Fox Lake police: 9 DNA samples found where Lt. Gliniewicz died

The first shot went into his police vest, hitting him with “the force of a sledgehammer” in his side, and the second, believed to be the fatal shot, was in the “upper left chest region”, Filenko said.

Officials say there were indications at the crime scene that there was a struggle, but test results in determining whether Gliniewicz fired his own weapon were inconclusive.

There have been few leads in the mysterious death of Gliniewicz, who radioed dispatch on September 1 that he was pursuing three suspicious men in a marshy area near an old cement plant before he was found dead.

Fox Lake is just south of the Wisconsin border, near Kenosha County.

Questions have swirled around the investigation since the county coroner said he has been unable to rule the death a homicide, suicide or an accident. The shooting triggered a massive manhunt for three suspects.

Authorities found nine unknown DNA samples at the crime scene on a variety of items in Gliniewicz’s possession, Filenko said.

Investigators returned to the scene to recreate possible escape routes, including hunting trails, Filenko said.

“Lt. Gliniewicz took it upon himself to investigate or took that as part of his responsibilities”, Filenko said.

Additionally, Filenko said investigators have taken 100 swabs of DNA from various donors in interviews of people who had either direct or indirect contact with Lt. Gliniewicz.

Gliniewicz was killed shortly after he started his shift the morning of Sept 1.

Lake County Sheriff’s spokesman Detective Christopher Covelli declined then to reveal the results of those tests, citing the pending investigation.

The day before, Gliniewicz met with village leaders about vandalism and reports of squatters in that same area, Filenko said.

“We’re working very hard to keep the community informed”, he said.

“This continues to be an extraordinarily complex investigation with many different components”, Covelli said. He released new information about the crime scene.