Sycamore Mayor Calls Double Homicide 'A True Mystery'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's been two weeks since the bodies of an elderly woman and her son were found on the outskirts of the tiny city of Sycamore, and it's still very much on the minds of people there.
"The whole thing is just pretty bizarre," said Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy.
His city has more than 17,000 people, and is about 65 miles west of downtown Chicago.
Mundy said he knew 85-year-old Patricia Wilson and her son, Robert, 64. He saw them at church all the time.
He said the fact Sycamore residents don't yet know whether the murders were a targeted thing or were carried out at random has many people concerned.
"It gives a lot of people pause that something like this could happen and it's a true mystery," Mundy said.
Some are fearful, because they – like the Wilsons – live alone in isolated areas.
Mundy said that Sycamore residents are trying to rely on faith, family, and friends to get by.
"While we certainly don't understand what happened, we can look to our faith and be strengthened that way," he said.
Mundy also said there are many people in Sycamore who remember when 7-year old Maria Ridulph disappeared in 1957 and was found dead five months later. He says that "sadness" has returned for many people.
But, he says, some of the "old-timers" like himself still act as if it were a simpler time, and leave their car doors and homes unlocked.
"People need to remember to be safe, and to be more aware of our surroundings; not only when we're traveling, but where we live, and our neighborhoods, and that kind of thing," he said.
DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said there is a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers.
Patricia Wilson's car was found near Lincoln Park Zoo last week, and Scott said investigators are gathering video of the area to see if that could be helpful.