According to Mrs. Ridulph's statement to a newspaper reporter from another paper, Maria was a very quiet, very shy child, but if upset, very quickly could become "a screamer". Mrs. Ridulph stated when Maria became like that, only Mrs. Ridulph could calm her down. Maria's siblings stated in interviews that there was a corner in the front room of their house that was Maria's play area. She played there quietly. She was by all accounts, a good, quiet child. And there was one other thing about Maria, she was very scared of the dark, according to what her mother said to a newspaper reporter. But Mrs Cliffe last saw Maria playing in the dark in the Cliffe front yard, or rather, "chasing around a large tree trunk with Cathi, and screaming". Mrs. Cliffe was quoted. The next sentence in the article states that it was dark, and there were no street lights. That's odd, too, why would a child who is terrified of the dark play in the front yard further from her home in the dark? Answer: a person I know from Sycamore says there WAS a street light on that corner back then, and that it was THE ONLY street light on that street back then, which is why Maria and Cathi were playing there -- it was considered "safe" because of the street light, and because kids could "see" in order to play. So why did the reporter put that it was "dark" and there were no street lights? Did the reporter assume that, or did Mrs. Cliffe feel the need to say that? Or exactly what?
IL IL - Maria Ridulph, 7, Sycamore, 3 Dec 1957
- Thread starter anthrobones
- Start date
Maria went home to get her doll to bring back for the Piggyback ride. She disappeared from the Cliffe yard. It's where Cathi last saw her and it's where Mrs. Cliffe last saw her, with Cathi. Cathi went down the street to Maria's folks and told her Maria was missing. The Cliffe yard was thoroughly searched. Maria and her doll were gone. A short time later, Maria's doll shows up, in a place previously searched, and where it shows up -- in the Cliffe yard, on the other side of the Cliffe yard, in fact. People were very puzzled, where did the doll come from so suddenly and so quickly?
The fbi came in and J. Edgar Hoover took an interest in the case. The doll was taken to the FBI lab in Washington D.C. and fingerprinted, etc. The results were never disclosed.
The articles point out that even J. Edgar Hoover wanted to be kept up to date on this case. Interestingly enough, the Cliffe family had ties to Washington D.C., Republican U.S. Senator Cliffe was born in Sycamore. Perhaps Mr. Cliffe asked Hoover personally to watch over his town of Sycamore. More than likely, that was the case. However, was Cathi ever shown a picture of the Cliffe's son, who had blonde wavy hair and was about 20 years of age, and lived in that house, in a basement or garage apt. kind of thing at that time? Cathi mentioned in an interview that the man asked them if they liked his blonde curly hair. Young people who knew of the Cliffe son (or perhaps it was a nephew), thought at the time that perhaps he was the one who did it, because he was always asking Sycamore teens, do you like my hair? That doesn't mean he did it, whatsoever, but just pointing out that the train ticket clue isn't as strong, especially if a lot of people in Sycamore had train tickets to Chicago at the time. Young people from Chicago took trips to the Chicago Zoo, the schools went. Young people from Chicago went to many activities in Chicago. They'd save up and get a ticket. It was only 50 miles away.
The articles point out that even J. Edgar Hoover wanted to be kept up to date on this case. Interestingly enough, the Cliffe family had ties to Washington D.C., Republican U.S. Senator Cliffe was born in Sycamore. Perhaps Mr. Cliffe asked Hoover personally to watch over his town of Sycamore. More than likely, that was the case. However, was Cathi ever shown a picture of the Cliffe's son, who had blonde wavy hair and was about 20 years of age, and lived in that house, in a basement or garage apt. kind of thing at that time? Cathi mentioned in an interview that the man asked them if they liked his blonde curly hair. Young people who knew of the Cliffe son (or perhaps it was a nephew), thought at the time that perhaps he was the one who did it, because he was always asking Sycamore teens, do you like my hair? That doesn't mean he did it, whatsoever, but just pointing out that the train ticket clue isn't as strong, especially if a lot of people in Sycamore had train tickets to Chicago at the time. Young people from Chicago took trips to the Chicago Zoo, the schools went. Young people from Chicago went to many activities in Chicago. They'd save up and get a ticket. It was only 50 miles away.
I realize the suspect everyone says did it, has a not so nice history regarding molestation accusations, but that doesn't make him a killer. He might be the killer, but for some reason, the local Chief of Police, who had every kind of reason to arrest him for the crime, didn't. He held back. For some reason the woman who had this train ticket kept it all these years, inbetween a picture of an ex-boyfriend and the back of the frame, like it's something you purposely save. Did he ask her to save it, and why would he do that, knowing it was the very thing that would seal his case? Did he ever ask for the picture back all these years? Too many unanswered questions. But to start with, where are the fingerprint results for that doll of Maria's? Were the fingerprint and test results ever given to law enforcement? According to what I read, they weren't released to law enforcement. WHY? Somebody obviously obstructed justice for Maria in this case, and the question is WHY? Can't ask the police chief, he died in a car accident less than a year after Maria was kidnapped, which means in a matter of weeks after her body was found, because she was found something like 8 months after her kidnapping. My apologies to the Cliffe family, who I understand to be good, upstanding people, and my apologies to the McCullough/Tessier family because no one has been found guilty in this case, and I'm not accusing anybody, and there could even be a third, unknown suspect in all of this, so every avenue needs to be explored to find this killer, for Maria's sake.
My friend did try to report this to the Maria Ridulph website some years back, and received a curt reply. To my understanding, the Cliffe son/nephew, whatever relation he was, left town shortly after the incident regarding Maria.
Of course it's entirely possible that because of fearing the killer was the relative Cliffe family, McCullough/Tessier was protected in a round-about way by others. It's possible the doll was picked up by the member of the Cliffe family before the news of Maria's disappearance made its quick rounds, and then they realized they had to toss it back. So it could be fingerprints from a Cliffe family member who were innocent but had become unwittingly involved. It's possible that McCullough is related to the Cliffe family. Or was a friend of a member of the Cliffe family, or that the Cliffe family mistakenly worried that it was their relative who did it and thus McCullough was able to slip through without being charged formerly. I did understand that the man that law enforcement suspected (McCullough/Tessier) was a loner, not well-known in the area. But I didn't know his name. I hope they are able to do DNA. I don't know where my friend from Sycamore is right now, was the years before internet, so can't ask any more questions, but what a strange, strange case. I do know there was mention that Maria's family was a very good, nice group of people, but that they were Lithuanian or second generation Lithuanian, or a few, and only a few people, tried to implicate them in Maria's death, but people who knew them and loved them, and there wre a lot of people who knew them and loved them, knew that nothing could be further from the truth. Many people from Sycamore searched tirelessly for her. That's what I was told by my friend from Sycamore. Could they go to that Cliffe house and do a blood splatter test?
I am from Sycamore and even tho I wasnt born when Maria was murdered I have studied the case for years... There was a streetlight at that corner. I have read many if not all of the archived articles and there are some discrepancies in the articles here and there.
when you drive to the area, one thing that really stands out is how close it all is... Marias very small house is two or three houses aways from the corner (center cross and Archie) where she was taken. The suspect Tessiers house is maybe a block and a half down Center Cross... Center Cross rd is also Il State Rt 23. Its a fairly busy street and truckers drive down it. Even back then one article stated that it was rush hour, cars were going by and people had seen Maria and Cathy under the street light playing around the tree... (the tree is gone)
Its coming out that this man (Tessier) had been messing with girls in the neighborhood. He left town within a week of Marias murder. Joined the army and never looked back.
He has a long history of sex abuse and I think they should be looking into cold cases in the areas hes been living in all this time
He has a long history of sex abuse and I think they should be looking into cold cases in the areas hes been living in all this time
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/07/08/mccullough-says-he-didnt-kill-maria-ridulph/a4p9ych/
I will post some links from the local Sycamore paper
I will post some links from the local Sycamore paper
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/07/07/piecing-together-john-tessier-puzzle/a6vtckw/
Piecing together the John Tessier puzzle
Piecing together the John Tessier puzzle
A story on the 50th anniversey of Maria Ridolphs murder http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/07/01/innocence-lost-she-would-have-been-something/aqiuy63/
and here is the original story in the local paper
http://www.library.illinois.edu/dnc...ient.asp?Skin=UIUC&AW=1310004303008&AppName=2
http://www.library.illinois.edu/dnc...ient.asp?Skin=UIUC&AW=1310004303008&AppName=2
IMO a few things were at play as to why they didnt catch this guy at the time...... Sycamore was a very small town.. everyone knew each other, it is still that way.... The FBI came in and took over the case but then as soon as Marias body was found, they left. Center Cross St, is also Il State Rt 23. Truckers use it. Marias body was found 120 miles away along the same rt. The trucker angle is one that Ive heard many times thru the years... Also Sycamores Police chief at the time died in a car accident about 9 months after Maria was taken. Just a few thoughts
A member of the Cliffe family has now gone to reporters to state that he was around 12 when Maria was kidnapped and that Tessier would ask kids to let him take their photo. Wonder why none of that made the newspapers back then, although it was mentioned in newer articles that years later he had a habit of photographing prostitutes. Maybe the photo taking back in Sycamore was listed in investigation but never given to reporters? Starting to remind me now of that case where the locker was found with all those photos of young women and prostitutes and the police were trying to figure out whose locker it was and whot he victims were, remember that? What if those mystery photos had belong to Tessier?
oh, they did have a suspect for that locker full of photos, and he was arrested, so looks like not Tessier on that. I think that clue from the younger Cliffe guy is very significant, that Tessier was asking kids in Sycamore to pose for photos. I have verified there was an older Cliffe boy, in Tessier's age group, and his name was Jerry. I don't know if that's who my friend from Sycamore suspected or not, but it's the only Cliffe in that age group, and he was the stepson of Mrs. Thomas Cliffe who last saw Maria in the Cliffe front yard. Looks like the reporter of that newspaper was at fault about printing there were no street lights, because all the other news clippings say they played under the streetlight. However, that was NOT a quote from Mrs. Cliffe about no street light, just an error on the part of the reporter. Trying to find a photo of Jerry Cliffe, but nothing adds up about him that would make him a suspect, other than the misfortunate of having the kidnapping happen at his residence. He's also deceased, and there's nothing out of whack in his life story whatsoever to make him a suspect. By all accounts, he was a nice gentleman who ran a sports bar in Chicago.