I-Team Exclusive: End in sight for Fox Lake police death case

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Seven weeks after the mysterious shooting death of Fox Lake police lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz, there may be a solution on the horizon.

Officially, the public knows nothing more about why Lt. Joe Gliniewicz died than the day it happened. The police official in charge of that investigation tells the I-Team that conclusions in the case are upcoming, within a few weeks. In an interview with the I-Team, task force commander George Filenko says the case may not be closed until near the end of November.

"We are hoping to come to at least some conclusions in the next several weeks, but the investigation is still moving forward," Cmdr. Filenko says.

It's been nearly 50 days and counting since lt. Gliniewicz was found in a Fox Lake field, dead from two gunshot wounds while on his way into work.

Commander Filenko, who leads a consortium of local, county, state and federal authorities-says the case is moving toward a conclusion.

"I think what we are looking at here is at least a finding by the coroner's office," he says. "I've been in contact with Dr. Rudd, our coroner, continuously, sometimes several times a week discussing the case. We have been working in unison, he has been extremely cooperative."

That alone sounds like progress. Early on, Filenko and Coroner Rudd butted heads over the release of information in the case. Now both men tell the I-Team they have a good working relationship.

"What we've both agreed to is until we have the full scale of this investigation presented to him, he's agreed not to make a finding until that. He also understands how important it is to have all of the information," Filenko says.

The interview with Filenko focused on his own credentials and criticism by some in law enforcement that he lacks the background to oversee this kind of complicated case.

"My training records speak for themselves," he says. "Certainly we don't want the public thinking there are unqualified individuals running these cases."

When he is not working as commander of the major case task force, Cmdr. Filenko is chief of police in Round Lake Park, population 7,400.