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Cold case · 1988
Also known as Murder of Jaclyn Dowaliby · Jaclyn Dowaliby murder
Jacilyn Dowaliby Chicago Tribune 13 September1988Credit: Professional portrait, most likely commissioned by the subject's parents·Public domain·Source
The short answer
Seven-year-old Jaclyn Dowaliby was abducted from her Illinois home in 1988 and found strangled days later; the killing remains unsolved.
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Suggest coverage for Killing of Jaclyn DowalibyThe case file
Jaclyn Marie Dowaliby was a seven-year-old girl who lived with her family in Midlothian, a suburb south of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. On the morning of September 10, 1988, she was discovered missing from the home. Her family reported that she appeared to have been taken during the night, and investigators examined a basement window that was treated as a possible point of entry. Four days later, on September 14, 1988, her body was found on open ground near an apartment complex in nearby Blue Island. An autopsy attributed her death to strangulation; a length of cord was found knotted around her neck.
On November 22, 1988, Jaclyn's mother, Cynthia Dowaliby, and her adoptive father, David Dowaliby, were arrested and charged in connection with the death, and a grand jury indictment followed. Their joint trial opened on April 5, 1990, in Cook County Circuit Court before Judge Richard E. Neville. In May 1990, the judge directed a not-guilty verdict for Cynthia Dowaliby, ruling that the evidence against her was legally insufficient. On May 3, 1990, a jury convicted David Dowaliby, and he was sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison — 40 years for murder and a consecutive 5 years for concealing a homicide.
On October 30, 1991, the Illinois Appellate Court unanimously reversed David Dowaliby's conviction, finding that the evidence was legally insufficient and that the testimony central to the prosecution was not persuasive. The court ordered his release without a retrial, and he was freed in November 1991 after spending 583 days in custody. On February 5, 1992, the Illinois Supreme Court declined to review the matter, ending the prosecution. Because of constitutional protections against double jeopardy, neither parent could be tried again for the killing.
No one else has been charged in Jaclyn Dowaliby's death. Prosecutors briefly revisited the case in January 1993, but no new charges resulted, and later reporting described it as a cold case with no fresh leads. The killing remains officially unsolved and has been described as one of the Chicago area's most prominent unresolved child-homicide cases. It has been examined in a 1992 Unsolved Mysteries broadcast, a 1994 book by two journalists, and a 1996 made-for-television film.
11 dated entries · 1988–1993
Jaclyn Dowaliby was discovered missing from her family's home in Midlothian, Illinois, and reported abducted.
Her body was found on open ground near an apartment complex in Blue Island, Illinois; death was later attributed to strangulation.
David and Cynthia Dowaliby were arrested and charged in connection with the killing.
The Dowalibys' joint murder trial opened in Cook County Circuit Court.
The trial judge directed a not-guilty verdict for Cynthia Dowaliby, citing insufficient evidence.
A jury convicted David Dowaliby of the murder.
David Dowaliby was sentenced to 45 years in prison (40 for murder, 5 for concealing a homicide).
The Illinois Appellate Court unanimously reversed David Dowaliby's conviction and ordered his release without retrial.
David Dowaliby was released from custody after posting bond.
The Illinois Supreme Court declined to review the case, ending the prosecution.
Prosecutors briefly revisited the investigation; no new charges resulted.
3 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Seven-year-old girl abducted from her Midlothian, Illinois home and found strangled on September 14, 1988.[3]
Mother; charged in 1988, granted a directed not-guilty verdict at trial in 1990 for insufficient evidence.[3]
Adoptive father; convicted of the murder in 1990, conviction unanimously reversed by the Illinois Appellate Court in 1991 without retrial.[1]
4 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
PressCenter on Wrongful Convictions, Northwestern Pritzker School of LawAccessed Jul 6, 2026
PressABC7 ChicagoAccessed Jul 6, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 6, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 6, 2026
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