New docuseries 'Hunt for the Chicago Strangler' focuses on murders of dozens of Black women over 20 years
CHICAGO - A new documentary called "The Hunt for the Chicago Strangler" focuses on the murders of 51 women – mostly Black women – over the course of 20 years.
The Discovery Channel series was the focus of a panel discussion on Chicago's West Side on Saturday, hosted by FOX 32 Chicago anchor and reporter Tia Ewing.
Family members and friends of the victims talked about their frustration with the lack of answers. Delmarie Cobb shared stories of her friend Nancy Wilson. Wilson disappeared in 2002, and her body was found in a trash can weeks later.
We got very little attention and police did very little," Cobb said. "They kept telling us, the friends and family that had known her, that she walked away."
It's unknown whether the murders are connected, but for years many in the community have believed a serial killer is preying on poor and disenfranchised women.
A retired Chicago police homicide detective urged police to take the reports of missing women seriously.
"Return these calls. Talk to the people. Try to establish some kind of personal rapport with these families," said former CPD detective Gerald Hamilton.