Murder! Molly And The Mob

A (1950s) Shocking True Crime Story

By: Rod Kackley

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Murder! Molly & The Mob: A 1950s Shocking True Crime Story by Rod Kackley plunges into the heart of one of America’s most chilling unsolved mysteries.

Set in Joliet, Illinois—a town on the edge of Chicago’s criminal empire—this gripping narrative follows the life and sudden disappearance of Molly Zelko, a crusading journalist whose fierce editorials took aim at the mobsters and political figures behind the region's gambling dens and crime rings.

As the editor and publisher of The Spectator, Molly wielded her newspaper like a weapon, targeting the web of corruption linking local politicians and notorious mobsters from Chicago’s criminal underworld.

These were no small-time gangsters: names like James “The Green Hornet” Rini, Francis “The Thin Man” Curry, and Dominic “Tootsie” Palermo—figures feared across Illinois—were rumored to be among her enemies. Molly’s editorials were bold and unrelenting, a voice of resistance in an era when women were expected to remain silent. But crusading against the mob came at a price.

On the night of September 25, 1957, Molly left the offices of The Spectator, telling her staff, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” That tomorrow never came. Molly vanished without a trace. Her 1955 Chrysler was found parked in her driveway the next morning, with no signs of struggle. There was no ransom note—only a haunting silence.

Rumors swirled immediately: Had Molly, fearless to the end, been silenced by the very gangsters she’d fought so relentlessly? As the days stretched into weeks, the Joliet police launched an investigation that quickly hit barriers.

Political allies of Leahm Kelly, a powerful figure in town, and infamous syndicate leaders like Julius Schlensky, Rocky Infelisce, and Frank Mirro were suspected of leveraging influence to stifle the search for answers. Local witnesses were too terrified to come forward, knowing that gangsters like William “Willie Potatoes” Daddano and Frank LaPorte operated in the shadows.

Molly’s disappearance captivated national attention. The Illinois State Police and even the Senate Rackets Committee, led by Robert F. Kennedy, joined the investigation. The case took a dark turn when James “The Green Hornet” Rini confessed, claiming to know where Molly’s body lay buried. But this lead, like so many others, unraveled under scrutiny as Rini’s story proved to be a ploy, likely meant to mislead authorities and cover up the mob’s involvement.

Years passed, and Molly’s fate remained a haunting mystery. Some speculated that she was entombed beneath a new construction project, while others believed she was abandoned in the remote countryside of Illinois. Despite these theories, the case went cold. Molly was officially declared dead in 1964, but her story continued to haunt the public.

In Murder! Molly & The Mob, Rod Kackley explores not just Molly’s life and her relentless pursuit of justice but the insidious reach of mob power that extended far beyond Joliet.

Figures like John Provenzano and Sam and Chuck Englice are shown to have wielded influence over entire cities, turning towns like Joliet into battlegrounds for control and silence.

This isn’t just the story of a crime—it’s the portrait of a courageous woman who may have paid the ultimate price for standing up to corruption. Murder! Molly & The Mob is a riveting true crime thriller that probes deep into the tensions of the 1950s, shining a light on the dark alliances between crime syndicates and political figures. It asks the haunting question:

Could the answers to Molly Zelko’s disappearance still lie buried under layers of silence and power?