Authorities renew plea for info on ‘somber anniversary’ of Downers Grove teen’s unsolved murder

Fifty years is a long time, but investigators have not given up on solving the 1976 murder of a Downers Grove teen.

Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office marked the “somber anniversary” of Jennifer Springman’s death by issuing a new plea for information that could lead to her killer.

“Will County investigators recognize that memories from 50 years ago may be incomplete or have faded over time,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement asking for the public’s help. “Information that may have seemed insignificant at the time, however, could have renewed relevance today.”

Springman was a 17-year-old freshman at George Williams College in Downers Grove when she disappeared at about 12:30 a.m. Oct. 3, 1976, after attending a party at an off-campus apartment.

Her body was found later that day near the banks of Hickory Creek, underneath an I-80 bridge near New Lenox.

She had been hit in the head and strangled, authorities said.

A sheriff’s office spokesman declined our request for an interview this week, saying they first wanted to touch base with Springman’s remaining family, a brother, who they have not been able to reach.

In a 1977 newspaper article about Springman’s death, then-Will County State’s Attorney Ed Petka said a woman who refused to identify herself called him to report seeing Springman being strangled along a roadside.

Petka urged that woman to come forward, and said authorities believed they knew who killed Springman, but had insufficient evidence to charge him.

Some have speculated that Springman could have fallen victim to one of several men who preyed on young suburban women in the 1970s, including Major Morris and Bruce Lindahl.

In 2020, DNA evidence linked Lindahl posthumously to the March 1976 sexual assault and murder of Pamela Maurer, 15, of Woodridge. Four years later, DNA linked him to the 1979 slaying of 19-year-old Kathy Halle in Aurora. Authorities also suspect he was responsible for the murders of Deborah McCall, 19, of Downers Grove in 1979; Elizabeth Drews, 16, of Downers Grove in 1977; and Debra Colliander, 25, of Aurora, in 1980.

However, a Will County spokesman told us this week that Lindahl has been ruled out as a suspect in Springman’s murder.

Morris was convicted in 1997 of killing Roberta Jean Anderson, 16, of Oswego in 1973, and pleaded guilty to the 1978 murder of 18-year-old Margaret Stirn of Woodridge.

Anyone with information about Springman’s murder is asked to call Detective Sgt. Mike Earnest at (815) 727-8574, or email him at mearnest@willcosheriff.org. Anonymous tips can be left at willcosheriff.org/crime-tip-submission.

Decades of ‘disregard’

A Cary man whose criminal history includes two attempted murder convictions now faces decades in prison after his sixth driving under the influence conviction.

George Gnewuch, 64, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated driving under the Influence of alcohol, a Class X felony punishable by a minimum of six and a maximum of 30 years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16.

The charge stems from a Dec. 1, 2025, crash in Crystal Lake, in which authorities say Gnewuch’s pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic along Route 14 and struck another vehicle.

Despite losing a wheel in the collision, Gnewuch drove away from the scene, authorities said. McHenry County sheriff’s deputies identified the registration of the pickup truck and went to Gnewuch’s home, where they found him smelling of alcohol and the damaged truck, prosecutors said.

Testing later revealed he had a blood alcohol concentration of .168, more than twice the legal limit, according to prosecutors.

Gnewuch has five prior DUI convictions, from 1984, 1985, 1991, 2003 and 2004, prosecutors said, and a revoked driver’s license as a result.

He also has two prior convictions for attempted murder, occurring in 1985 and 1992 in Cook County, authorities say. Prosecutors did not provide details of those cases, though published reports indicate Gnewuch was charged in 1992 with slashing the face of a 46-year-old woman in Schaumburg after she asked him to turn down his stereo.

“Five prior DUI convictions. Two prior attempted murder convictions. A revoked driver's license. Yet this defendant once again chose to get behind the wheel while intoxicated, placing innocent lives in danger,” McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said in an announcement of the guilty plea Thursday. “His extensive criminal history demonstrates a decades-long disregard for the law and the safety of others.”

Congratulations, chief

The Pingree Grove Police Department announced this week that Chief Chris Harris has received the Elgin Community Crisis Center’s “Partners in Peace” award.

Harris’ relationship with the crisis center began when he was a patrol sergeant. Now as chief in Pingree Grove, he’s arranged for the police station to be a place where center staff can meet with clients. The department also invites the crisis center to participate in community events so residents can learn about its services.

The crisis center serves people experiencing domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse and economic hardship.

The award was presented at the 36th annual “Partners In Peace” award breakfast Oct. 2.

copsandcrime@dailyherald.com