Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz was found dead two months ago. A heavily tattooed Army veteran well known in his community as G.I. Joe, was renowned in his town for his police work and leading the police department’s “Explorer Program.” He was honored after his death with a hero’s funeral. He was buried with full military honors. Mourners waited in lines for hours to pay their respects. Authorities from 1,000 police forces attended.

Gliniewicz was found in a remote and marshy area near the Wisconsin border from what looked at first glance like a murder. After further investigation, it looks as though the police lieutenant committed suicide, and left a trail that resembled a murder to throw off investigators. But why would such a high-standing member of the community want to end his own life?

Allegedly, in the years preceding his death, Gliniewicz committed a series of crimes. The explorers program that the officer ran gave youth in the area an interest and an insight into the police field. Apparently, he had been stealing money from the program for years. He had been using thousands of stolen dollars to pay for personal expenses such as mortgage payments, travel expenses, and adult website subscriptions. Lake County Major Crime Task Force Commander George Filenko says that the amount of theft was “in the five figure range.” He added to this statement saying, “This is the first time as a law enforcement officer… that I’ve felt ashamed by the acts of another police officer.”

Before committing suicide, it is assumed that Gliniewicz knew of an upcoming audit that would reveal his thefts. After his death, he made it look like a murder, in order to prevent further suspicion from surrounding him. He shot himself into his protective vest, and then fired a second shot beneath his vest into his upper torso, ultimately killing himself.

Many who knew Gliniewicz were shocked to find that such an upstanding member of the community could turn out to be secretly hiding some dark secrets. A 79-year-old neighbor who lives in the same neighborhood as the Gliniewicz family commented, in a state of shock, “What a surprise, from hero to criminal.”