SYCAMORE, Ill., July 27 (UPI) -- The body of a suburban Chicago girl abducted in 1957 was exhumed Wednesday and her accused killer was extradited from Seattle.
Maria Ridulph, of Sycamore, Ill., was 7 years old when she vanished from her home Dec. 3, 1957, and her body was found five months later and 120 miles away. No cause of death could be determined then.
"We can look through the lens of modern science and see that those findings were inadequate," DeKalb County State's Attorney Clay Campbell told the Chicago Tribune.
He said the experts involved in the exhumation are "very, very satisfied" with the condition of the remains and will use DNA and other modern methods to find clues.
The case went cold until a few weeks ago, when authorities arrested and charged Jack McCullough, 71, a retired police officer and one-time neighbor of Maria living near Seattle. He waived extradition and was handed over Wednesday to Illinois authorities, who brought him to the DeKalb jail about 4:50 p.m. CDT.
McCullough, under suspicion for several years, was arrested after authorities said new evidence undermined his alibi. He denies killing Maria.
Maria's family reluctantly agreed to the exhumation in hopes of bringing her killer to justice.
