KRISTINA WESSELMAN - 15 yo(1985) - DuPage IL

Police disclose girl's missing ring in 1985 cold case

Jewelry was removed from DuPage girl's hand on the day she was raped, slain

Kristina Wesselman , 15, wore a yellow gold ring with a slightly chipped round pearl on July 21, 1985, the day she was raped and stabbed to death in a wooded field near her home in unincorporated Glen Ellyn. Her slaying has never been solved, and the ring has never been found.

July 22, 2011I
Investigators trying to solve the 1985 slaying of a 15-year-old DuPage County girl are searching for a ring they hope will bring them closer to finding the killer, authorities said Thursday.Kristina Wesselman wore a yellow gold ring with a slightly chipped round pearl
on her left hand the day she was stabbed and raped in a wooded field
near her home in unincorporated Glen Ellyn."We believe that
Kristy's killer took this ring from her from the scene of the crime,"
said DuPage County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Robert Harris, the lead investigator. This is the first time police have publicly disclosed there was a missing ring.

After Kristina's murder, police scoured pawn shops and jewelry stores, looking for the heirloom ring, Harris said.Kristina,
known to family and friends as Kristy, was attacked on July 21, 1985,
while returning from a grocery store — now a banquet hall — at Illinois
Highway 53 and Butterfield Road. She was on a well-worn, 150-yard path
through the field that provided a shortcut for residents in the Valley
View subdivision, where she lived.In the more than 21/2 decades
since her murder, investigators have followed a steady trickle of leads,
authorities said. This week, officers canvassed the subdivision."On
the day of Kristy's funeral I silently promised her I would never stop
trying to find the person who killed her. I didn't know that was going
to be lifetime process," said her mother, Sandy Wesselman, who attended a
news conference on the ring.Wesselman struggled at times to read
through her prepared statement. She read poems written by Kristy and by
a former classmate, emotional pleas to keep her slain daughter's memory
alive."My silent promise to Kristy has remained steadfast,"
Wesselman said. "There's a man out there who thinks he got away with
murder. Please help us take away his dream."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-dupage-cold-case-0722-20110722,0,6720155.story

DuPage still focusing on 1985 slaying
Glenbard South student was slain while walking through wooded field

July 21, 2011
By Art Barnum, Tribune reporter

Twenty-six years ago Thursday, a popular Glenbard South High School student was raped and killed as she walked through a wooded field while returning from a supermarket to her home in unincorporated Glen Ellyn.

The slaying of Kristina Wesselman has not been solved, but DuPage County law enforcement officials say it has not been for lack of trying. On Thursday afternoon, they are scheduled to hold a news conference to unveil "new developments" in the case. Officials say there are no major breaks, but they are hoping to generate public interest in the crime and uncover new clues.

Wesselman, 15, was repeatedly stabbed and raped on July 21, 1985, while returning from a Jewel store at Illinois Highway 53 and Butterfield Road, where she had purchased a chocolate bar and a soft drink. She was on a well-worn, 150-yard path through the field that provided a shortcut for residents in the Valley View subdivision, where she lived, and the supermarket.

She was last seen at 4 p.m. July 21, and her body was discovered by a sheriff's detective at 11 a.m. the following day. Authorities believe the slaying took place on July 21.

Kristina had been freshman class president and played several sports at Glenbard South. More than 700 people attended funeral services for her at St. James the Apostle Church in Glen Ellyn.

Every detective in the sheriff's office in the last 26 years has helped investigate the case in hopes of identifying the killer. Sheriff John Zaruba has said repeatedly that solving the slaying is one of the main goals of his administration.

Several possible suspects have been identified over the years, but no evidentiary links have been made, even as DNA testing has improved.

Sandra Wesselman, the victim's mother, is expected to be present and make a statement at the news conference.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-21/news/ct-met-dupage-cold-case-0721-20110721_1_slaying-dna-testing-news-conference

Wesselman Killer May Have Kept Trophy
DuPage County Sheriff's detectives released new evidence that a pearl ring was missing from the body of Kristina Wesselman the day she was found in 1985.

Posted by Alex Keown , July 21, 2011 at 09:18 PM



Kristina Wesselman’s killer may have kept a trophy, an antique pearl ring, DuPage County Sheriff’s detectives revealed today on the 26th anniversary of Wesselman’s slaying.

When Wesselman was murdered July 21, 1985, she was wearing the ring, which had a small chip in the pearl, on her left hand. But, when her body was discovered the next day, the ring was nowhere to be found. Detectives believe her killer kept the ring as a memento, however they're not discounting that the ring is no longer in the killer's possession.

Detective Robert Harris, the lead investigator on the Wesselman murder, said the information about the ring has been withheld all these years, but in an attempt to stimulate new leads in the case, they decided to make the information public knowledge. The size 4 ½ ring was golden, with a small mounted pearl with a chip on the top.

“We’re hoping that someone has some information about this ring and will come forth,” Harris said.

Harris said searches of pawn shops and jewelry stores after the crime came up empty. Detectives speculate the killer could still have the ring, or could have given it to someone close so he could see it and be reminded of what he did.

Kristy was killed while walking home from the Jewel Food Store at the intersection of Butterfield Road and Route 53. Wesselman, who was 15-years-old at the time, went to the store to purchase a candy bar and soda. The crime happened in broad daylight.

Wesselman was last seen walking on a well-traveled path in unincorporated Glen Ellyn toward her home from Jewel, which is now Abbington Banquet Hall. The next day, Wesselman’s body was found by sheriff’s detectives in the field near the path where she was last seen. She had been raped and murdered. According to reports, she was repeatedly stabbed to death. DNA was left behind, but there have been no matches.

The case is still open. Harris said the case remains active, as does public interest. In 2010, Harris said the department received more than 25 new leads in the case. The latest lead was telephoned into the Sheriff’s Office two weeks ago. However, no information has led to the identification of the killer. Additionally, the DNA collected at the scene of the crime is run through a national DNA database each week in hopes of finding a match.

For 26 years Sandy Wesselman, Kristina's mother, has been praying for justice. She said the killer took all her daughter’s hopes and dreams when he raped and murdered the Glenbard South student.

Sandy said she vividly recalls the last day she saw her daughter alive. She and Kristy planned to watch a movie at home, but before they settled in, Sandy asked Kristy to go to the store. Sandy’s last words to her daughter were “be careful princess, I love you,” as Kristy headed out to buy a soda and candy bar at the Jewel.

Dressed in black on the anniversary of her daughter’s murder, Sandy told reporters she made a silent promise at her daughter’s funeral that she would never stop searching for the killer.

“Little did I know it would take me a lifetime,” Sandy said.

But, Sandy said she remains steadfast in her promise. Every time she thinks about her daughter, and what she could have become, she recommits to her promise. Sandy said she remembers sitting on the couch with her daughter before she started her freshman year at Glenbard South, talking about the future. Kristy told her mother she believed she wanted to become a psychologist.

“She told me ‘mom, there are a lot of people hurting out there and I believe I can help them,’” Sandy recounted. “But there’s a man out there who believes he got away with murder. He took those dreams from my daughter.”

Sheriff’s detectives are spending the next four to six weeks canvassing the Valley View neighborhood to talk with residents who have lived there since 1985. Harris said there are 120 residents who still live in the neighborhood since the time of the murder. He said detectives hope the visits will trigger some memory that can lead to the killer’s identification. Harris said any memory of people paying unnaturally close attention to the Wesselman case, or frequent visits to Kristy’s grave, would be helpful. Harris said they are also looking to find someone who may remember any unusual behavior or a drastic behavioral change in someone, around the time of the murder. Harris said any information would be helpful.

The Sheriff’s Office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

“I remain confident that we will solve this,” Harris said.

http://glenellyn.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/wesselman-killer-may-have-kept-trophy#photo-7096804