The Lane Bryant Shooting
Unresolved: A True Crime & Mystery Podcast
Unresolved Productions
4.5 • 190 Ratings
🗓️ 24 November 2019
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
February 2nd of that year was a cold and blustery day in the region of Tinley Park, Illinois. That morning, two Lane Bryant employees and four customers would be taken captive by an armed gunman just after the store opened.
The gunman, who posed as a delivery man, would loiter in the store for upwards of 40 minutes, before shooting the six female hostages and making off with a little more than $200. Despite the involvement of national and international law enforcement agencies, the killer's identity - and motives - remain a mystery to this day.
Episode researched, written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan
Original music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper Music
Theme music created and composed by Ailsa Traves
Producers: Maggyjames, Ben Krokum, Roberta Janson, Matthew Brock, Quil Carter, Peggy Belarde, Evan White, Laura Hannan, Som Obbard, Katherine Vatalaro, Damion Moore, Astrid Kneier, Amy Hampton, Scott Meesey, Steven Wilson, Scott Patzold, Emily McMehen, Marie Vanglund, Lori Rodriguez, Jessica Yount, Aimee McGregor, Danny Williams, Sue Kirk, Sara Moscaritolo, Brian Rollins, Lauren Harris, Thomas Ahearn, Aimee McGregor, Marion Welsh, and Seth Morgan
Learn more about this podcast at http://unresolved.me
If you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to https://www.patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron or Producer
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unresolved-a-true-crime-mystery-podcast--3266604/support.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Rota McFarland |
| 0:17.0 | Born Rota Hamilton on January 10th 1966, grew up in a relatively large family in Joliet, |
| 0:24.9 | Illinois, a town on the very outskirts of the Chicago Metro area. |
| 0:29.6 | She had three brothers and sisters, and would grow into a smart, hardworking young woman |
| 0:35.1 | as she entered adulthood. |
| 0:36.9 | After graduating from Lyons Township High School in 1984, Rota enlisted in the U.S. Air |
| 0:43.0 | Force, where she would become a nurse practitioner. |
| 0:46.7 | For about three years, Rota was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base over in Prince George's |
| 0:52.2 | County, Maryland, and would remain in the Air Force reserves following her enlistment. |
| 0:58.0 | After getting out of the service, Rota returned to the Chicago area, and decided to get involved |
| 1:04.3 | in her local church. |
| 1:06.1 | She became the pastoral assistant at the Embassy Christian Center in Crest Hill, just a few |
| 1:11.7 | miles away from where she had grown up. |
| 1:14.1 | She would work at this church for several years, kickstarting numerous youth programs |
| 1:18.9 | and even doing what she could to help integrate inmates back into society. |
| 1:23.5 | She even started a project of her own called Princess Unveiled, which was aimed at helping |
| 1:28.7 | girls prepare for adulthood. |
| 1:30.7 | Eventually, Rota became ordained, and joined the staff as a full-time minister. |
| 1:36.7 | However, a later disagreement with church leadership caused Rota to leave her position, |
| 1:42.8 | and would somewhat force her into an early midlife pickle. |
| 1:46.5 | Now in her early 40s with a divorce under her belt, Rota was not looking forward to |
| 1:51.3 | starting a new career. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Unresolved Productions, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Unresolved Productions and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.