Timeline of 2016 Wilson killings police investigation

SYCAMORE – The following is a timeline detailing when Patricia Wilson, 85, and Robert Wilson, 64, of rural Sycamore, were found beaten to death inside their home on Aug. 15, 2016, to when authorities announced an arrest years later.

Information is gathered from court records, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and Shaw Local News Network reporting.

Aug. 14, 2016

• 9 a.m. – Patricia and Robert Wilson attend church at 9:15 a.m.
• About 10:30 a.m. – Patricia and Robert eat breakfast with friends at Sycamore Cafe, 1170 DeKalb Ave.
• About noon – Robert takes his mother home and then goes to the Sycamore Moose Lodge in downtown Sycamore
• About 4:30 p.m. – Robert departs the Lodge and returns home to 16058 Old State Road
• 7:43 p.m. – Patricia speaks to her sister on the phone

Aug. 15, 2016

• 12:44 a.m. – Patricia’s white 2010 Chevrolet Impala is seen traveling east on Illinois Route 64 at Illinois Route 59, caught on a traffic camera
• About 6 p.m. – DeKalb County dispatch receives a 911 call from a Wilson family member reporting Patricia and Robert Wilson dead. A team of about 20 investigators – including the DeKalb County Major Case Squad made up of Sycamore, DeKalb city, Sandwich and Northern Illinois University police, as well as sheriff’s deputies, among other agencies – process the crime scene, which they’re declaring a double-homicide investigation.

Aug. 16, 2016

• About 3:30 a.m. – The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office issues a news release announcing the Wilson killings and urging residents to “remain vigilant until more information develops,” as the investigation remains active. They report Patricia’s car is missing.
• Later that morning – The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office holds a news conference at the Sycamore Police Department. Police call on the public to step forward if they know anything about the killings.

Aug. 19, 2016

DeKalb County Crime Stoppers announces that it will offer a $11,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect or suspects in the Wilson killings.

Aug. 22, 2016

Funeral services are held for Patricia and Robert Wilson at St. John Lutheran Church in Sycamore.

Aug. 25, 2016

The sheriff’s office announces that Chicago police recovered Patricia Wilson’s stolen Impala in Chicago, legally parked near the Lincoln Park Zoo on Chicago’s North Side. The vehicle did not appear damaged, then-Sheriff Roger Scott said. Authorities announce that a reward for information on the homicides has been increased to $25,000.

June 2017

The FBI releases a behavioral profile of the suspected killer in the Wilsons' slayings. Crime Stoppers increases its offered cash reward to $50,000. Investigators say they have a DNA profile of the killer, but so far no match has turned up.

August 2017

Authorities with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office tell Shaw Local that the double-homicide investigation remains active and a “top priority.”

August 2018

Authorities tell Shaw Local that new breakthroughs in DNA forensic science helped police develop photos of what they believe the suspect, a man, would look like at age 18, 25 and 40. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office enlists the help of Virginia-based Parabon Nanolabs to analyze DNA collected at the crime scene.

August 2019

DeKalb County Sheriff Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan tells Shaw Local that the case still is considered active. FBI-released photographs of a suspected killer profile can’t account for factors such as facial hair, styling, scars or tattoos, for example. “It’s not meant to be a perfect replica,” Sullivan said at the time. “The community hasn’t forgotten,” Scott said.

Feb. 24, 2020

Jonathan D. Hurst, 51, formerly of Chicago, is arrested by police and DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies at his home in Cincinnati.

Feb. 25, 2020

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office holds a news conference to announce the arrest of Hurst, who is charged in the Wilson killings. Scott tells Shaw Local that Hurst’s DNA matches samples recovered by detectives from the Wilson home. Although Hurst’s DNA was not included in any criminal database, a match for Hurst was found after Parabon Labs used a publicly available DNA database to construct a family tree. Authorities say they believe Hurst acted alone.

March 11, 2020

Hurst pleads not guilty in front of a DeKalb County judge. Court proceedings are continued without much progress for much of 2020 due in part to court protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.