Fox Lake county officials are just coming to grips with the recent death of Fox Lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz. After dying from a fatal gunshot wound, new evidence emerged showing that his death was staged as an apparent homicide in an effort to cover up his financial exploitation of the Fox Lake Law Enforcement Explorer youth program.

Gliniewicz was under increasing pressure as investigators narrowed in on his criminal activities. Allegedly, he had been stealing and laundering money from the police department program intended to mentor young people interested in becoming police officers. Gliniewicz had been stealing from the program for seven years, according to sources.

The Village of Fox Lake had started conducting an internal audit of its assets, which led them to discover the officer’s criminal activities.

“The ultimate betrayal”

George Filenko, commander of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, called Gliniewicz’s chicanery activities the “ultimate betrayal” that involved intentionally leaving a trail of police equipment at the crime scene to trick officers into believing that his death was a homicide

“There are no winners here,” Filenko said. “Gliniewicz 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.”

Filenko said Gliniewicz had been using the Explorer fund “as his personal bank account.” He added that “$250,000 flowed through the account over seven years, and investigators estimated Gliniewicz took about five figures.”

Authorities were able to bust Gliniewicz’s case by searching through messages on his work and personal cellphones. He shot himself in the chest with a .40-caliber weapon at the east end of the Honing Road in Fox Lake. He was found dead shortly after 8 a.m. on September 1.

Prior to his death, Gliniewicz called in a report to emergency dispatchers saying that he was in a foot chase with three suspects. Two of the suspects were described as white males, the other, a black male. Approximately 14 minutes later, Gliniewicz was shot and killed by two gunshot wounds.

Massive manhunt in wake of staged homicide

The discovery of Gliniewicz’s body launched a massive manhunt. The circumstances surrounding his death led officers to believe that the three unknown assailants gunned him down. The Fox Lake Public Library was closed and several roads were blocked. An estimated 400 law enforcement officers scavenged the woods near Fox Lake on foot. The FBI, U.S. marshals and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also aided the search. They eventually pulled out, saying no people or suspects of interest had been found.

“There was no immediate indication of suicide at the scene,” Filenko said. He added that the investigation was treated as a homicide, but nothing was off the table, including the possibility of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Law enforcement officials remained silent on the investigation for weeks after the incident. Several minute details about the ongoing investigation, however, led many people to suspect that Gliniewicz committed suicide.

Authorities determined Gliniewicz intentionally left a staged trail at the crime scene in order to mislead investigators. He had significant experience staging mock crime scenes due to years of law enforcement experience.

Gliniewicz was 52 years old and weeks away from retirement. He served beyond his scheduled last day due to the department’s request. He was with the police department for more than 30 years.

Sources:

DailyHerald.com

CNN.com