More than half a century after Valerie Percy was brutally killed inside her family’s home in Kenilworth, Illinois, one of America’s most closely watched cold cases remains unresolved. Percy, 21, was the daughter of businessman and Republican Senate candidate Charles Percy and had been actively involved in his 1966 campaign.
Valerie Percy Was Killed While Sleeping
On Sept. 18, 1966, Valerie was asleep in her bedroom at the Percy family’s suburban Illinois home when an intruder entered the residence. Around 5 a.m., her stepmother, Loraine, heard disturbing sounds coming from Valerie’s room.
When she went to investigate, she reportedly saw a man standing over Valerie’s bed. The intruder fled after being discovered, while Valerie had suffered severe injuries from a stabbing and beating. She died before medical assistance could save her.
The shocking killing immediately disrupted Charles Percy’s U.S. Senate campaign. Valerie had recently graduated from Cornell University and was remembered by friends and classmates as outgoing, warm and deeply involved in her father’s political ambitions.
She had also been preparing to pursue graduate studies in international affairs at Johns Hopkins University.
A Massive Investigation Produced No Arrest
Investigators spent years attempting to determine who entered the Percy residence and why Valerie was targeted. Authorities reportedly interviewed approximately 14,000 people, pursued more than 1,300 leads and conducted 58 polygraph examinations.
Several possible suspects emerged during the investigation, including career burglars Frank Hohimer and Frederick Malchow, who had connections to organized-crime figures. Investigators explored the possibility that a burglary attempt had gone wrong after Valerie awakened.
A mysterious telephone call made from the Percy property several months before the murder also became part of the investigation. The call was reportedly placed to a Chicago meat market associated with organized-crime connections.
However, investigators never established physical evidence conclusively tying any suspect to Valerie’s death. Nothing significant was reported stolen from the house, further complicating theories that the killing was simply the result of a burglary.
The Cold Case Continues to Raise Questions
Another name that later attracted attention was William Thoresen III, a Kenilworth resident described in FBI records as potentially violent. Investigators and later researchers pointed to several circumstances they believed warranted scrutiny, including his history with weapons.
A bayonet discovered in Lake Michigan days after the murder also generated speculation because investigators had found footprints leading toward the lake. Authorities, however, never established that the weapon was connected to Valerie’s killing.
The investigation has remained officially unresolved, and no one has ever been convicted of Valerie Percy’s murder.
Charles Percy eventually returned to the campaign trail and won the Illinois Senate election. He went on to serve three terms in the U.S. Senate.
For decades, the unanswered questions surrounding Valerie’s death have continued to make the case one of Illinois’ most enduring unsolved murders. Despite an enormous investigation and numerous theories, the person responsible for the 1966 killing has never been brought to justice.
