Nicholas T. Kowalski, a 29-year-old Caucasian male from Park Forest, Illinois, was reported missing on September 29, 2021, after his family was unable to contact him. An investigation was launched by the Park Forest Police Department on October 2, 2021. Kowalski was known to have connections to Northwest Indiana, and the search eventually led investigators to Gary, Indiana.
On October 3, 2021, the investigation took a grim turn when Kowalski's body was discovered buried in a shallow
grave in the backyard of a residence in Gary. An autopsy would later reveal that he had been shot in the head and torso. The body was found wrapped in a tarp and concealed under a small table. The complex nature of the case prompted the Lake County Metro Homicide Task Force to take over the investigation.
The investigation led to 33-year-old Robert R. Simms III of Gary, who was subsequently charged with Kowalski's murder. According to court documents, the motive for the killing was robbery. Simms was also implicated in a string of other violent crimes, including the murder of a Lyft driver, Glynon Nelson, just days before being charged in the Kowalski case. Authorities alleged that Simms and an accomplice were involved in multiple robberies across different states.
