Carrie Ann Hudek Chiuso was a woman who dedicated her life to helping others, especially children. The 33-year-old female from Frankfort, Illinois, worked as a high school social worker, and her passion for her job was evident to all who knew her. Remembered for her vibrant personality, she was a graduate of DePaul University and earned her master's degree from Loyola University. Students recalled her as a supportive and life-saving presence, an emotional support who helped them navigate immense challenges. Carrie was the beloved wife of Anthony "Tony" Chiuso, a loving daughter to Don and Penny Hudek, and a dear sister to her brother, Michael. Her family remembered her as an organized person with a sense of adventure, someone who was "all about the kids."
On the morning of Saturday, February 2, 2008, Carrie stopped at the Lane Bryant clothing store in the Brookside Marketplace shopping center in Tinley Park, Illinois, to buy a shawl.
She had plans to meet friends later that day. Shortly before 11:00 a.m., a man posing as a delivery driver entered the store. He soon announced a robbery, brandishing a.40-caliber Glock pistol. The gunman forced Carrie, store manager Rhoda McFarland, 42, and four other women—customers Jennifer Bishop-Jobin, 34, Connie Woolfolk, 37, Sarah Szafranski, 22, and a part-time employee—into a back room. There, he bound their hands with duct tape and ordered them to lie face down. During the terrifying ordeal, McFarland managed to dial 911 on her Bluetooth headset, but the call was cut short after the gunman realized. He then shot all six women, execution-style, before fleeing.
When police responded to the 911 call at 10:44 a.m., they discovered a horrific scene. Carrie Hudek Chiuso, Rhoda McFarland, Jennifer Bishop-Jobin, Connie Woolfolk, and Sarah Szafranski were all pronounced dead. The sixth woman, a store employee, was shot in the neck but survived by pretending to be dead. She was able to provide investigators with a detailed description of the killer. The suspect was described as a Black male, between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall with a husky build and broad shoulders. He was wearing a dark jacket, jeans, and a knit cap. A police sketch was created and circulated widely.
The investigation into the five murders became one of the largest in Illinois history, involving the Tinley Park Police Department and a multi-agency task force that included the FBI. Investigators collected DNA evidence at the scene, but despite thousands of tips over the years, no arrests have ever been made. The case remains a painful open wound for the families and the community. The Lane Bryant store never reopened and was eventually remodeled into a different retail space six years after the tragedy.
In the years since her death, Carrie's family has worked to keep her memory alive through positive action. They established Carrie's Fund, a charitable organization that has awarded tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to high school students and donated to community projects, including exhibits at a local children's museum. Her brother, Michael Hudek, has spoken about the enduring pain of the loss, stating, "You just learn to live with it." He remains hopeful that someone will come forward with the information needed to solve the case. "This individual is not going to be caught until somebody speaks up or identifies who he is," Hudek said in a 2026 interview. "Somebody's aware of who this individual is."
As of February 2026, the investigation into the Lane Bryant murders is still active and ongoing. Tinley Park police have stated that new detectives are assigned to the case and continue to evaluate leads and review evidence using new forensic capabilities. A reward of $100,000 is still being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the man responsible for the deaths of Carrie Hudek Chiuso and the four other women murdered that day. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tinley Park Police Department at [email protected].
