3 Questioned in Fox Lake Manhunt Ruled Out as Suspects

Three people questioned during the investigation into the fatal shooting of a veteran Fox Lake, Illinois, police officer have been ruled out as suspects, officials said Tuesday.

"The [people questioned] established their whereabouts during that time frame," said Commander George Filenko with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. 

Officials last week said they recovered a piece of "important" evidence and noted that the FBI was putting several videos into chronological order. The videos showed three people matching the vague description of the suspects believed to have killed Fox Lake Lieutenant Charles "Joe" Gliniewicz, authorities said.

Filenko said those three people were identified and questioned and have since been ruled out as suspects.

"At this point we don't have any video relevant to that investigation," he said. 

Officials did reveal Tuesday that DNA not belonging to Gliniewicz was found at the crime scene and is being analyzed at a crime lab. 

"We are continuing this investigation based on the information that was provided to us from day one -- that Lieutenant Gliniewicz identified three individuals that he pursued in a heavily wooded area," Filenko said. "Officers responded to back him up, and found him murdered, or, I'm sorry, killed."

Police are re-canvassing the Fox Lake area and interviewing residents and any potential witnesses.

The update comes just one day after Gliniewicz was laid to rest

Gliniewicz, a 30-year veteran of the force, was fatally shot last week while investigating three "suspicious" people. The gunmen are described as two white men and one black man, but further details on their descriptions have not been made available. 

Filenko said last week, and again on Tuesday, the three suspects are believed to still be in the area, about 60 miles north of Chicago, and authorities say they've made "significant progress" in their search. Authorities believe the suspects are "local individuals."

"Obviously we have a lot of transportation means in this area — trains, cars, buses — we’re still working off the fact that we’re presuming there’s a good probability that they are still somewhere in the area," Filenko said. "Now whether they're in Fox Lake or any of the surrounding border communities that remains to be seen."

Filenko confirmed Friday that the officer’s gun was recovered at the scene but could not confirm how many times, if any, it had been fired. Gliniewicz's squad car did not have a dash camera, he said. 

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspects. A tip line and website has also been set up for residents looking to report any information surrounding the case.

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