© Bev HorneA photo of a ring was unveiled during a news conference at the DuPage County sheriff's office in Wheaton on Thursday. Kristy Wesselman was wearing a ring very similar to this when she was murdered 26 years ago near Glen Ellyn.
DuPage County sheriff's officials sought to reinvigorate their investigation into one of the suburbs' most haunting unsolved mysteries Thursday by disclosing a "critical" clue - a pearl ring - in the 1985 murder of Kristy Wesselman.
Authorities said they believe the 15-year-old's killer took the antique gold ring from Kristy's left hand after raping and stabbing her 26 years ago this week in a field near her home near Glen Ellyn.
For decades, the family heirloom remained a closely kept secret - one police hoped would eliminate false confessors and ultimately lead to a suspect. But now they're reaching out to the public, asking anyone who may have seen or been given the ring - size 4½ with a chip in the pearl - to come forward.
"At this point, with 26 years since her murder, the benefits outweigh the risks," detective Sgt. Robert Harris, who is lead investigator on the cold case, said of disclosing the evidence for the first time. "We feel that sharing this important information ... is critical to gaining the suspect's identification."
Kristy was killed the afternoon of July 21, 1985, as she walked a path through a field south of a former Jewel store toward her home, after buying a bottle of soda and a chocolate bar she planned to share with her mother.
Comment: This is a response by an individual from Ghana: