Jaclyn Marie Dowaliby (May 17, 1981 – September 10, 1988) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

girl who disappeared from her bedroom during the night in

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

, United States. The

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

ed child's body was found four days later.

Disappearance

On September 10, 1988, seven-year-old Jaclyn was taken from her home in

Midlothian, Illinois Midlothian () is a village in Bremen Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census the population was 14,325. History Like many southwest suburbs of Chicago in the 1800s and ear ...

, United States, at some point during the night. The next morning, her mother Cynthia Dowaliby reported her as a

missing Missing or The Missing may refer to: Film * ''Missing'' (1918 film), an American silent drama directed by James Young * ''Missing'' (1982 film), an American historical drama directed by Costa-Gavras * ''Missing'' (2007 film) (''Vermist''), a Bel ...

child, possibly an abduction, and said that she "prayed for her return". Police reportedly found a broken window, but it may have been a faked break-in as her

adoptive Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

father David Dowaliby later recalled the back door was left open. Search parties were organized, but for four days Jaclyn was nowhere to be found.

Death and legacy

On September 14, 1988, Jaclyn Dowaliby's body was found abandoned at a dump site, located away from her home. Although an

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

could not reveal when she had been killed, the police suspected that Cynthia and David were involved in the crime. In 1990 they were put on trial for her

. Cynthia was

acquit In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

ted but David was

convicted In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which is consid ...

eyewitness Eyewitness or eye witness may refer to: Witness * Witness, someone who has knowledge acquired through first-hand experience ** Eyewitness memory ** Eyewitness testimony Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Eyewitness'' (1956 film), a Britis ...

testimony which placed him at the scene where her body was found. In October 1991, an

appellate court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

overturned his conviction, ruling that there was no more evidence against him than there had been against Cynthia. On November 13, 1991, David Dowaliby was released from prison. Nobody else has been arrested or convicted for her murder.

In popular culture

The Dowaliby case was featured on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's ''

Unsolved Mysteries ''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl ...

'' on November 18, 1992. It featured interviews with the Dowalibys, along with the investigators and defense attorneys involved in the case. In 1996, a

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

was released, entitled '' Gone in the Night''. It was based on Jaclyn Dowaliby's disappearance and murder, and starred

Kevin Dillon Kevin Brady Dillon (born August 19, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Johnny "Drama" Chase on the HBO comedy series ''Entourage'', Bunny in the war film ''Platoon'', and John Densmore in the musical biopic ''The Doors ...

and

Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty (, born April 12, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jenny Wilder in ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1982–1983); Maggie Malene in ''Girls Just Want to Have Fun'' (1985); Kris Witherspoon in '' Our Hous ...

as David and Cynthia. The film ended with the real David and Cynthia in a PSA for the

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pres ...

. ''

American Justice ''American Justice'' is an American criminal justice television program airing on the A&E Network. From 1992–2005, the show was hosted by television reporter Bill Kurtis. The show features interesting or notable cases, such as the murder o ...

'' did an episode on the case. The podcast series, The Shattered Window, covers the case.

References

External links

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowaliby, Jaclyn 1980s crimes in Illinois 1980s missing person cases 1988 in Illinois 1988 murders in the United States 1990s trials Cook County, Illinois Deaths by person in Illinois Formerly missing people Kidnapped American children Kidnapping in the 1980s Kidnappings in the United States Missing person cases in Illinois Murder in Illinois Murder trials Overturned convictions in the United States September 1988 crimes September 1988 events in the United States Trials in the United States Unsolved murders in the United States Female murder victims Incidents of violence against girls Murdered American children

Disappearance

Death and legacy

In popular culture

See also

References

External links