On July 16, 1983, Auxiliary Sergeant Denis Patrick Foley Jr., a 50-year-old white male serving with the Will County Sheriff's Office in Illinois, was fatally wounded during an ambush in rural Homer Township. At approximately 3:25 a.m., Sergeant Foley and Auxiliary Deputy Steven Mayer responded to what appeared to be a disabled vehicle at the intersection of 143rd Street and State Street. The deputies approached a pickup truck that was partially obstructing the road, its front bumper pressed against a red car in a turn-around area. As they exited their patrol vehicle, the driver of the pickup truck requested a jump start. Suddenly, the man opened fire, shooting both deputies. Deputy Mayer, 23, died at the scene, while Sergeant Foley sustained a gunshot wound to the throat. Despite his critical injury, Sergeant Foley attempted to radio for help, but his garbled transmission made it difficult for dispatchers to ascertain his location. He was instructed to activate his siren and spotlight to aid in locating the scene. A nearby farmer heard the commotion and guided officers to the site of the ambush.
Upon arrival, authorities discovered the bodies of George Kiehl, 24, Cathleen Norwood, 25, and Richard Paulin, 32, who had been in the red car. Another victim, Laura Troutman, 21, survived after being shot six times and managed to seek help. Sergeant Foley was transported to a hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries over the following month. Despite valiant efforts and a strong will to survive, he succumbed to his injuries on August 17, 1983. He was survived by his two sons and three daughters; his wife had passed away in 1982.
The investigation into these murders led authorities to Milton Johnson, a 33-year-old African American male, who was apprehended in March 1984. Johnson was convicted of multiple murders committed during the summer of 1983, including the killings of four women in a Joliet ceramic shop and the murder of an 18-year-old man on Interstate 55. Although Johnson was never tried for the murders of Sergeant Foley, Deputy Mayer, and the three civilians killed in the July 16 ambush, he remains the primary suspect in those cases. A receipt found under Deputy Mayer's body, believed to have blown out of the killer's pickup truck, was a crucial piece of evidence linking Johnson to the crime scene.
In 2003, Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted all death sentences in the state, including Johnson's, to life imprisonment. The case involving Sergeant Foley and the other victims remains officially open, pending any new developments or evidence that could lead to further prosecution.
