Auxiliary Deputy Steven W. Mayer, a 21-year-old white male, was killed in an ambush on July 16, 1983, in Homer Glen, Will County, Illinois. Mayer had served with the Will County Sheriff’s Office for about a year and was on duty with Auxiliary Sergeant Denis Foley when they stopped to assist what appeared to be a stranded motorist around 3:25 a.m. on 143rd Street between Gauger Road and State Street. As the officers approached, the driver asked for a jump start; both officers exited their squad car and were suddenly fired upon. Mayer was fatally wounded and Foley suffered severe throat injuries.

The assailant continued his violent spree immediately afterward. Another vehicle approached and the gunman opened fire, killing that vehicle’s driver and critically wounding a female passenger who survived and sought help despite multiple gunshot wounds. The bodies were located after a frantic search guided by a local farmer who had heard the commotion. Investigators later found the shooter had a prior violent conviction and was on parole for a 1973 rape; the attacker went on to murder four women in a Joliet ceramic shop the next day and was taken into custody at the St. Charles Borromeo Work Release Center in Romeoville.

What information do readers who knew Auxiliary Deputy Mayer or the other victims have that might shed light on the events that night?