Case Details
- Photo URLs:
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- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 07/21/1981
- Missing From:
- Missing From Joliet, Illinois
- Classification:
- Classification Non-Family Abduction
- Gender:
- Female
- Race:
- Race White
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 01/06/1975 (50)
- Age:
- Age 6 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 4’0, 75 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A Joliet District Soccer t-shirt, blue jogging pants with red and white stripes and blue sneakers with a white stripe.
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, brown eyes.
- Details of Disappearance:
- Five-year-old Sarah disappeared in Joliet, Illinois on July 21, 1981. She was last seen arguing with another child and then walking away from her sister and friends near Richards Street. She was reported missing that night and has never been found.
Years later, a dying neighbor, Ernest Wilson Sr., hinted at Sarah’s fate by drawing a triangle with a circle inside – possibly representing his triangular-shaped property. His nephew claimed Wilson’s son (mentally disturbed and 15 in 1981) confessed to being involved in Sarah’s death, along with another boy. The nephew also admitted to molesting Sarah and being present during the murder. A witness corroborated this, recalling seeing Wilson digging a very deep hole and moving large amounts of dirt around the same time. Police searched Wilson’s old property but didn’t find Sarah’s body; they may not have dug deep enough.
Another lead emerged in 1985 when police found photos of young girls in the apartment of David Collins, a convicted sex offender. One girl initially looked like Sarah, but it wasn’t her. Collins wasn’t connected to Sarah’s disappearance.
A family cousin, William Redden, who had a prior conviction for assaulting a toddler, was also investigated. He lived near Sarah and knew her. Police searched his old home in 2019 but found nothing. Redden is deceased.
Despite these leads, Sarah’s disappearance remains a mystery.
- Agency:
- Will County Sheriff’s Office 815-727-8574
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 07/21/1981