On a cold Friday afternoon in Chicago, February 21, 2014, a discovery was made in an alley that added another name to a list of devastating and unresolved losses in the city. A woman, identified as 50-year-old Velma Howard, a Black female, was found deceased in the 600 block of North Homan Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. Her body had been wrapped in a blanket and left in the alley, a place of transit and refuse turned into a final resting place.
The details of her death were stark and brutal; an autopsy later confirmed she had been strangled, and her death was officially ruled a homicide.
At the time of her death, Velma lived on the 2900 block of West Madison Street, miles from where her body was discovered. Little has been made public about her life, who she was, and the days leading up to her murder. In the digital shadow of her case file, only small glimpses of her personality remain. On a memorial page, one person, remembering her, wrote, "she will be truly missed her life, her laugh and her love we miss you." It is a brief but poignant testament to the person who was lost, a woman remembered for her laughter and the love she shared.
The investigation into Velma's murder began as a singular case, but it soon became clear that her death was part of a deeply disturbing pattern. Her case is one of 51 unsolved homicides of women, the majority of them Black, that occurred in Chicago between 2001 and 2018. These women were victims of what is believed to be the work of one or more serial killers, often referred to as the "Chicago Strangler." The methods were chillingly similar: strangulation or asphyxiation, with the victims often left in alleys, abandoned buildings, or garbage cans on the city's South and West Sides.
The Murder Accountability Project, a nonprofit organization that analyzes homicide data, identified this cluster of killings and has pushed for a more comprehensive investigation, suggesting the cases are connected. Despite the similarities in victim profiles, causes of death, and geographic locations, the Chicago Police Department has historically been hesitant to officially link the murders or declare them the work of a serial killer. For the families of the victims and community activists, the response has often felt inadequate, leaving a trail of unresolved grief and unanswered questions.
In the years since Velma Howard was killed, her case has grown cold. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in her murder. The lack of progress is a painful echo of the other 50 unsolved cases. A resident of the block where Velma’s body was found expressed a sense of neglect to the Chicago Tribune, stating that after the discovery, police "just picked the body up and left." This sentiment reflects a broader feeling within the affected communities that the lives of these women were not given the attention and resources they deserved.
The story of Velma Howard’s death is tragically intertwined with the larger narrative of the Chicago Strangler victims. While the specific details of her life remain largely unknown to the public, her memory is preserved by those who knew her laugh and her love. Her unsolved murder serves as a stark reminder of the dozens of women whose killers have never been brought to justice, and the families who continue to wait for answers. The investigation into this string of homicides remains open, a sprawling and complex puzzle with Velma Howard’s case as one of its most tragic pieces.
