The summer of 1985 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, was supposed to be safe. Fifteen-year-old Christy Wesselman, a popular student and class vice president, stepped out of her home on July 21 to walk to a nearby store for a soda and chocolate bar. She never returned.
For three decades, the mystery of her disappearance and murder haunted the community, baffling investigators and leaving her family in agonizing limbo. Now, after 30 years, the unexpected truth has emerged: a man named Michael Jones, a convicted violent offender with a hidden history, was finally linked to the crime through DNA evidence, leading to his conviction in 2018. This is the story of a case that went cold, a family that never gave up, and a killer who was caught by a law he helped inspire.
Christy was born on October 19, 1970, in Glen Ellyn, a town considered one of the safest in the area. She lived with her mother, two older brothers, and a sister. She was an active teenager, playing volleyball and softball, and was elected vice president of her class.
On that July afternoon, she returned home from summer school around 3:30 p. m. and decided to walk to the store just minutes away.
Her mother expected her back quickly. But as the hours passed, worry grew. By 1:50 a.
m. , her mother contacted the police.
The investigation began with a search. Officers spoke to the store clerk, who knew Christy and confirmed she had been there around 4 p. m.
, appearing happy and normal. Witnesses saw her at the store but lost track of her afterward. Police spoke to her friends, but none had seen her.
The search continued through the night. A detective retraced her likely route, a shortcut through a vacant field with tall grass. There, he found Christy’s body.
She had been stabbed eight times, and there was evidence of sexual assault. The killer’s biological material was collected, but DNA testing was in its infancy in 1985. The sample was stored for future use.
Detectives found no footprints, no personal belongings, and no witnesses. A family was hosting a barbecue just yards away from where the body was hidden, but no one saw or heard anything. A gas station employee worked his shift nearby without noticing anything unusual.
The killer seemed to have acted without a sound. Investigators suspected Christy may have known her attacker, which could explain the absence of screams. They interviewed men who knew her, but all leads were dead ends.
For three years, the case stagnated. Then in 1988, DNA analysis became a growing tool. Police collected DNA from all potential suspects.
One man, Dana Henry, a 34-year-old who lived near the field, refused to provide a sample. He was held in contempt of court and jailed for several days before agreeing. His DNA did not match the killer’s.
The ordeal ruined Henry’s life. He spent $50,000 on legal fees, lost his home, and faced public suspicion. He filed a lawsuit against the police department, but it went nowhere.
Even after being cleared, some still believed he was guilty.
Another twist came in 1989. A man named Willis began bombarding Christy’s family with tips about the killer. He contacted them in late 1985 and sent various leads, but each was investigated and found irrelevant.
The family filed a complaint, and a judge issued a restraining order barring Willis from contacting them. Police investigated Willis but found no evidence linking him to the crime.
The case remained cold for decades. The killer’s DNA was uploaded to the FBI database in 2000, but no matches came. Then in 2015, a notification arrived.
The DNA sample from Christy’s killer matched a profile uploaded after a recent arrest. The DNA belonged to Michael Jones, a 62-year-old man living in Champaign, Illinois, about 150 miles from Glen Ellyn. Jones had been arrested for domestic violence.
His wife reported him to police, leading to his arrest. Under an Illinois law passed in 2002, anyone suspected of a crime must provide a DNA sample. Remarkably, the main advocate for that law was the state’s attorney from the same county where Christy’s murder occurred, and this unsolved case had been a major factor in pushing for the legislation.
Investigators jumped into action. Michael Jones’s name had never appeared in the case file. He was not a suspect, a witness, or anyone connected to the investigation.
His criminal history was disturbing. He first assaulted a woman in the mid-1970s but avoided consequences. In 1977, he attacked a 27-year-old woman, assaulted her, and left her in a hospital parking lot.
He turned himself in, expressed regret, and claimed mental health issues. A psychiatrist determined he was fully aware of his actions. He was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison but was released early for good behavior after just six years, in 1983, two years before Christy’s murder.
His victim was not informed of his early release. Later, she said she would have tried to challenge the decision. A year after release, Jones married.
In 1994, his first wife left him and obtained a restraining order because he showed an unhealthy interest in one of her young relatives. No charges were filed. In 1999, he was arrested again for assaulting a family member of his new girlfriend.
Detectives learned that Jones often took long solo motorcycle trips and visited relatives in Chicago. Glen Ellyn was on the outskirts of his route. It is possible he passed through while traveling, explaining why he never appeared on the radar.
If he was just passing through for a few hours, tracking his presence would have been nearly impossible.
Christy’s mother said she had never heard his name before police called to ask about him. She thought it was another routine inquiry. But everything changed when police obtained a fresh DNA sample from Jones while he was in prison and confirmed he was the killer.
They visited her in person to deliver the news. After 30 years, the man responsible was finally caught.
Before formally charging Jones, detectives spoke with his ex-girlfriend. She described him as volatile, calm one moment and then suddenly flying into a rage. She also mentioned his obsession with detective books and crime shows.
This led investigators to suspect he might be responsible for other unsolved crimes. His frequent solo trips, criminal tendencies, and fascination with crime stories suggested he knew how to cover his tracks.
Jones was officially charged on September 18, 2015. He denied any involvement. The case went to court in 2018.
Prosecutors sought a life sentence. Jones pleaded guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. He was not required to reveal details about the crime, but DNA evidence left no doubt.
The judge sentenced him to 80 years in prison with the possibility of parole no earlier than 2095. He will likely never walk free again.
Christy’s family thanked investigators for finally closing the case. Her mother expressed frustration over Jones’s early release in 1983. She pointed out that if he had served his full 10-year sentence, he would not have had the chance to attack her daughter.
Christie would still be alive today.
Dana Henry, the man initially suspected, attended the trial of the real killer. In a later interview, he shared that the accusations ruined his life. Even decades later, he still had not fully recovered.
He hoped seeing justice served would help him heal, but it did not. He also revealed that no one from the police department ever apologized to him or faced consequences for the damage they caused.
The story of Christy Wesselman is a haunting reminder of how a single walk to a store can change everything. It took 30 years, a determined investigation, and a law that finally caught up with a killer. The unexpected truth is that justice, though delayed, can still arrive.
For Christy’s family, it came in the form of a DNA match and an 80-year sentence. For the community, it is a closure that was long overdue.
