Jean Irene Bianchi, a 27-year-old white female from McHenry, Illinois, was a wife and mother of two young children. On the night of January 27, 1970, she left her home to do laundry at the Suds-n-Duds Laundromat in downtown McHenry. She never returned. Her disappearance triggered an immediate search by local and state authorities, including the McHenry City Police, Illinois State Police, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.
Jean Irene Bianchi was abducted by Mark Alan Smith, a
man with a violent history who had recently returned to McHenry after committing a murder in Arkansas. Smith spotted the 27-year-old white female alone in the laundromat and waited until he was certain she was by herself. He then coerced her into his vehicle under the false promise that he would not harm her if she complied. He drove her to a secluded area where he raped her. After the assault, he struck her multiple times in the head and stabbed her in the neck, chest, and back.
Believing she was dead, Smith disposed of her body by throwing it off Pearson Bridge on Barreville Road, south of McHenry. However, as he drove back, he saw the 27-year-old white female crawling up the embankment. He stopped, kicked her back down, and attempted to drown her. When she continued to resist, he stabbed her again—once behind each lung—until he was certain she was dead. He then committed further depraved acts on her body before leaving her beneath the ice-covered stream.
Three days after her disappearance, Jean Irene Bianchi’s body was discovered. Her murder shocked the community and drew national attention. The investigation eventually led to the arrest of Mark Alan Smith, who was convicted and sentenced to 500 years in prison in Illinois for multiple murders. He remains incarcerated, with a projected parole date in the 23rd century. If ever released, he is expected to be transferred to Arkansas to serve a life sentence for his earlier crime.
