Widow raising money for reward

Sept. 10 murder: Michael Sarniak killed along I&M Canal

Rose Sarniak knows more grief and pain will come.

For now she's numb. And busy. Busy raising as much reward money as she can for information leading to the arrest of the person who murdered her husband, Michael Sarniak Sr. of Chicago.

Michael, 48, a fisherman and nature lover, was exploring a portion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in Channahon on Sept. 10 when he was shot multiple times and killed.

A fund-raiser will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 11 at 115 Bourbon Street, 3359 W. 115th St., Merrionette Park. Tickets cost $25.

So far, ticket sales and donations have raised about $5,000 in reward money. Another $1,000 is being offered by Crime Stoppers of Will County.

"Everybody has been wonderful," Sarniak said. "Family and friends Ń even strangers. Everybody has heard about it."

It helps to keep busy with the reward fund-raising effort.

"I still don't believe it," Sarniak said. "I can't believe he's not here."

In addition to raising reward money, Sarniak has been using donations for memorials to Michael.

She purchased four nature books at the Oak Lawn Public Library in honor of her husband's love of the outdoors.

Other donations paid for supplies at the People's Animal Welfare Society shelter in Tinley Park. The money bought a cage in the shelter's stray room, which is appropriate because Michael was always bringing home strays, Sarniak said. A tag on the cage says, "In loving memory of our gentle pied piper."

The memorial efforts and the reward fund are therapy for Michael's stunned family.

"That's what is keeping me going," Sarniak said. "I'm doing this for him and trying to make sure his memory is alive forever."

 Police investigation

Channahon police are receiving tips on the crime, but so far none has led to an arrest.

"We're still getting leads every now and then," said Channahon Detective Dave Margliano. "They're really thinning out, but we're following up every lead we get."

Margliano said he is waiting for lab results to see if there is any evidence from the scene that would help solve the murder.

"Maybe there is something there. We don't know," he said.

Touched by caring

Sarniak and her family have been out in force since the murder, leafleting the trail area, hoping to find someone who saw something.

They handed out fliers at a towpath race two weeks after the murder, and Sarniak was touched by how respectful the runners were of the murder site. The family had marked the area with flowers, a cross on a tree and a picture of Michael.

"They ran around the flowers, and they took their hats off, and they did the sign of the cross, and they were crying," Sarniak said.

One woman reached out to comfort the widow.

"She took my face in her hands and said, 'I know what you're going through; I just lost my son,'" Rose said. "Then she gave me a flower.'"

Almost everyone said, "We hope you catch the guy," Sarniak said.

The Sarniaks lived together in the West Beverly neighborhood. It was a second marriage for both. They worked together at the U.S. Postal Service's Fox Valley Processing and Distribution Center in Aurora.

Fellow employees have been wonderful, selling fund-raiser and raffle tickets, Sarniak said. A counselor who worked with the employees after the murder was amazed by how much affection Michael's co-workers had for him, she added.

"The counselor told me in her whole career, she had never seen so many people so devastated," she said. "He made it bearable to work there because he was always telling stories."

Michael told fish stories, animals stories Ń they were always about nature.

Keeping case alive

In recent weeks, Michael's family has cleaned up the murder site, planting hostas from his garden. They've also contacted the America's Most Wanted TV show, as have many others, urging the program to feature Michael's murder.

"We've been trying to keep this case alive," Sarniak said. "It's just a shame because he was a healthy person. It's a big waste. He was taken from us. This was not God's plan. It's a terrible, terrible world." She knows the reward won't bring him back, but it could bring some closure.

"If we could just find out what happened. It was a sunny afternoon. It was a crowded trail. It just doesn't make any sense." Anyone with information about the crime should call Channahon police, (815) 467-1828; Will County sheriff's police, (815) 727-8574; or Crime Stoppers of Will County toll-free, (800) 323-6734. Callers can remain anonymous.

For information on the fund-raiser or raffle tickets, call Rose Sarniak, (773) 233-1105, or Mary Ellen Sarniak, (815) 485-9151.