AST Digital Magazine September 2017 AST Digital Magazine September 2017 | Page 60

Volume 16
September 2017 Edition
has been working on the investigation for the
past two years from the FBI’s Chicago Division. Padilla estimated that more than 200 pieces of
physical evidence exist in the case file.
“No one has forgotten Tammy—not her family,
her high school and college friends, and certainly
not law enforcement. I am very motivated to find
her killer.” To date, a definitive DNA profile has only been
extracted from one item—a beer can found near
where Zywicki’s car was abandoned that may or
may not have anything to do with the crime.
Lt. Jeff Padilla,
State Police
Illinois
“That profile has nev-
er returned a match
with any known of-
fender,” Padilla said,
“and beyond that, we
don’t currently have
any other profiles be-
cause the technology used then was inadequate.”
Advances in DNA testing mean that the same
evidence—the blanket, sheet, and duct tape Zy-
wicki was wrapped in, shoelaces found at the
scene, and other significant items—could reveal
the killer’s DNA.
“I’m hopeful this new technology will help us,”
Padilla said. “I am convinced the DNA and the
suspect are in the case file. It’s just a question of
finding them.”
Courtesy of the FBI
“These cold case homicides are always difficult
cases,” said Lt. Jeff Padilla, an Illinois State Po-
lice detective who has been working on the in-
vestigation for the past six years, “but this case
has so much evidence that still exists, it should
help us be able to bring justice to Tammy and her
family.”
The FBI and the state police have been working
closely together to review and catalogue the ex-
tensive amount of physical evidence in the case.
The goal is to determine which evidence will best
lend itself to the newest forensic techniques for
DNA extraction.
Some of Tammy’s personal property is known to
be missing, including a Cannon 35mm camera, a
musical wristwatch with an umbrella on the face,
and a distinctive patch issued by Zywicki’s soc-
cer team for only one year.
The patch was missing from the shorts she was
wearing.
If the killer kept the soccer patch, camera, or
watch, Becker explained, a tip from someone
who recognized the items could help lead to his
capture.
“There continues to be a $50,000 reward offered
in this case,” she added.
“Even after 25 years, a concerned citizen doing
the right thing can help us solve this case.”
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