The Enigma of Maria Ridulph's Disappearance

A Chilling Night in Sycamore

On a cold December evening in 1957, the small town of Sycamore, Illinois, was forever changed. Seven-year-old Maria Elizabeth Ridulph, a vibrant second-grader with a penchant for dolls and Sunday school awards, vanished into the night. Born on March 12, 1950, Maria was the youngest of four children to Michael and Frances Ivy Ridulph. Her world was one of simple joys, nestled in a community where her father worked at a local factory while her mother cared for the home.

That fateful December 3rd, after a dinner full of laughter and warmth, Maria's excitement over the fresh snowfall led her outside. Accompanied by her eight-year-old best friend, Kathy Sigman, Maria played a game they called "duck the cars," darting across the street to dodge the beams of oncoming headlights. It was during this innocent play that a stranger entered their lives.

The Encounter with "Johnny"

Kathy later recounted to authorities how a man, claiming to be "Johnny," approached them. He appeared to be in his early twenties, tall, with light hair, a slim chin, and a gap between his teeth. His colorful sweater stood out against the winter backdrop. "Johnny" charmed them with tales of dolls and piggyback rides, even lifting Maria onto his back. Maria, entranced, dashed home for a doll to show him, leaving Kathy to fetch her mittens. When Kathy returned, Maria and the man were gone.

Panic set in when Kathy raced to the Ridulph household, unable to find her friend. Initially believing Maria was hiding, the family soon realized the gravity of the situation. They dispatched Maria's older brother to scour the neighborhood. When his search yielded nothing, the police were called, setting off an immediate and widespread hunt. Armed locals joined law enforcement, but neither Maria nor the mysterious "Johnny" could be found.

The Investigation Begins

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) quickly joined local and state authorities, suspecting Maria's abduction might have crossed state lines. Their investigation revealed that "Johnny" had likely approached the girls after 6:30 p.m., with Maria's abduction taking place between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m. Despite extensive interviews and a nationwide plea for help, the case grew colder with each passing day.

Kathy Sigman, the sole witness to "Johnny's" presence, was placed under protective custody. Authorities worried the kidnapper might return for her. Kathy was shown numerous photographs of felons and suspects, but none matched her recollection of "Johnny." Among those investigated was a neighbor, John Tessier, who would later become a central figure in the case.

Discovery and Aftermath

Five months later, on April 26, 1958, a grim discovery was made near Woodbine, Illinois, a full 90 miles from Sycamore. Two tourists, out mushroom hunting, stumbled upon the skeletal remains of a child beneath a fallen tree. The remains were identified as Maria Ridulph through dental records and clothing remnants. Yet, the rest of her clothes were missing, and the cause of death remained elusive due to decomposition.

As the crime had occurred within Illinois, the FBI withdrew, leaving the case to state and local authorities. The initial autopsy was inconclusive, but decades later, a forensic anthropologist suggested Maria had been stabbed multiple times in the throat.

The Suspects Surface

John Tessier: A Life Under Scrutiny

In the wake of Maria's disappearance, John Tessier, later known as Jack McCullough, became a suspect. Born John Cherry in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Tessier moved to Sycamore after his mother's marriage to Ralph Tessier. Their home was a mere two blocks from Maria's, and John's behavior had raised eyebrows. Expelled from school for insubordination, he planned to join the U.S. Air Force.

On the night Maria vanished, Tessier claimed to have been in Rockford, Illinois, 40 miles away, pursuing Air Force enlistment. His alibi, bolstered by a collect call from Rockford at 6:57 p.m. and a meeting with recruiters at 7:15 p.m., initially cleared him. He even passed a polygraph test. Despite his alibi, the FBI's suspicion lingered, but without Kathy's identification, Tessier was removed from the suspect list.

Tessier's life took many turns over the years. He served in the military, became a police officer, and faced allegations of misconduct, including statutory rape. In 1994, he changed his name to Jack Daniel McCullough.

William Henry Redmond: A Posthumous Accusation

In 1997, Lieutenant Patrick Solar of the Sycamore Police closed the cold case, naming William Henry Redmond, a deceased truck driver, and carnival worker, as Maria's likely abductor and killer. Redmond had faced charges for a similar crime and was suspected in other child disappearances. However, the evidence against him was circumstantial, and without a confession, conviction seemed improbable.

A Cold Case Thaws

The case unexpectedly reignited in 2011 when McCullough, then in his seventies, was arrested and convicted of Maria's murder. Yet, in 2016, a post-conviction review revealed flaws in the evidence. McCullough, it turned out, could not have been present at the crime scene. His conviction was overturned, and he was declared innocent in 2017.

The murder of Maria Ridulph stands as one of America's oldest cold cases to be solved, then unsolved, leaving behind a tapestry of questions woven with the threads of a small town's tragedy.

Sources

For more details, visit the original Wikipedia article: Murder of Maria Ridulph