenowitz was somewhat of a local celebrity known for his
trademark outfit consisting of fatigues combat boots and Military hat combined with his tattooed muscly arms
and tough Persona he learned the nickname of GI Joe residents were shocked to learn that GI
Joe of all people had been gunned down but none were as shocked as Melody clinicowitz Joe's wife of 26 years
when she was delivered to the news by mayor Donnie Schmidt Melody collapsed and became physically ill
mayor Schmidt told CNN the whale that went out of her mouth then will stay with me forever
The Manhunt for Joe's Killers intensified all investigators had to go by was the
vague description Joe had given the dispatcher to white man and one black this made it near impossible to narrow
down the suspect pool one call came through from a concerned citizen who reported if they'd seen the
three suspects lootering near the treatment plant another became suspicious when they saw
an unknown man running into a vehicle other calls came through with locals eager to help in any way they could but
nothing emerged that identified the shooters with no arrests made by Nightfall helicopters fitted with thermal cameras
flew overhead police obtained dash cam footage from a truck driver who was in the area around
the time of the shooting as well as recordings from traffic cameras and security footage from a local homeowner
the footage was examined but no immediate leads emerged the search resumed at first light on
Wednesday morning schools in the district remained closed as a safety precaution but with the
thermal scanners failing to detect anything it was deemed unlikely that the killers were still in the area
the search expanded beyond their two-mile Kill Zone with investigators turning their focus to tip-offs while
they waited for forensic analysis of the crime scene the commander of Lake County's Major
Crimes task force George falenko fronted a press conference appealing for help from the public to catch the shooters
whom he described as extremely dangerous he urged residents to remain Vigilant saying
all it takes is one tip or one good lead to break a case wide open falenko made it clear that the Manhunt
would continue until Joe's killers were apprehended stating I have a murdered colleague a police
officer and we're not going to stop what investigators didn't reveal was that a significant piece of evidence had
already been recovered within an hour of scouring the crime scene a forensic examiner was scanning
the ground about two and a half feet from where Joe glinowitz's body was found there lying in The Tall Grass between
two trees was Joe's gun analysis revealed the presence of DNA from someone other than Joe giving
investigators their first substantial clue the Fox Lake Community wasted no time in
showing their support for the Fallen officer many viewed a Joe glinowitz's death as a
sign of the increasing dangers faced by police some were quick to blame the black lives
matter movement for encouraging citizens to fight out against excessive law enforcement
mostly residents simply couldn't comprehend that this had happened to an officer that many viewed as one of the
best Fox Lake had ever seen members of the Explorer Program were particularly troubled
over the years hundreds of youths who were trained by Joe went on to have successful careers in law enforcement or
the military many of them viewed him as a mentor and father figure one teen told CNN that Joe's death felt
like losing a family member as the search for Joe's Killers escalated into a full-scale FBI
investigation a vigil was organized by Village locals on the evening after the shooting
1200 people attended with officers riding on Horseback past mourner's wielding handheld science showing words
of support such as police lives matter and we stand with blue Joe glinowitz was remembered as an
American Hero his wife Melody stood before the crowd comforted by the couple's four adult
sons as she said through tears Joe was my best friend my world my hero the love of my life for the last 26 and
a half years he was the most wonderful caring and loving father to our boys my world got a little bit smaller with
his passing and he will truly be missed by all of us the former police chief Michael Bayon
who had spent 30 years working alongside a Joe delivered a poem he wrote in his comrade's honor
a Fallen Hero my friend in blue strong and brave his heart and the true it read a soldier and a policeman he knew what
it could cost tonight a piece of America we have lost later that evening at around 9 30 PM 30
year old Nanny Kristen Kiefer called police to report a bizarre incident Kristen said she was driving down Route
12 in Volo a small village just five miles south of Fox Lake when she started experiencing car trouble
Kristen pulled over on the side of the road and stepped outside with a flashlight to see what was going on
suddenly two men wearing hoodies appeared out of nowhere one was white and one was black
they asked Kristen if she was heading to Wisconsin 130 miles away and if they could get a ride
they then tried to steal her car Kristen managed to jump back inside her vehicle and lock the doors
as she dialed 9-1-1 the two men fled into the cornfields at the back of a nearby Garden Center
for investigators on the glenowitz case this was a major breakthrough nearly 100 members of law enforcement
quickly descended on the area setting up a roadblock around the search perimeter
thermally equipped helicopters scanned overhead as 11 canine units aided the ground search
one dog soon picked up a sand it led officers through to the Volo bog State Natural Area a dense Nature
Reserve containing Woodland and open swampland but it didn't lead to the man instead it turned out the canine had
mistakenly attracted deer the helicopters also failed to detect any movement or heat sources
by 2 30 am no trace of the two men was found given how quickly investigators had
acted it seemed incredible that the man could have evaded detection particularly
given they were on foot Kristen Kiefer was pressed for more information she eventually admitted she made the
entire story up in a bid to get attention from the family she worked for Kristen was charged with the disorderly
conduct she pleaded guilty resulting in two years probation 250 hours of community
service and a restitution fine of twenty thousand dollars for the expenses incurred during the surge
the Labor Day public holiday became a day of mourning as thousands gathered in Fox Lake for Joe's funeral
a public viewing of his casket was held at a local high school before a five mile procession made up of over one
thousand police vehicles made its way through the streets lined with mourners the governor ordered that all United
States flags at government buildings be flown at half-mast until that evening speaking at his service a friend and
fellow officer said when we were growing up we all knew Joe was a hero but now the nation knows he's a hero
meanwhile the locally based Motorola Solutions company offered a fifty thousand dollar reward for information
that led to an arrest FBI agents reviewed the various CCTV footage taken from the area on the day
Joe glenowitz was killed and identified three men matching the description of the ones the lieutenant was pursuing
a sequential video was pieced together and a search kicked off immediately to track the trio down
eight hours later police found the men in question the trio claimed they had nothing to do
with the shooting and were eating breakfast at a nearby Diner at the time investigators obtained footage receipts
and witness statements to confirm this with their Alibi checking out and no other leads emerging questions were
raised about whether this could have been a targeted attack Joe glinowitz hadn't given the
dispatcher any clear reason why he'd decided to pursue the three men out near honing Road or what exactly they'd done
that he deemed suspicious this raised the question what if someone had a personal Vendetta
against a Joe and had lured him out there analysis of the GPS unit in Joe's squad
car recorded him as arriving at the old cement factory at 7 25 am the first call he'd placed over his
police radio was at 7 52 am this meant he spent almost 30 minutes in the area before contacting dispatch
so what happened during that time with all possibilities needing to be considered investigators turned to Joe
glinowitz's personnel file the 264-page folder dated back to 1985. it was packed with accolades from
business owners civilians and members of numerous police departments commending Joe for his outstanding work during
various incidents whether assisting in a serious criminal case or helping individuals out of a jam
he was praised for being professional friendly and courteous for this sensitive Way Joe dealt with a
victim's family one police chief said compassion and understanding are not something that can be taught in a
classroom or learned in a textbook one couple described the lengths Joe went to to help them when their car
broke down writing patrolman glenowitz is a perfect example of a gentleman but as investigators combed through
every page it became clear that all was not as it seemed [Music] thank you [Music]
for all the praise he received Lieutenant Joe glinowitz's professional record was far from untarnished
back in May of 1998 a Lake County Sheriff's deputy was driving down Route 49 when they found a pickup a truck
idling on the side of the highway Joe glenowitz was behind the wheel passed out drunk with his foot pressed
down on the accelerator oil was leaking from the engine the deputy tried to wake a Joe but he
wouldn't budge it wasn't the first time something like this had happened the deputy called a fox-like police
detective who came to collector Joe and organized to have his truck towed the next morning Joe couldn't remember a
thing unable to recall where he left his truck he reported it stolen only to learn the
truth about what had happened when questioned by his superiors Joe claimed that he'd worked a long day
before playing volleyball after his shift he'd drunk six beers and several shots
causing him to black out several months later Joe failed to report to work after a night out
drinking a decision that cost him a two-day unpaid suspension Joe admitted he had a drinking problem
but assured the police chief that he was handling it [Music] the next few years were relatively
uneventful say for a few warnings about being late or failing to report for Duty
[Music] then in 2000 an officer named Denise was appointed to help Joe run the Explorer's
post Denise had joined the force in the 90s making her the only woman in the all-male Fox Lake PD
Denise loved her job but before long Joe began making her feel uncomfortable he demanded that she wear a tighter
uniform and to ordered that she accompanied him to the bathroom while he urinated
on Valentine's Day of 2000 Joe told Denise to meet him at a hotel there he gave her a box of chocolates
and began rubbing her shoulders Joe allegedly told Denise there was a lieutenant on the squad who didn't like
female officers he offered to protect Denise and help her rise through the ranks on the
condition that she provided him with sexual favors Denise was a single mother who feared
she'd lose her job if she didn't comply over the next eight months she performed
oral sex on Joe on five separate occasions allegedly making it clear she didn't enjoy it
Denise eventually resigned from the Explorers no longer able to work under Joe glenowitz but she kept the details
about his conduct to herself in 2001 she attended a workshop about sexual harassment after which she felt
she could no longer remain silent Denise told one of her superiors about Joe's behavior and he was subsequently
questioned about it Joe admitted that the two had an inappropriate sexual relationship but
denied Denise's claim of coercion he was suspended for 30 days with the recommendation that he received
canceling for sex addiction [Music] but according to Denise from that point on she was put under constant scrutiny
from her colleagues she eventually quit her job and moved into state Denise later told the New Yorker Daily
News it was a good old boys club if I didn't play along then I was not going to stay
[Music] in 2005 Denise filed a lawsuit against the Fox Lake PD it was ultimately thrown out when she
failed to meet Court requirements regardless it cost the village tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees
meanwhile Joe glenowitz continued to rise through the ranks and was eventually promoted from Sergeant to
Lieutenant Denise wasn't the only one embittered by this in 2009 the then mayor of Fox Lake Cindy
Irwin received a two-page Anonymous letter that started we the members of the Fox Lake Police
Department wish to inform you of certain situations which have occurred and require attention
the letter complained that morale within the department was at an all-time low due in part to the ongoing reprehensible
misconduct by Lieutenant Joe glenowitz in addition to Denise's claims a police dispatcher complained that Joe had
sexually harassed and threatened her other Personnel had seen Joe out and about with the different women who
weren't his wife various complaints had been made by women who claimed to Joe had
inappropriately groped their breasts during work Christmas parties [Music] according to the letter Joe's drinking
was still an ongoing problem security guards at various establishments around the village had
complained that Joe was becoming a nuisance and overstaying his welcome there had been several instances where
bouncers had to escort him out for being too intoxicated he'd also allegedly failed to pay a bar
tab of more than three hundred dollars then there was the abuse of power Joe had reportedly used a gift
certificate that was donated to the police department to get a tattoo while on duty
he'd also used his squad car to take his family on Interstate holidays as for the Explorers the letter
complained that Joe was seriously breaching protocols he'd given trainees unsupervised access
to the police department allowed them to operate Department vehicles and permitted them to wear official garments
that misrepresented them as actual police officers according to the letter complaints
regarding these issues and many others had been made to the then chief of police Michael Bayern but nothing had
been done it was well known that Bayonne entered Joe glenowitz were close friends
the anonymous group concluded chief bayan's head in the sand attitude to dealing with Lieutenant glenowitz can
no longer go on it is our sincere hope that you will address this matter we can no longer Stand By and Watch
Lieutenant glenowitz violate the rules and regulations policies and procedures and remain silent
[Music] if action wasn't taken the group warned they'd have no choice but to contact the
media or escalate the issue to the relevant investigative agency the discovery of this information left
investigators scratching their heads these records provided a stuck contrast to the glowing reputation Joe glinoids
had so far been memorialized for it was also unexpected that an employee with such a blemished record would hold
a lieutenant position [Music] mayor Donnie Schmidt who considered Joe a close friend was adamant that he was
unaware of Joe's personnel file he said he'd never heard a single complaint against Joe in the two and a
half years he'd served as mayor but when investigators questioned other officers on Joe's Squad it quickly
became apparent that there were mixed feelings towards Joe glenowitz one of the female officers who had found
to Joe's body was aware of his history of sexual harassment she claimed to Joe once told her that he
wasn't allowed to be alone with any of the police women according to this officer Joe was
considered a golden child within the department she believed he must have had some dirt
on one of his colleagues to be allowed to stay on with the Joe's unsavory history coming
to light it put extra weight on the possibility that he could have been killed by someone seeking vengeance
investigators working the homicide case also had to consider whether Joe's death
could have resulted from some other unknown secret but there was another theory entirely
from the outset of the investigation some questions had been raised about the crime scene
despite the scattering of Joe's weapons there were no other signs that a struggle had taken place
Joe's Clothing was in pristine order other than a bit of mud on his pants the heavily vegetated swampy area was
also relatively undisturbed forensic examination had revealed that the Fatal gunshot had been administered
two inches under the top of Joe's bulletproof vest Joe glinowitz was a tough officer with
Decades of training in all matters of law enforcement so how did a perpetrator get close
enough to shoot him with his own gun without causing any other injuries or at the very least leaving Joe disheveled
[Music] there was also the question of why the shooter would leave Joe's gun at the
scene why hadn't they taken it with them or disposed of it in the nearby swamp the officer who had discovered Joe's
body noted that Joe's hand had been tensed in a position that indicated he might have been holding a gun
these details along with the mystery as to why Joe had been in the area for close to 30 minutes before calling the
dispatcher led to an uncomfortable question was it possible that the lieutenant had
killed himself [Music] those close to Joe instantly shut this Theory down Joe was a larger-than-life character who
had never shown any signs of depression or expressed the desire to self-harm even the responding officer who had her
own concerns about Joe's Behavior denied the possibility she told investigators that Joe was too
vain to attempt suicide what if he missed and ended up paralyzed for life she didn't think Joe would risk it
another officer who attended the scene wrote in their statement there were no obvious signs or evidence
to draw any conclusions including suicide forensic Pathologists said there was nothing unusual about the
trans-positioning of Joe's hands hands can naturally curl up post-mortem and there was nothing about the way Joe's
hands were found that indicated suicide the pathologist who performed to Joe's autopsy said it was highly unlikely that
someone who was going to kill themselves would shoot themselves twice even though the Bullet To The Hip didn't
penetrate his skin it still would have been incredibly painful some likened it to the same Force as
being hit with a sledgehammer also for Skeptics of the suicide theory if a Joe hadn't killed himself how did
his gun end up several feet away from his body furthermore Joe had stocked up on his
usual supply of cigarettes that morning why would he do that if he knew he wasn't going to be around to smoke them
on the Friday after Joe's death the coroner's office received a call from a blocked number
the anonymous male caller claimed to be a retired Chicago police officer convinced that Joe glenowitz had shot
himself the caller threatened to violently harm the coroner and one of the task force investigators unless
Joe's death was declared a suicide the call was traced back to 54-year-old Joseph Battaglia a divorced father of
three who retired from the force in 2012. further investigation revealed he'd also
called various media outlets in a bid to spread the suicide story Battaglia was ultimately charged with
disorderly conduct he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of supervision marking the
second conviction in the joke line of its investigation that had nothing to do with the crime itself
regardless the coroner made a public statement on television declaring I can't rule out a suicide I can't rule
out an accident I can't rule inner homicide I can't issue a manner of death until
law enforcement gives me everything they have foreign owitz family was outraged at the
implication according to them Joe had never had a single suicidal thought in his life
and Joe had been set to retire in the months leading up to his death but had recently applied for various police
chief positions the fact that he was planning for the future proved to them that he wasn't
planning to take his own life Joe's wife Melody told crime watch Daily there were things that were happening in
our life that people who were going to commit suicide would never do we lived for these things
she said she wholeheartedly believed that her husband was murdered the glenowitz family called the suicide
allegations disrespectful hurtful and irresponsible they along with the investigators
slammed the coroner for his statement with the release of sensitive information putting the entire case at
risk Joe Sun DJ told the Arlington Heights Daily Herald I know my father my family knows my
father and his closest friends know him well he's not someone whoever contemplated
suicide he never had Suicidal Tendencies or anything like that that's just a rumor and that's that
but there was something else raising questions when Joe glinowitz's body was found an
examination of his mobile phone revealed that all of his text messages had been deleted
investigators were growing more confused about what to make of it all with the days passing with no
breakthroughs in the case they sent Joe's phone to the FBI in late October a 6500 page report came
back all of Joe's text messages had been successfully retrieved in March of 2014 a new Village
administrator named Anne Marin was appointed to Fox Lake Anne had years of experience in the
government sector including Public Finance and a large part of her job was to focus on the village budget
this also prompted a change in The Village's leadership text records revealed that this
presented an ongoing problem for Joe glenowitz he viewed in Marin as a power Monger who
was trying to control everything in the village he soon started making inquiries about
whether it was possible to separate his Explorer's post from the Fox Lake Police
Department and to another sponsor in March 2015 Joe texted a higher up contact saying
between you and I I'm having a great deal of problems with our new Village administrator
I've had a talk with the chief and he agrees with me we are all looking at our PD retirement
options and I need to move the post out of that spin of control at least till this person's contract is up
Joe's contact advised that the Explorers didn't need to be charted by the village
and suggested he contact another organization that might be interested in sponsoring the program
texts indicated that Joe put wheels in motion to make this change but it was shut down by officials
in mid-april he texted his wife Melody to complain about Anne Marin Joe wrote as long as we are sponsored by the PD
and after she makes the village structure change she will have the means and ability to do what she wishes
Melody responded maybe we need to hide the funds somehow a month later Joe once again texted
Melody to air his grievances about Maron writing she hates me and I've never said more
than three sentences to her in the year she's been here she hates the Explorer program and is
crawling up my ass she gets a hold of their checking account I'm pretty well [ __ ]
Melody responded hopefully she decides to get a couple of drinks in her and she gets a DUI
Joe texted back trust me I've thought through many scenarios from planting things to Volo
bog for investigators these text messages raised some serious concerns when they'd first searched Joe
glenowitz's desk following his death they found a small package of cocaine in an unmarked evidence bag
it couldn't be linked to any active case with the Joe's talk of planting things investigators wondered if he intended to
use this against Anne Marin but this wasn't quite as concerning as Joe's mention of the Volo bog
the Natural Area just four miles south of fox lake contained an extensive system of waterways known as the Chino
Lakes Joe's reference raised the question of whether he was referring to the bog as a
potential Dumping Ground for a body this wasn't a far-fetched possibility investigators extracted a private
Facebook conversation between Joe and another woman in which Joe said he was being forced to retire by The Village
administrator he wrote work has been a living hell the last two months close to entertaining a meeting with a
mutual acquaintance of ours with the word white in their nickname investigators believed they knew exactly
who Joe was referring to a high-ranking member of an outlaw motorcycle gang they questioned the woman Joe was
messaging she confirmed that Joe discussed the possibility of hiring someone to conduct
a hit a meeting was arranged between law enforcement and the gang member thought
to be the person referred to as white had admitted he was familiar with Lieutenant Joe glenowitz but firmly
denied that Joe had ever approached him about a contract killing when Anne Marin was told about the
recovered text messages she was astonished her conversations with Joe had always
been Pleasant and she had no reason to think there was any bad blood between them
investigators could find no further evidence to suggest that Joe had seriously considered hiring a Hitman to
remove Marin from the equation it was possible his comments were just a distasteful attempts at dark humor
regardless Joe's intense dislike for the new Village administrator raised the obvious question
what was he trying to hide as a police Lieutenant Joe glinowitz received an annual salary of ninety six
thousand dollars however photos posted to his social media accounts suggested he lived a more
lavish lifestyle than his salary would support with vacations to Hawaii and frequent dinners at upscale restaurants
text messages recovered from Joe's phone indicated exactly where this money was coming from
on June 22 2015 Joe messaged his wife Melody to say used the Explorer account for flight
624.70 it can wait for a while their account is sitting at 3 000 ish now a few days later a frantic Joe texted
his son DJ about unidentified expenses totaling over two thousand dollars you are borrowing from that other
account Joe wrote when you get back you'll have to start dumping money into that account or you
will be visiting me in jail [Music] the next day he texted DJ again saying I'm sticking my neck out there
he mentioned thousands of dollars he didn't DJ to fix his truck and pay for a summer vacation
according to Joe this meant there wasn't enough money left in the Explorer's account to pay for upcoming expenses
he needed DJ to pay the money back so that if anyone asked he could explain that Explorer participants were given
loans from time to time Joe wrote this Village administrator hates me and the Explorer Program
this situation right here would give her the means to crucify me if it were discovered
[Music] shortly before Joe's death Fox Lake Police Chief Michael bayen retired from
the force pending an investigation into the Department's handling of an unrelated incident
[Music] the change in leadership prompted a review of the Department's procedures
and equipment on August 31 2015 the day before Joe's death in Marin paid a visit to the
Explorer post after a year and a half in the village administrator role she still didn't know
how much money the Explorer Program brought in for insurance purposes she also needed
an inventory of all the Explorers assets [Music] The Clubhouse in the basement of the
community center was packed full of cardboard boxes looking through them Marin was shocked
to discover that they held official military gear including gas masks bulletproof vests combat boots gun belts
and manuals on SWAT tactics and sniper training this was the kind of equipment reserved
for experienced police departments not teenagers in fact some of the most bona fide
police departments couldn't even get their hands on this type of gear Marin approached to Joe glenowitz and
requested that he provide her with a full inventory by 2PM that day she told him
I want your invoices your procurement where your authorization came from Joe responded Yes ma'am
he then texted former police chief Michael Bayon she has now demanded a complete infantry
of Explorer Central and a financial report [ __ ] my life the truth was it was impossible for Joe
to provide Ann Marin with the documentation she had requested because he'd obtained the gear fraudulently
Joe had forged the chief signature to obtain the gear from an army surplus program knowing it wasn't supposed to be
used with the Explorers but that wasn't all a deep dive into Joe glenowitz's Financial records revealed that for the
past seven years he had spent tens of thousands of dollars of the Explorer's money to bankroll his own personal
expenses Joe had used the account to pay for everything from his mortgage to gym
memberships to online pornography he used it for travel expenses coffee and to pay over 400 restaurant bills
with all this new evidence coming to light investigators had no doubt about it Joe glenowitz feared his time was up
he likely believed he had two options be exposed for embezzling charitable funds or go out a hero
if Joe was going to pull his plan off he knew that everything needed to play out
exactly like a regular day therefore on the morning of September 1 2015 he drove to the gas station to buy
his usual supply of cigarettes before heading out to the area surrounding the old concrete Factory
it was a location Joe knew well having facilitated sniper training for the Explorers out in the forested
surroundings he arrived at the site and spent the next 30 minutes staging a crime scene
it was something he'd done many times before as part of the Explorer Program he then radioed the dispatcher and
fabricated the story about chasing three suspicious males after calling for backup he took his gun
out of his holster and shot himself in the hip knowing it wouldn't be fatal the shot would have been incredibly
painful but necessary if anyone was going to believe his story Joe then shot himself downwards into his
bulletproof vest purposely hitting the pulmonary artery but avoiding his heart this would have given him up to two
minutes before bleeding to death enough time for Joe to throw his gun between the two trees and to then stumble away
to create distance between himself and the weapon after nine weeks of Investigation
Commander George falenko fronted a press conference to announce that the murder of Lieutenant Joe glenowitz hadn't been
a murder at all but a carefully staged suicide falenko said we have determined this staged suicide
was the end result of extensive criminal acts that glenowitz had been committing
there are no winners glenowitz committed the ultimate betrayal to the citizens he served and
the entire law enforcement community the facts of his actions prove he behaved for years in a manner completely
contrary to the image he portrayed members of the Gathering media were outraged with suicide mentioned as a possibility
from early on they wanted to know why over two months had been spent on a homicide investigation
they felt the public had been duped Commander falenko assured them that the investigation team had genuinely
believed they were looking at a homicide and were equally shocked to discover the
truth the glenowitz family issued a statement requesting privacy saying that the
findings had brought another day of deep sorrow as they coped with the loss of a
beloved father and husband the public weren't so quiet in the wake of Joe's death a non-profit
organization that assists survivors of officers killed in the line of duty had donated fifteen thousand dollars to the
glenowitz family the group asked for the money back Motorola Solutions also with the Drew
their 50 000 reward for information but said they would instead donate it to the
explorers who were grappling to come to terms with the reality of Joe's death the mother of one of Joe's devoted
trainees said you never thought he was this kind of man it had a crushing effect on locals with
one man telling the Press it's breaking my heart the mystery of Joe's death was over but
that didn't necessarily mean that the case was closed from the text messages and other
evidence it was clear to investigators that Melody knew her husband was misappropriating the Explorer funds
Melody admitted that Joe sometimes took money from the Explorer's account but she insisted that those funds were
always paid back she said she had no idea that her husband was co-mingling fonts and denied
having any part in it a forensic accountant failed to find a clear link to prove that melody was
directly responsible for any of the transactions regardless in late January 2016 melody
was indicted on six counts including money laundering and dispersing charitable funds without Authority and
for personal benefit she was released after posting a fifty thousand dollar bond with a statement
released by her lawyer declaring [Music] Melody has suffered greatly over the past few months and continues to move
her family forward after the emotionally traumatizing events of September 1 2015.
considering Melody's cooperation with law enforcement she is devastated by the decision to bring charges against her
Melody is a victim of her husband's secret actions and looks forward to her day in court to show the world her
innocence in February 2022 Melody glenowitz pleaded guilty to one felony count of
deceptive practices in exchange for all other charges being dropped however she told the court
I want to make it clear I never took a set from the Explorer fund no matter what's being reported
the judge sentenced her to 24 months of probation saying there was no question as to her guilt
[Music] no charges were laid against to Joe's son DJ as it couldn't be ascertained
that DJ knew the funds were stolen until after his father demanded he paid the money back
the state attorney said this entire matter has been a sad and tragic Saga for the village of Fox Lake
My Hope Is that we will be able to close this unfortunate chapter and move forward with ensuring a professional and
a transparent Police Department dedicated to the citizens of Fox Lake after the truth about Joe's suicide was
exposed the Fox Lake explorers temporarily disbanded according to the Chicago Tribune the
program was revealed to have been so poorly mismanaged that some adult volunteers hadn't even undergone
background checks or training the military-style approach and use of forcible weapons was also in direct to
violation of Boy Scout regulations as was the fact that some trainees were sometimes paid to direct traffic and
conduct security detailing it was so problematic that it was easier to start the program from scratch than
try to fix the issues many of the explorers who were trained under Joe glenowitz struggled to
comprehend the truth about their revered a leader a young woman who had trained under Joe
for six years told CNN you don't know how to feel you feel so pissed off and you feel so betrayed you
don't understand it that makes it very difficult to miss him but the Explorers weren't the only ones
who suffered according to the Daily Herald the hunter find Joe's fake Killers cast to more
than three hundred thousand dollars in overtime and other costs Joe's lie about one of his pseudo
attackers being a black man also fueled ongoing racial tensions in the Fox Lake Community where black people were a
minority local black resident Vernon Randolph III claimed that Joe glenowitz had been
harassing him for a year due to his race after Joe killed himself investigators searched to Vernon's house took his DNA
and allegedly pointed a gun at his three-year-old Child Actions that caused Vernon ongoing anxiety
he filed a federal lawsuit against the police department claiming that Joe glinowitz put a Target on his back and
of his fellow African Americans [Music] the lawsuit was eventually settled outside of court for 65 000 although the
department denied any wrongdoing in the wake of Joe's death a memorial had been established outside the Fox
Lake Police Department with a banner displaying Joe's face along with the words a hero remembered Never Dies
when the truth about his suicide was revealed vandals quickly altered the sign drawing an L on Joe's forehead and
changing the words to read a hero forgotten other signs in support of Joe were removed from around the village with the
words GI Joe changed to GI joke Commander George falenko told CNN Joe glinowitz Dishonored what we all
swore an oath to uphold he betrayed not only our profession but his entire community
it was the first time I could actually tell you in my entire career that I felt ashamed to be a police officer
[Music] [Music]

Case 257: Joe Gliniewicz

After a routine check on suspicious activity turns to tragedy for Illinois Police Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz, Fox Lake locals struggle to come to grips with the loss of their hero cop. A statewide manhunt ensues, but when the perpetrators aren’t immediately apprehended, the question is raised - could this have been a targeted attack?

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-257-joe-gliniewicz

Brief Summary

Lieutenant Joe Glinowitz staged his suicide to cover up financial crimes, shocking his community and leading to a major investigation.

Key points

The Investigation Intensifies. The manhunt for Joe's killers escalates, with FBI involvement and community support.
Community Vigil for Joe. A vigil attended by 1200 people honored the fallen officer, showcasing community support.
The Tragic Death of Joe Glenowitz. Lieutenant Joe Glenowitz was shot and killed in the line of duty, shocking the community.
Denise's Struggle. Denise faced coercion from her superior, leading to her eventual resignation.
The Anonymous Letter. A letter to the mayor reveals deep-seated issues within the police department.
Joe's Misconduct Uncovered. Investigators discover Joe's troubling history of misconduct and allegations.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Why Joe, why?

An officer overwhelmed with emotion at the scene.

7:07WatchAug 26, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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