‘Dr. Phil’ show features Sycamore cold case of Maria Ridulph's murder

SYCAMORE – Chuck Ridulph plans to watch the “Dr. Phil” show about his sister’s 1957 murder with close family in his Sycamore home.

Ridulph appeared as a guest on Phil McGraw’s show, which will air at 3 p.m. Wednesday on CBS, along with interviews with Maria’s childhood friend, Kathy Sigman, former DeKalb County State’s Attorney Clay Campbell and others who were directly affected by the murder of Maria Ridulph, the 7-year-old Sycamore girl who was kidnapped Dec. 3, 1957, in Sycamore.

Five months after she was last seen near the intersection of Center Cross Street and Archie Place, Maria's body was found in rural Jo Daviess County. The case went unsolved for decades, until Jack D. McCullough's mother implicated him in a deathbed confession. McCullough, who was known as 17-year-old John Tessier at the time Maria went missing, was convicted in September 2012 and received a life sentence, which he is currently appealing.

Meanwhile, McCullough’s stepdaughter, Janey O’Connor, remains convinced he is innocent, according to promotional materials from the TV show.

Ridulph said he was hesitant at first about appearing on the show because it was painful revisiting what had happened to his sister.

“Just to talk about it, something that was always with us, to talk about it in detail was really part of the healing process,” he said. “Overall, a good thing to come out of this is old cases are being revisited. I’m convinced that’s because of our case. It almost forced people, authorities and families alike, to take another look at these things and to move forward.”

CBS' "48 Hours" produced a special on the case that aired in March 2013, and national attention of the Maria Ridulph case hasn't stopped. Charles Lachman, executive producer of the TV show "Inside Edition," has written a book called "Footsteps in the Snow," about the Ridulph murder that is due for release Nov. 4.

A Lifetime Movie Network documentary bearing the same name has also been announced and is expected to air sometime this year.

The Maria Ridulph case received attention from employees of the “Dr. Phil” show because it was the oldest cold case to go to trial, said Neil Schubert, vice president of communications for the show.

Ridulph said he expected the national media interest. He said Lachman approached him about his book at the tail end of McCullough’s trial.

All the publicity has also helped others Ridulph has talked with, he said.

“At first, I didn’t see that as a good thing, but as the process went on, as it continued to go on, I started to hear from other people, especially others in similar situations of old cases that had been forgotten,” he said. “It helped me heal.”

On the air

The “Dr. Phil” show about the solving of Maria Ridulph’s kidnapping and murder will air at 3 p.m. Wednesday on CBS.