Hanover Park murder suspect dies in hospital

Jeffrey Ferrigan, named a “person of interest” in last month’s slaying of his wife in Hanover Park, died at 10 a.m. Sunday in a Joliet hospital, authorities said.

The 50-year-old Ferrigan had been recovering at Silver Cross Hospital from wounds suffered when shot by police Aug. 25 in South suburban Lockport.

Paul Darrah, a spokesman for the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office, said Ferrigan’s death effectively ends the case. In a news release, Hanover Park police said a cause of death for Ferrigan has not been determined, and that the Will County coroner’s office will conduct an autopsy at a later date.

Hanover Park police officers, while conducting a well-being check on the morning of Aug. 25, found Jennifer Gustafson, 40, dead in the couple’s Barr Court home from blunt force trauma to the head.

The discovery came a day after Ferrigan was released from the DuPage County jail on a domestic battery charge. Ferrigan, who had a long criminal history, had been ordered to have no contact with Gustafson for 72 hours.

Later on Aug. 25, Ferrigan was shot in the 300 block of West 16th Street in Lockport during a showdown with officers from the several law enforcement agencies, including Lockport police, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and the DuPage County Major Crimes Task Force.

Officers fired on Ferrigan after he approached them in a threatening manner while armed with a knife, Lockport police said.

Ferrigan never was charged with his wife’s murder, but authorities named him a person of interest and never indicated they were looking for other suspects.

The couple had two children, a 14-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter. Lisa Balata, Gustafson’s cousin, said Sunday that she hopes Ferrigan’s death will be a step toward normalcy for the children.

“This is a double tragedy, something no teenagers should have to go through,” she said.