Park Ridge police announce ‘person of interest’ in homicide investigation

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Chip Mallek

Updated: March 17, 2012 8:10AM

Henry “Chip” Mallek was a wanderer — a “nomad,” as his sister Nikki affectionately called him.

After traveling for some time and living in California and Arizona (“He loved the warm weather,” his sister said), Mallek had recently returned to the Park Ridge area where he had grown up in order to help care for a family member.

It was here where Mallek’s young life would end.

Just before 2:30 a.m. the morning of Feb. 9, a driver for Park Ridge Taxi discovered Mallek’s body along the 200 block of Summit Avenue in an area where employees park their vehicles and additional cabs are kept.

Mallek, 39, had been strangled and his wrists were bound in front of him with plastic ties, said Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski.

More than 30 investigators and five evidence technicians comprising the north suburban Major Case Assistance Team were immediately assigned to the case — Park Ridge’s first murder investigation since 2006. As of today (Feb. 14), Park Ridge police had a “person of interest” in custody, but no further details were provided. (For updates go to parkridge.suntimes.com).

Kaminski would not say whether investigators were looking at Mallek’s murder as part of a kidnapping.

“It’s being investigated as a homicide — that’s the priority,” he said Feb. 13. “We’re trying to figure out the sequence of events.”

Whether detectives believed Mallek was killed at the spot where his body was found or if the murder occurred elsewhere was also not immediately shared by police.

Police initially reported that there were no visible signs of trauma to the body and the man was not carrying identification.

The site where Mallek’s body was found is a commuter-parking area just east of Summit and Washington avenues, and less than a mile from Mallek’s Edison Park apartment on the 6700 block of Oshkosh Avenue.

Known to family and friends as Chip, Mallek was born Henry Walter Nowak III. He changed his last name to Mallek when he was adopted by his stepfather as a child, his brother Mark Mallek said.

Nikki Mallek described her brother, Chip, as “charming, funny and generous.”

“He would give the shirt off his back if he had to,” she said. “He was very witty and funny — sarcastic at times. He loved playing poker and fishing with my uncles. And listening to music; he loved music.”

A movie buff, Chip Mallek enjoyed quoting lines from films, Nikki Mallek added.

Memories of his smile, she said, bring comfort now.

“He was my brother and I loved him more than anything,” she said, her voice breaking. “He always tried to take care of everybody, he always wanted to protect me.”

Nikki and Mark Mallek said they knew of no one who want to hurt Chip.

“He had a lot, a lot of friends,” Nikki Mallek said. “I can’t imagine anyone hurting him to the point that they did.”

“Chip was warm, loving, funny and always there to listen, give advice, then make you crack up,” said friend Karen Saari-Thacker. “He had a great heart and was loved by many.”

Visitation for Chip Mallek is scheduled to be 3-9 p.m. Feb. 16 at Nelson Funeral Home, 820 Talcott Road, Park Ridge. Funeral services will be private, the family said.