Timothy Wiltsey went missing in the early 1990s, and his death is still a mystery, even though his body might have been found. It took the cops more than 20 years to catch the person they thought killed him, but that person is now free.
The loss of young Timothy Wiltsey is one of these mysteries that keeps us all thinking about it. In this article, we look deep into the question of what happened to Timothy Wiltsey, which still haunts us.
Who Was Timothy Wiltsey?
Timothy Wiltsey was a 5-year-old New Jersey kindergarten student at St. Mary’s Elementary School in South Amboy. He was born on August 6, 1985, and has a light brown complexion.
Due to his young age, nothing is known about his personal life, however, Mary Ellen Quirk, a former St. Mary’s school nurse, characterized him as “very quiet and shy, but friendly, a very sweet little boy and very healthy,” according to NJ.com.
What Happened to Timothy Wiltsey?
Timothy’s then-23-year-old mother, Michelle Lodzinski, called the police and reported him missing on May 25, 1991. He vanished around 7:30 p.m., she claimed, after she turned her back to buy a soda at the local carnival.
Police swiftly shut down the carnival in order to hunt for the missing child until 2 a.m., but they were unsuccessful. The search was again restarted a few hours later but gave the same results.
Sayreville Police Sgt. Timothy Brennan told NJ.com–
We did a search of the whole park. We are satisfied that he’s not in the park and there is nothing further we can get there at this time.
A day after Timothy went missing, the search was called off, but authorities continued to investigate his absence. After his mother changed her story several times, they began to focus on the most unlikely suspect, his mother.
She said that she left her son with a woman named Ellen, whom she reportedly recognized from work, a young girl, and two males while she went to get a soda.
When she was questioned again, she said that one of the guys allegedly with Ellen had made threatening remarks about her kid while holding her at knifepoint.
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Her claims were contradictory, and Timothy’s bones, discovered in April 1992, provided no proof as to what happened. The investigation finally went cold, and an arrest was not made until August 2014.
On August 6, 2014, more than 20 years after Timothy’s death, Michelle, aged 46, was arrested and charged with his murder. A baby blanket found alongside Timothy’s remains was the main point of evidence in the trial.
Michelle has consistently denied any involvement in her son’s death, but in May 2016, a jury disagreed and found her guilty of first-degree murder. She received a 30-year prison sentence.
The New York Times shared a tweet on 18 May 2016. You can look at the tweet below-
More than 20 years after 5-year-old Timothy Wiltsey's body was found, his mother was found guilty of his murder https://t.co/EZAUTnz6mt
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 18, 2016
Where is Michelle Lodzinski Now?
Following Michelle’s conviction, her attorneys petitioned the court to reverse the verdict or provide a new trial, claiming that the prosecutors’ case lacked sufficient evidence.
According to NJ.com, her counsel also alleged that the court should have declared a mistrial after it was discovered that the jury’s foreman had been performing online research.
That juror had been dismissed, and the defense’s request was eventually denied by the courts. However, after deciding that there was insufficient evidence, the New Jersey Supreme Court voted 4-3 in December 2021 to overturn the conviction.
According to CBS News, the presiding judge wrote-
No reasonable jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Lodzinski purposefully or knowingly caused Timmy’s death.
Michelle, now 54, was released from prison on December 28, 2021, after serving five years.
“I’m relieved, just grateful for all the people that helped me and that stood by my side to get me home to see my family and friends. I want to go home and just see my kids,” Michelle explained at the time.
She has avoided the spotlight and social media since her release from prison. Stay connected with us on Leedaily.com for more latest and recent breaking headlines.
