On February 2nd, 2008, a man posing as a delivery driver enters the Lane Bryant store at about 10 AM, which is exactly when the store opened. A few other customers file in around that time as well. Manager Rhoda McFarland calls a neighboring Lane Bryant to check if there are any special deliveries, since Saturdays are not typically when parcels come in. After 15 minutes, Rhoda and another unnamed, part-time employee realize that this man is lying.

Lane Bryant

After Rhoda and her coworker realize the man is there to do them harm, he pulls a gun on them and places underwear from a display on their heads. The assailant forces both employees and four customers into the back of the store at gunpoint, an area where customers do not usually go.

Lane Bryant

Store manager Rhoda McFarland manages to call 911 from inside the store while the assailant was close by; he could be heard speaking in the back of the call before the line goes dead. Rhoda was able to dial 911 discretely because she was wearing a bluetooth headset connected to her cellphone. The call connects to an operator, but she is able to convey limited information about the situation other than her location.

Lane Bryant

Each woman is methodically shot execution style in the head, but not before being groped by the assailant. One woman, the part time sales associate, survives by playing dead. The assailant missed his shot and only grazed her neck; he flees before he realizes she is still alive. Her survival is key in helping identify the perpetrator, and in turn her identity has been kept secret by police. The perpetrator escapes the scene undetected, and security footage may have captured him leaving in a black SUV. However, security footage of the parking lot was ultimately grainy and unhelpful.

Lane Bryant

Immediately after the shooting and the following day, police organize a manhunt for the assailant, but no leads or evidence turns up. Authorities speculate that this assailant simply wanted to rob the store, but something occurred that made him murder and sexually assault the women inside. Although he shot six women, one managed to survive by playing dead; she had only one gunshot wound to the neck. Her identity was never revealed, although she reportedly worked with police to help gather more information about the victim. It is unknown what the assailant took from the store besides about $200 and some jewlery from each woman, how he escaped from the scene, and his precise motive. There were no security cameras in the store. While not originally disclosed, the police managed to lift fingerprints from the scene, but this information did not lead to any substantial breaks in the case. Five women were killed that day, Jennifer Bishop, Carrie Chiuso, Rhoda McFarland, Sarah Szafranski, and Connie Woolfolk.

Lane Bryant

The case is released on America's Most Wanted to gather tips on the suspect's identity. He is described as a black man with thick cornrowed hair and a receding hairline. He had a single braid next to his face adorned with four green beads.