JOLIET, IL — It’s the biggest murder mystery in Joliet’s history, a crime that has been the topic of bar room chatter, family reunions and dinner table conversations for generations here in Will County. What happened to Amelia “Molly” Zelko? On September 25, 1957, the 47-year-old Joliet Spectator reporter parked her car on Buell Avenue after putting the newspaper to bed. Some neighbors heard a scream. Authorities found her shoes. But her body was never found.
Her killers were never caught.
Is Molly Zelko’s disappearance destined to remain a Joliet cold case forever? Perhaps not.
The 61-year-old mystery will come back to life beginning this fall, thanks to the work of former Joliet Herald-News investigative reporter Lonny Cain and Greg Peerbolte, executive director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum in downtown Joliet. The two have been busy for many months producing a multi-part audio podcast that aims to introduce the Joliet legend to a new generation of true-crime…
