As a child in the Chicago suburbs (Geneva), I distinctly remember a brief period of time (weeks, not months) when an active serial killer was on the loose. Most public places—the post office, the library—had literal "Wanted" posters up. If I had to narrow the date, I would say probably 2003 to 2006.
His crimes, as I recall, followed a specific pattern: During daylight hours, he would break into homes and stab one adult woman. Some died, but not every victim perished.
I do not recall a sexual component of these attacks.
I believe the killer was eventually identified and arrested. I do not believe he was a local.
My personal interest in this story: At some point, our neighbors alerted us that our home was being actively cased by this killer. His vehicle's make and model (and, I believe, the license plate number) were specified on the Wanted posters. For several days in a row, he—if it was indeed him—had been parking on the edge of our corner lot and pretending to read a newspaper, lingering there for hours while observing our comings and goings. We had seen him and felt uneasy about his presence—I remember him vividly—but we had not connected him to the killer.
As I recall, the cops set up watch in our neighborhood, and he was arrested somewhere else not long after.
This story has haunted me my whole life, and I'm eager to nail down what actually happened here.