Arrest made after 53 years

One of the most memorable interviews I’ve ever done was in 1988 when Dave Pennel and I brought Mayor Red Johnson of Sycamore and Mayor Fritz Vandre of Shabbona together to honor DeKalb County’s two longest serving mayors.

Red served as mayor of Sycamore from 1957 until his death in 1991. He had served 8 years as an alderman before first getting elected as mayor. Fritz was mayor of Shabbona from 1966 until 1996.

The two were both full of personality — and stories. Red was quite the character. Also an auctioneer he peppered the interview with one liners and anectdotes often poking good natured fun at Fritz and then mayors Greg Sparrow (DeKalb) and Ken Hetchler (Cortland).

“Those guys are all jealous of me,” said Johnson. “They’ve got their work cut out for them. All I’ve got to do is preside over meetings in the best little city in America.”

He’d get serious when the questions called for it but he enjoyed a good laugh.

Then I asked what was the most difficult issue he ever faced as an elected official in Sycamore.

There was a pause for 30 seconds. His shoulders sagged as he bowed his head. When he looked up to begin his answer the tears swelled in his eyes.

“Maria Ridulph,” Johnson said softly. “She was a sweet little girl who was kidnapped from a great family. The whole town searched and searched for her. Then they found her body. There’s nothing worse for a parent than the news their child had been murdered. Those were the worst days of my time as mayor. Nothing else comes close.”

The disappearance of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph captured national headlines and the attention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, according to news accounts published at the time.

After more than 53 years since Maria’s disappearance, the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s office announced the arrest and murder charges against 71-year-old Jack Daniel McCullough, aka John Tessier, of Seattle in connection with the case.

At the time of the kidnapping McCullough lived near the Ridulph’s neighborhood. McCullough had been a suspect at the time of Maria’s disappearance but the case ran cold after he joined the military and changed his name.

“This crime has haunted Sycamore for half a century,” DeKalb County State’s Attorney Clay Campbell said in written statement. “We hope that the family of Maria Ridulph and this community can find some solace and closure with this arrest.”