FOOTSTEPS IN THE SNOW-Charles Lachman

True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers

Dan Zupansky

True Crime, News Commentary, Documentary, News, Society & Culture

4 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2015

⏱️ 87 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

1957. Sycamore, Illinois. Christmas was three weeks away, and seven-year-old Maria Ridulph went out to play. Soon after, a figure emerged out of the falling snow. He was very friendly. Minutes later, Maria vanished, leaving behind an abandoned doll and footsteps in the snow.

In April, a spring thaw gave up Maria’s body in a nearby wooded area. The case attracted national attention, including that of the FBI and President Eisenhower. In all, seventy-four men and three women fell under suspicion. But no one was ever charged with the crime.

Incredibly, fifty-five years later, the coldest case in the history of American jurisprudence would be reopened. It happened after a seventy-four-year-old former neighbor of the Ridulphs named Eileen Tessier made a stunning deathbed confession to her family about a dark past, and a darker secret they knew nothing about. Two families would be joined by despair and retribution, and in an astounding turn of events, Maria Ridulph’s killer would finally be brought to justice. FOOTSTEPS IN THE SNOW-One Shocking Crime. Two Shattered Families. And the Coldest Case in U.S. History-Charles Lachman

Transcript

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0:00.0	Locked tall radiance.
0:10.5	You are now listening to True Murder, the most shocking killers in True Crime History,
0:15.8	and the authors that have written about them.
0:18.5	Gacy, Bundy, Domer, the Night Stalker, BTK, every week, another fascinating author,
0:26.5	talking about the most shocking and infamous killers in True Crime History.
0:30.8	True Murder, with your host, journalist and author, Dan Zufansky.
0:46.0	Good evening.
0:47.5	1957, Sikamore, Illinois.
0:51.2	Christmas was three weeks away, and seven-year-old Maria Riddle went out to play.
0:56.7	Soon after, a figure emerged out of the falling snow.
1:02.1	He was very friendly.
1:04.6	Minutes later, Maria vanished, leaving behind an abandoned doll and footsteps in the snow.
1:09.7	In April, a spring thaw gave up Maria's body in a nearby wooded area.
1:21.4	The case attracted national attention, including that of the FBI and President Eisenhower.
1:26.8	In all 74 men and three women fell under suspicion, but no one was ever charged with the crime.
1:33.9	Incredibly 55 years later, the coldest case in the history of American jurisprudence
1:39.3	would be reopened.
1:41.7	It happened after a 74-year-old former neighbor of the riddles named Eileen Tessier made a stunning
1:47.9	deathbed confession to her family about a dark past and a darker secret they knew nothing
1:53.2	about.
1:54.5	Two families would be joined by despair and retribution, and in an astounding turn of events, Maria
2:01.2	Riddle's killer would finally be brought to justice.
	...

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