The Shocking Story Behind "Murder in the Fox Valley"

For nearly a decade in the 1970s and early 1980s, the western suburbs of Chicago were terrorized by a serial killer.  Bruce Lindahl attacked and murdered a dozen young women. 

In 1980, Lindahl kidnapped and brutally assaulted Debra Colliander in Aurora. Unlike his previous victims, Debra managed to escape. She went to the police and for the first time, Lindahl was arrested and faced charges for kidnapping, rape, and deviate sexual assault.

But before the case could reach trial, Lindahl abducted Debra a second time. He murdered her and hid her body. Without the victim’s testimony and without a body, prosecutors were forced to drop the charges. Lindahl  once again walked free.

Unmasking the Predator

Working as an investigative reporter for The Beacon-News, I refused to let Debra be forgotten. Over several months, I wrote dozens of stories exposing Lindahl’s crimes, making the public aware of the danger in their midst, and putting pressure on authorities who knew Lindahl was responsible for Debra’s disappearance.

According to Aurora police, Lindahl had even begun planning to murder me once the charges were dismissed.

But Lindahl’s violent world finally imploded on its own. Just four days after the case against him was dismissed, he accidentally killed himself while murdering a young man. It was a bizarre and grim end to years of brutality.

A Case That Didn’t End With His Death

Nearly 40 years later, advances in DNA technology breathed new life into the investigation. In 2020, forensic evidence finally tied Lindahl to the 1976 murder of Pamela Maurer, an unsolved case that had haunted investigators for decades. Authorities now believe Lindahl may have murdered as many as a dozen people..

Two More Cold Cases Solved

In 2024, DNA identified Lindahl as the killer in a 45-year-old North Aurora cold case.Both victims were young women attacked in the 1970s—cases that seemed destined to remain mysteries until modern forensic science finally caught up to the truth.

The Book and the Documentary

All of this comes together in Murder in the Fox Valley, my gripping account of Lindahl’s crimes, the police investigation, and the reporting that helped expose one of the most disturbing predators in local history. The story was also adapted into a TV documentary, bringing even more attention to the case and the victims who had long been denied justice.

Lindahl escaped consequences during his life—but today, his crimes are finally being brought into the light, one cold case at a time.

Learn the full story behind the case — purchase your copy today here.