Michael Joseph Albanese, a 69-year-old man from McHenry, Illinois, died on May 16, 1981. Born July 24, 1911, in Chicago, he had lived in the Fox Lake area for eight years and was a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church. His death was reported in The McHenry Plaindealer on May 20, 1981.

The death was not initially seen as suspicious. Later investigation determined Michael’s death was part of a series of poisonings: his son, Charles Michael Albanese, used arsenic to kill three relatives between 1980 and 1981. Prosecutors said the motive was financial, with Charles seeking inheritances, bank funds, real estate, life insurance and pension proceeds.

Charles Albanese was arrested November 18, 1981, charged in multiple counts related to the killings and other crimes, and was later tried and convicted in separate cases. Does anyone have memories of Michael or the Fox Lake community from that period who can add detail about him or what happened?