WILL COUNTY — Fifty years after the body of a woman was found alongside a creek in New Lenox Township, Will County Sheriff's police on Friday issued a renewed push to find her killer.
Jennifer Lynn Springman, 17, was found dead Oct. 3, 1976, on the bank of Hickory Creek, underneath the Interstate 80 bridge near Route 30. An autopsy determined that she sustained blunt-force trauma to the head, resulting in scalp lacerations, and died as a result of manual strangulation.
Jennifer "Jenny" Lynn Springman was born Oct. 15, 1958, in Lincoln, Nebraska. A recent graduate of Downers Grove High School, she had just begun her freshman year at George Williams College, Downers Grove, that fall. She was last seen around 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 3, 1976, at a small gathering held at an off-campus apartment.
Springman was just two weeks shy of her 18th birthday when she was killed.
In early 1977, investigators received information from an unidentified woman who reported witnessing a violent encounter the morning of Oct. 3, 1976, between a male and female near a lone vehicle as she passed through Route 30 under the Interstate 80 overpass. The woman provided a description of the male and the vehicle involved.
Investigators determined that the woman's description was consistent with information previously developed regarding a person of interest and associated vehicle. An unrelated witness interviewed in 1977 provided information that further corroborated aspects of the woman's account.
"Will County investigators recognize that memories from 50 years ago may be incomplete or have faded over time," the sheriff's office shared on social media. "Information that may have seemed insignificant at the time, however, could have renewed relevance today. Anyone with information that may assist in the investigation is urged to come forward, regardless of how long ago the information was learned or whether it has previously been shared with law enforcement."
Anyone with information regarding the homicide of Jenny Springman is asked to contact:Detective Sergeant Mike Earnest at 815-727-8574, extension 4943, or email at mearnest@willcosheriff.org.If you wish to remain anonymous, we urge you to submit a tip on the Will County Sheriff's website, or on the Will County Sheriff's Office App that is available for download on iOS and Android platforms.
You can also contact Will County Crime Stoppers by telephone at 800-323-6734, or online.
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