Member-only story
Who Killed Maria Ridulph?
A murderer may have gotten away with the kidnapping and murder of a little girl who was playing in the snow.
Childhood is usually filled with joy and laughter. There are moments when children look forward to playing outside with their friends and games of make-believe. It is a time of innocence, but sometimes the wolf disguised as a sheep comes along to destroy all that is pure.
Maria Ridulph
In 1957, seven-year-old Maria Ridulph lived in Sycamore, Illinois, with her parents and her eleven-year-old brother, Chuck. It was known as a quiet and safe town where no one locked their doors to keep out the danger. Some homes were known to not even have a lock on the doors as there was simply no need in such a safe, idyllic town.
So no one gave it a second thought when little Maria wanted to go outside and play in the snow after nightfall at 6:00 p.m. on December 3rd with her friend Kathy as it was a normal activity for local children to do in the area. The two girls were enjoying playing in the snow on the street corner with their dolls when a man approached them and introduced himself as Johnny. He offered to give the girls piggyback rides and played with the girls for a little while.
