July 30, 2024 • 20 mins
What really happened to five-year-old Timothy Wiltsey at the carnival in South Amboy, New Jersey, back in 1991? Join us as we dissect the frantic search efforts, the initial investigation that cleared Timmy's father, George, and the devastating suspicions that fell upon his mother, Michelle Lutzinski. Through harrowing eyewitness accounts and police reports, we uncover the conflicting stories and public scrutiny that plagued Michelle, culminating in the heart-wrenching discovery of Timmy’s remains.
In a shocking turn, we explore the New Jersey Supreme Court's 2021 decision to overturn Michelle Lutzinski's conviction due to insufficient evidence. As Michelle walks free after years in prison, we examine the emotional and legal ramifications of this ruling, as well as the lingering question: was true justice ever served for young Timothy Wiltsey? Tune in for a gripping episode that peels back the layers of a case that continues to haunt a community and challenge our justice system.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It goes without saying that murder is a
completely abhorrent andshocking crime in itself, but
the murder of an innocent childelicits a certain visceral
emotion.
It is seen as a complete andutter aberration of nature.
Why would somebody want to harma child?
When a child goes missing, thecommunity always rallies
together in a desperate attemptto bring the child home safely.
(00:20):
Unfortunately, however, not allof these missing children make
it home.
Filicide is the deliberate actof a parent killing their own
child and, with 61% of childmurders under the age of five
being committed by the victim'sparents, they are often the very
first suspect.
Welcome to this episode ofHuman Wreckage True Crime
Podcast.
(00:40):
Please subscribe if you likewhat we do.
This episode is the case ofTimothy Wilsey.
Timothy one day simply vanished, or did he?
Let's get into it.
(01:15):
This story takes place in SouthAmboy, new Jersey, and spans
over 25 years.
Five-year-old Timothy WilliamWiltsey, or as he was
affectionately known by hisloved ones, timmy, lived in a
modest home with his singlemother, 23-year-old Michelle
Lutzinski, who worked as asecretary for an Edison firm.
Timmy's father, george Wiltsey,and Michelle had separated when
(01:36):
Timmy was just six months old.
Following their separation,george moved to Walker, iowa and
cut all contact with his son.
Timmy was a student at St MaryElementary School in South Amboy
and was known to be a timid andshy little boy.
He had a peculiar quirk ofsleeping with his sneakers on
and had a deep love for his cat,norton, the ice cream man and
(01:57):
fire trucks.
It was the evening of the 25thof May 1991 when South Amboy
police received a phone callfrom a distraught Michelle.
She claimed that she and Timmyhad been attending Sayreville
Carnival which had beensponsored by South Amboy Elks
Club.
When he disappeared, michelletold police that at
approximately 7 30 pm she leftTimmy momentarily to purchase a
(02:19):
soda at a nearby concessionstand.
When she came back, timmy wasgone.
The carnival was immediatelyhalted while police and state
troopers searched the area.
Assisted by volunteers.
Over 300 concerned citizensparticipated in the grueling
search.
They traipsed through the nowempty carnival and trudged
through nearby woodlands.
State police scoured the areain a helicopter, while a diving
(02:42):
unit was sent to search nearbyponds.
The search turned up no sign ofTimmy.
He was gone.
Timmy's missing person posterdescribed him as being 3 feet 3
inches tall, 45-50 pounds, witha brown crew cut and brown eyes.
On the evening of hisdisappearance he was wearing a
red tank top, knee-length shortsand Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
(03:03):
sneakers.
Identifying features included aslight scar on his right cheek
and chin from a dog bite.
Timmy's smiling face, frozen intime, was featured on milk
cartons statewide.
The case garnered nationalattention and would feature on
America's Most Wanted, alongwith a recent video recording of
him at a birthday party.
The first person to be ruled outin the disappearance was George
(03:26):
Timmy's father.
He had been at home over 500miles away and several people
were able to corroborate thisalibi.
Furthermore, he had no reasonto kidnap or bring harm to Timmy
.
He had no interest in seeing oreven speaking to his son for
the past five years, so whatmotivation would he possibly
have?
Nevertheless, parents arealways the first suspects.
(03:47):
Michelle, as well as her parents, ed and Alice Ludzinski, were
questioned early on in theinvestigation.
In the days following thedisappearance, ed and Alice made
appeals for the safe return ofTimmy, but Michelle was
reluctant to grant interviews.
This is like a nightmare.
There's just nothing.
He's gone.
We don't know what to thinkanymore, said Timmy's
(04:08):
grandmother as she broke downoutside her home.
By the end of the month of May,michelle's account as to what
happened on the evening Timmydisappeared started to crumble.
Investigators were unable tocorroborate her claims when they
could not find any witnesseswho saw Timmy at the carnival
that evening.
Investigators were now focusingon the time between 1 pm when
(04:28):
Timmy was last seen at home by aneighbor and 7.30 pm when he
was reported missing.
Michelle had told police thatshe and Timmy had spent some
time at Humdle Park in MonmouthCounty before going to the
carnival.
One witness at the carnivalthat evening did come forward,
but they had a different versionof events.
I got a sick feeling, said MsMichkowski.
(04:48):
I spoke with her and she didnot have a child with her.
I was very upset.
There was a child missing andthere was no child, she said.
Ms Michkowski called police todetail what she had witnessed
after reading about thecontroversial case in the local
newspaper Within weeks of thedisappearance, locals and law
officials alike would begin toquestion Michelle's guilt.
(05:10):
She received much criticism forher apparent cavalier attitude
towards her only son'sdisappearance.
When pupils from Timmy's schoolarrived at her door to present
her with $700 collected to gotowards a reward fund, she
refused to come outside.
Instead, her mother acceptedthe money and spoke with the
pupils of the school as well asthe plethora of reporters who
(05:30):
had gathered to witness theemotional moment.
People have to understand thisgirl does not show her emotions.
Her mother, alice, said onMichelle's behalf.
Everybody would soon discoverthat Michelle had already
changed her story as to whathappened on that fateful night
several times and had been underintense interrogation by
investigators.
Michelle had originally toldpolice that she turned her back
(05:52):
on Timmy to get soda and haddiscovered him missing when she
returned.
However, when she was broughtin for questioning again on the
6th of June, this time sheoffered a different sequence of
events.
She told Captain Edward Shkodnythat Timmy had been kidnapped
by two men at Knife Point.
Investigators attempted topress Michelle for more
information regarding thiskidnapping.
(06:13):
Her son was still missing andthis suggested a break in the
case.
You would think that Michellewould want to cooperate and see
these kidnappers apprehended assoon as possible.
Nevertheless, michelle becameinfuriated and stormed out of
police headquarters.
Just hours later she wouldreturn with her sister Sobbing.
She told the perplexedinvestigators that she had made
(06:34):
the earlier statement up.
Michelle returned once again thefollowing morning for even more
questioning.
Her story had changed again.
Michelle now declared that awoman named Ellen had offered to
watch Timmy while she went tothe concession stand.
She claimed that while walkingtowards the concession stand,
she was then threatened with aknife by an unidentified man who
(06:55):
then fled the carnival withEllen and Timmy.
Despite an extensive FBI search, no such Ellen was ever found.
Additionally, michelle failedmultiple polygraph tests in
regards to what happened thatnight at the carnival.
As the months dragged by, localsand investigators alike
attempted to remain optimistic,but they had started to consider
the possibility that Timmy wasdead, the tips had come to a
(07:18):
standstill and it seemed asthough Timmy had disappeared
without a trace at least untilOctober.
Five months after Timmy'sdisappearance, dan O'Malley had
been bird watching and exploringthe marshlands in the Raritan
Center Business Park in Edison,new Jersey.
While walking alongside afreight rail line, he discovered
a child's shoe.
Upon further inspection, henoticed that the little shoe had
(07:41):
a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleprint on the side.
Dan recalled seeing the missingperson posters of Timmy
plastered around the town withthe description of his shoes.
When a sneaker was shown toMichelle, she immediately stated
that it was not Timmy's, eventhough it fit the description
perfectly.
After the discovery of the shoe,michelle's friends and family
were questioned again.
(08:01):
They revealed some newinformation that would pique the
interest in Michelle as asuspect once again.
Several people who knewMichelle and Timmy told
investigators that they werestunned to hear about the
discovery of the shoe.
They told investigators thatthe reason they were so
surprised was because Michellehad previously worked at the
Ryerton Center complex where theshoe was found.
When investigators had askedMichelle for her complete
(08:24):
employment history, she hadomitted this location.
If there was any hope that Timmywas still alive, it was
shattered on the 23rd of April1992.
When the case started to gocold after the discovery of the
sneaker, investigators decidedto search that same area in case
they missed something.
As they were searchingapproximately 125 yards from
(08:45):
where the sneaker was found,they made a grim discovery.
Discarded alongside piles oftrash and animal feces, it was a
small skull partially submergedin a stream known as Red Route
Creek which flows to the RaritanRiver.
They also discovered a secondsneaker which matched the first,
as well as a blue and whiteblanket and a balloon.
By the following morning theskull would be identified as
(09:07):
Timmy through dental records.
Middlesex County ProsecutorRobert Guck announced that his
death was being treated as ahomicide.
However, the way Timmy met hisdemise will always remain a
mystery.
Due to the advanceddecomposition, a cause of death
could never be determined.
The cloud of suspicion Michellewas under beforehand had now
doubled.
Everyone thinks she did it,said neighbor Denise Senziak.
(09:30):
Just the day after thediscovery, a group of men drove
past Michelle's house andshouted Murderer.
Police would soon announce thatMichelle still hadn't been
ruled out as a suspect, addingthat Nobody has corroborated
Michelle Lidsinsky's story.
Police trawled through hours offootage and photographs from
other carnival goers in thehopes that Timmy could be
spotted in the background, butnothing.
(09:51):
Another inconsistency came tolight when Michelle was speaking
about Homedal Park, where sheclaimed she and Timmy were
before attending the carnival.
She told investigators she hadparked in a specific parking lot
, but, as it turned out, thisparticular parking lot was
closed on that day.
Was her whole story a lie?
Detective Thomas Rizzo recalledthat Michelle's reaction to the
(10:13):
discovery of Timmy's remainswas extremely apathetic and even
somewhat cool.
She put her head down, butthere were no questions.
No, how, no what, no where, hesaid.
When she attended Timmy'sfuneral, friends and family
members alike observed thatMichelle seemed disinterested
and even blasé.
By the following week, many ofMichelle's supporters would turn
(10:33):
against her and see her in adifferent light.
Before now, the public weren'taware that Michelle had changed
her story several times, nor didthey know that she had failed
multiple lie detector tests thathad been administered.
In addition to failing the liedetector tests, michelle also
lied about the results, tellingher family and friends that she
had passed.
Nevertheless, there was notenough evidence to convict
(10:56):
Michelle.
Eventually, questioning bypolice stopped and the case
dropped from the headlines.
By mid-July, michelle packed upand left South Amboy to move to
Woodbridge.
Despite the fact that Timmy wasno longer in the media, nobody
forgot about him.
Mother of Slain Boy reportedmissing Read the headlines in
the Star Ledger on the 22nd ofJanuary 1994.
(11:18):
A year and a half had passedsince Timmy's skull was
discovered and now Michelle wasback in the news once again.
Michelle's empty and locked carwas discovered outside her
brother's apartment inWoodbridge with the engine
running.
She had left for work at around7 10 pm but never arrived.
At lunchtime Michelle's brotherEdward discovered her abandoned
car sitting outside.
(11:39):
By the following morning shewas found in downtown Detroit,
claiming two law enforcementagents had abducted her in a
black car and dropped her off inDetroit.
According to Michelle, thesemen warned her to keep silent
about Timmy's murder.
It's no surprise that thisreported abduction was confusing
, conflicting and far-fetched.
Michelle had remained silentabout Timmy's murder.
(12:00):
His name hadn't been in thenewspapers for well over a year
and Michelle rarely spoke abouthim to those involved in her new
life.
After extensive questioning,michelle was unable to
substantiate her story.
It's not every day that the FBIabducts family members of
murder victims.
After months of investigation,michelle was charged with
staging her own abduction.
(12:21):
In fact, she had got a bus toDetroit that morning and
fabricated the entire abductionstory.
She was sentenced to six monthshouse arrest and three years
probation.
This wasn't the only runMichelle had with law
enforcement.
Following the disappearance andmurder of Timmy, in December of
1997, while pregnant with hersecond child, she pleaded guilty
(12:42):
to stealing a laptop from herformer employer Binsky and
Snyder Service Inc.
Where she worked as areceptionist.
She was sentenced once again tohouse arrest and probation.
In 1998, michelle moved toFlorida before moving to
Minnesota and falling pregnantwith her third child.
Over the forthcoming years,michelle lived a life of
anonymity in Florida.
(13:02):
Every now and then a reporterwould wait outside her home
hoping to catch a comment fromthe main suspect in Timmy's
murder.
Michelle always refused.
Her neighbors knew nothing ofher sordid past and she wanted
to keep it that way.
Unbeknownst to Michelle,however, was that Sayreville
police periodically reviewedcold cases Soon Timmy's would be
(13:23):
up for review On what wouldhave been Timmy's 29th birthday.
Michelle was arrested for themurder of her son.
When the case was handed to thegrand jury to review, it was
determined that Michelle didpurposefully or knowingly kill
Timothy Wiltsy or did purposelyor knowingly inflict serious
bodily injury upon TimothyWiltsy, resulting in his death.
(13:43):
A judge ordered that Michellewould not be allowed to postpone
and would remain in a Floridajail until she was extradited
back to New Jersey in Septemberwhere she was scheduled to stand
trial.
Michelle's first courtappearance was just days later
and she announced that she wouldbe pleading not guilty to the
murder of Timmy.
During this hearing,prosecutors revealed some of the
(14:05):
new evidence that led to thearrest of Michelle.
When Timmy's remains werediscovered, investigators had
failed to show some of the itemsthat were found at the crime
scene to people who couldpotentially identify them.
The blue and white blanket hadbeen shown to Michelle and she
claimed she had never seen itbefore.
However, investigators hadlater tracked down Timmy's
cousin, jennifer Blair Dilcher,who had often babysat Timmy when
(14:28):
she was a teenager.
Jennifer started shakinguncontrollably when shown the
blanket.
She recognized it immediatelyas the blanket she used to
snuggle up with Timothy.
The trial was scheduled forMarch 2016.
Now it was time for theprosecution and the defense to
build their case.
The moment that manyinvestigators and locals alike
(14:49):
had been anticipating for 25years rolled around on the 16th
of March 2016.
The evidence will show.
It was his mother, michelleLidzinski, the very person who
brought him into the world, tookhim out of it, bellowed
Assistant County ProsecutorChristy Bevacqua in his opening
statements.
There is probably nothing morehorrible to contemplate than the
death of a child, any child,especially your child, said
(15:12):
defense lawyer Gerald Kraviden.
Maybe the only thing worse isthe day when they turn around
and someone falsely accuses youof killing your own child.
Kevin Skolnick, a formerSayreville police officer, was
the first to take the stand.
He told the court that Michellewas completely blasé when she
reported her son missing fromthe carnival.
She didn't appear distraughtand she certainly didn't elicit
(15:34):
the emotions one would expect ofa mother whose son was missing.
The following day, danielleJuerding, a former babysitter
for Timmy, took the stand.
Danielle was the secondbabysitter to identify the
blanket found with Timmy'sremains as the same one that she
had seen numerous times insidehis home.
This piece of evidence was thesmoking gun.
If the blanket had come frominside Michelle's home, then how
(15:57):
did it get to the crime scene?
She dumped his body in a creeklike a piece of trash, but she
left behind a telling clue thisblanket, declared Deputy First
Assistant Prosecutor ChristyBebequa.
No other killer could get this,she said.
Another babysitter, dawnMatthews, also identified the
blanket as the same one she hadseen whilst looking after Timmy
(16:18):
when she was 15.
There were now three separatewitnesses who could identify the
blanket found discarded withTimmy's body.
Michelle always claimed she wasa loving mother to Timmy.
This was questioned by MaryEllen Quirk, the former school
nurse at Timmy's school.
Questioned by Mary Ellen Quirk,the former school nurse at
Timmy's school, she was calledto the witness stand where she
recalled how Timmy was eitherlate or absent for almost half
(16:38):
of his first year at school.
She told the court that whenMichelle dropped Timmy off, she
never hugged him or kissed him,she just sent him on his way.
The court was next to heartestimony from Laura Metchkowski
.
Laura was at the carnival onthe evening that Timmy
disappeared, she told the jurythat she had struck up a
conversation with Michelle at afood stand, noting that Michelle
(17:00):
was on her own.
Laura even recollected whatMichelle had been wearing that
evening.
There was no sign of Timmy, nordid Michelle mention Timmy.
One of the most pivotal momentsof the trial was when the many
interviews with Michelle wereplayed in court.
These tapes took the courtroomback to 25 years ago.
(17:21):
In these tapes, the jury couldhear just how many times
Michelle changed her story as towhat took place at the carnival
, from claiming she had justturned her back on Timmy to
claiming he was abducted by awoman named Ellen.
These tapes were damning toMichelle's case.
In the taped interviews, herdemeanor was ever-changing and
she was often uncooperative,even storming out of the
interview on several occasions.
Her disposition certainlydidn't portray her as an
(17:43):
innocent mother, but instead amother with something to hide.
While more evidence againstMichelle had been brought
forward by now, the court wasstill questioning what
motivation she could have had tokill her own son.
Michelle's brother'sex-girlfriend, danielle Marquis,
was the first to hint at amotivation when she took to the
stand.
She told the court that Timmyhad been having medical issues
(18:04):
and these issues were proving tobe a problem for Michelle.
The older he got, the moremedical problems he was having.
It was harder for her, youcould tell she testified.
Danielle also told the courtthat she had once heard Michelle
exclaim I'm a weekend mom andI'm not made for this shit.
It's certainly not unheard offor parents to kill their
(18:25):
children as they consider them aburden in one way or another.
After several days ofdeliberation, the jury had
reached a verdict guilty.
As the verdict was announced,michelle bowed her head and
began to shake.
She didn't say a word.
The verdict came 9,125 daysafter Michelle first reported
Timmy missing, declaring thatMichelle will be old and gray
(18:47):
when she is released.
The judge sentenced her to 30years in prison without parole.
For decades, investigators,locals and even some family
members believed deep down thatMichelle was involved in her
son's murder and at last, theyfinally had closure.
In October 2021, the New JerseySupreme Court overturned the
verdict in the murder casedating back to 1991, the killing
(19:10):
of five-year-old TimothyWiltsie.
After five years in prison, hismother, 54-year-old Michelle
Ludzinski, was set free from afacility in Hunterdon County.
No longer a convicted murderer.
The state's high court hastossed out Ludzinski's 2016
conviction for killing her son.
Lack of evidence as to herintent convinced four of the
seven high court judges to tossthe conviction.
(19:31):
Writing no reasonable jury couldfind beyond a reasonable doubt
that Ludzinski purposefully orknowingly caused Timmy's death.
Purposeful, negligent,accidental, reckless there are a
variety of standards that comeinto play when convicting
somebody for homicide and therewas no proof as to any one of
those characterizations, legalexpert John Wisniewski said.
(19:52):
Ludzinski's lawyer said sheburst into tears of relief when
told her conviction was setaside.
She is expected to return toFlorida, where she had restarted
her life and gave birth to twomore sons.
The three judges who voted touphold the conviction wrote the
decision will undermine thejury's role at the heart of our
criminal justice system.
Justice was not finally foundfor little Timothy.
(20:15):
It's mind-blowing that a parentcould kill their own child.
I never can grasp the reasoningbehind such a horrible act.
Until next time, please takecare of yourselves, thank you.
It goes without saying that murder is a
completely abhorrent andshocking crime in itself, but
the murder of an innocent childelicits a certain visceral
emotion.
It is seen as a complete andutter aberration of nature.
Why would somebody want to harma child?
When a child goes missing, thecommunity always rallies
together in a desperate attemptto bring the child home safely.
(00:20):
Unfortunately, however, not allof these missing children make
it home.
Filicide is the deliberate actof a parent killing their own
child and, with 61% of childmurders under the age of five
being committed by the victim'sparents, they are often the very
first suspect.
Welcome to this episode ofHuman Wreckage True Crime
Podcast.
(00:40):
Please subscribe if you likewhat we do.
This episode is the case ofTimothy Wilsey.
Timothy one day simply vanished, or did he?
Let's get into it.
(01:15):
This story takes place in SouthAmboy, new Jersey, and spans
over 25 years.
Five-year-old Timothy WilliamWiltsey, or as he was
affectionately known by hisloved ones, timmy, lived in a
modest home with his singlemother, 23-year-old Michelle
Lutzinski, who worked as asecretary for an Edison firm.
Timmy's father, george Wiltsey,and Michelle had separated when
(01:36):
Timmy was just six months old.
Following their separation,george moved to Walker, iowa and
cut all contact with his son.
Timmy was a student at St MaryElementary School in South Amboy
and was known to be a timid andshy little boy.
He had a peculiar quirk ofsleeping with his sneakers on
and had a deep love for his cat,norton, the ice cream man and
(01:57):
fire trucks.
It was the evening of the 25thof May 1991 when South Amboy
police received a phone callfrom a distraught Michelle.
She claimed that she and Timmyhad been attending Sayreville
Carnival which had beensponsored by South Amboy Elks
Club.
When he disappeared, michelletold police that at
approximately 7 30 pm she leftTimmy momentarily to purchase a
(02:19):
soda at a nearby concessionstand.
When she came back, timmy wasgone.
The carnival was immediatelyhalted while police and state
troopers searched the area.
Assisted by volunteers.
Over 300 concerned citizensparticipated in the grueling
search.
They traipsed through the nowempty carnival and trudged
through nearby woodlands.
State police scoured the areain a helicopter, while a diving
(02:42):
unit was sent to search nearbyponds.
The search turned up no sign ofTimmy.
He was gone.
Timmy's missing person posterdescribed him as being 3 feet 3
inches tall, 45-50 pounds, witha brown crew cut and brown eyes.
On the evening of hisdisappearance he was wearing a
red tank top, knee-length shortsand Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
(03:03):
sneakers.
Identifying features included aslight scar on his right cheek
and chin from a dog bite.
Timmy's smiling face, frozen intime, was featured on milk
cartons statewide.
The case garnered nationalattention and would feature on
America's Most Wanted, alongwith a recent video recording of
him at a birthday party.
The first person to be ruled outin the disappearance was George
(03:26):
Timmy's father.
He had been at home over 500miles away and several people
were able to corroborate thisalibi.
Furthermore, he had no reasonto kidnap or bring harm to Timmy
.
He had no interest in seeing oreven speaking to his son for
the past five years, so whatmotivation would he possibly
have?
Nevertheless, parents arealways the first suspects.
(03:47):
Michelle, as well as her parents, ed and Alice Ludzinski, were
questioned early on in theinvestigation.
In the days following thedisappearance, ed and Alice made
appeals for the safe return ofTimmy, but Michelle was
reluctant to grant interviews.
This is like a nightmare.
There's just nothing.
He's gone.
We don't know what to thinkanymore, said Timmy's
(04:08):
grandmother as she broke downoutside her home.
By the end of the month of May,michelle's account as to what
happened on the evening Timmydisappeared started to crumble.
Investigators were unable tocorroborate her claims when they
could not find any witnesseswho saw Timmy at the carnival
that evening.
Investigators were now focusingon the time between 1 pm when
(04:28):
Timmy was last seen at home by aneighbor and 7.30 pm when he
was reported missing.
Michelle had told police thatshe and Timmy had spent some
time at Humdle Park in MonmouthCounty before going to the
carnival.
One witness at the carnivalthat evening did come forward,
but they had a different versionof events.
I got a sick feeling, said MsMichkowski.
(04:48):
I spoke with her and she didnot have a child with her.
I was very upset.
There was a child missing andthere was no child, she said.
Ms Michkowski called police todetail what she had witnessed
after reading about thecontroversial case in the local
newspaper Within weeks of thedisappearance, locals and law
officials alike would begin toquestion Michelle's guilt.
(05:10):
She received much criticism forher apparent cavalier attitude
towards her only son'sdisappearance.
When pupils from Timmy's schoolarrived at her door to present
her with $700 collected to gotowards a reward fund, she
refused to come outside.
Instead, her mother acceptedthe money and spoke with the
pupils of the school as well asthe plethora of reporters who
(05:30):
had gathered to witness theemotional moment.
People have to understand thisgirl does not show her emotions.
Her mother, alice, said onMichelle's behalf.
Everybody would soon discoverthat Michelle had already
changed her story as to whathappened on that fateful night
several times and had been underintense interrogation by
investigators.
Michelle had originally toldpolice that she turned her back
(05:52):
on Timmy to get soda and haddiscovered him missing when she
returned.
However, when she was broughtin for questioning again on the
6th of June, this time sheoffered a different sequence of
events.
She told Captain Edward Shkodnythat Timmy had been kidnapped
by two men at Knife Point.
Investigators attempted topress Michelle for more
information regarding thiskidnapping.
(06:13):
Her son was still missing andthis suggested a break in the
case.
You would think that Michellewould want to cooperate and see
these kidnappers apprehended assoon as possible.
Nevertheless, michelle becameinfuriated and stormed out of
police headquarters.
Just hours later she wouldreturn with her sister Sobbing.
She told the perplexedinvestigators that she had made
(06:34):
the earlier statement up.
Michelle returned once again thefollowing morning for even more
questioning.
Her story had changed again.
Michelle now declared that awoman named Ellen had offered to
watch Timmy while she went tothe concession stand.
She claimed that while walkingtowards the concession stand,
she was then threatened with aknife by an unidentified man who
(06:55):
then fled the carnival withEllen and Timmy.
Despite an extensive FBI search, no such Ellen was ever found.
Additionally, michelle failedmultiple polygraph tests in
regards to what happened thatnight at the carnival.
As the months dragged by, localsand investigators alike
attempted to remain optimistic,but they had started to consider
the possibility that Timmy wasdead, the tips had come to a
(07:18):
standstill and it seemed asthough Timmy had disappeared
without a trace at least untilOctober.
Five months after Timmy'sdisappearance, dan O'Malley had
been bird watching and exploringthe marshlands in the Raritan
Center Business Park in Edison,new Jersey.
While walking alongside afreight rail line, he discovered
a child's shoe.
Upon further inspection, henoticed that the little shoe had
(07:41):
a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleprint on the side.
Dan recalled seeing the missingperson posters of Timmy
plastered around the town withthe description of his shoes.
When a sneaker was shown toMichelle, she immediately stated
that it was not Timmy's, eventhough it fit the description
perfectly.
After the discovery of the shoe,michelle's friends and family
were questioned again.
(08:01):
They revealed some newinformation that would pique the
interest in Michelle as asuspect once again.
Several people who knewMichelle and Timmy told
investigators that they werestunned to hear about the
discovery of the shoe.
They told investigators thatthe reason they were so
surprised was because Michellehad previously worked at the
Ryerton Center complex where theshoe was found.
When investigators had askedMichelle for her complete
(08:24):
employment history, she hadomitted this location.
If there was any hope that Timmywas still alive, it was
shattered on the 23rd of April1992.
When the case started to gocold after the discovery of the
sneaker, investigators decidedto search that same area in case
they missed something.
As they were searchingapproximately 125 yards from
(08:45):
where the sneaker was found,they made a grim discovery.
Discarded alongside piles oftrash and animal feces, it was a
small skull partially submergedin a stream known as Red Route
Creek which flows to the RaritanRiver.
They also discovered a secondsneaker which matched the first,
as well as a blue and whiteblanket and a balloon.
By the following morning theskull would be identified as
(09:07):
Timmy through dental records.
Middlesex County ProsecutorRobert Guck announced that his
death was being treated as ahomicide.
However, the way Timmy met hisdemise will always remain a
mystery.
Due to the advanceddecomposition, a cause of death
could never be determined.
The cloud of suspicion Michellewas under beforehand had now
doubled.
Everyone thinks she did it,said neighbor Denise Senziak.
(09:30):
Just the day after thediscovery, a group of men drove
past Michelle's house andshouted Murderer.
Police would soon announce thatMichelle still hadn't been
ruled out as a suspect, addingthat Nobody has corroborated
Michelle Lidsinsky's story.
Police trawled through hours offootage and photographs from
other carnival goers in thehopes that Timmy could be
spotted in the background, butnothing.
(09:51):
Another inconsistency came tolight when Michelle was speaking
about Homedal Park, where sheclaimed she and Timmy were
before attending the carnival.
She told investigators she hadparked in a specific parking lot
, but, as it turned out, thisparticular parking lot was
closed on that day.
Was her whole story a lie?
Detective Thomas Rizzo recalledthat Michelle's reaction to the
(10:13):
discovery of Timmy's remainswas extremely apathetic and even
somewhat cool.
She put her head down, butthere were no questions.
No, how, no what, no where, hesaid.
When she attended Timmy'sfuneral, friends and family
members alike observed thatMichelle seemed disinterested
and even blasé.
By the following week, many ofMichelle's supporters would turn
(10:33):
against her and see her in adifferent light.
Before now, the public weren'taware that Michelle had changed
her story several times, nor didthey know that she had failed
multiple lie detector tests thathad been administered.
In addition to failing the liedetector tests, michelle also
lied about the results, tellingher family and friends that she
had passed.
Nevertheless, there was notenough evidence to convict
(10:56):
Michelle.
Eventually, questioning bypolice stopped and the case
dropped from the headlines.
By mid-July, michelle packed upand left South Amboy to move to
Woodbridge.
Despite the fact that Timmy wasno longer in the media, nobody
forgot about him.
Mother of Slain Boy reportedmissing Read the headlines in
the Star Ledger on the 22nd ofJanuary 1994.
(11:18):
A year and a half had passedsince Timmy's skull was
discovered and now Michelle wasback in the news once again.
Michelle's empty and locked carwas discovered outside her
brother's apartment inWoodbridge with the engine
running.
She had left for work at around7 10 pm but never arrived.
At lunchtime Michelle's brotherEdward discovered her abandoned
car sitting outside.
(11:39):
By the following morning shewas found in downtown Detroit,
claiming two law enforcementagents had abducted her in a
black car and dropped her off inDetroit.
According to Michelle, thesemen warned her to keep silent
about Timmy's murder.
It's no surprise that thisreported abduction was confusing
, conflicting and far-fetched.
Michelle had remained silentabout Timmy's murder.
(12:00):
His name hadn't been in thenewspapers for well over a year
and Michelle rarely spoke abouthim to those involved in her new
life.
After extensive questioning,michelle was unable to
substantiate her story.
It's not every day that the FBIabducts family members of
murder victims.
After months of investigation,michelle was charged with
staging her own abduction.
(12:21):
In fact, she had got a bus toDetroit that morning and
fabricated the entire abductionstory.
She was sentenced to six monthshouse arrest and three years
probation.
This wasn't the only runMichelle had with law
enforcement.
Following the disappearance andmurder of Timmy, in December of
1997, while pregnant with hersecond child, she pleaded guilty
(12:42):
to stealing a laptop from herformer employer Binsky and
Snyder Service Inc.
Where she worked as areceptionist.
She was sentenced once again tohouse arrest and probation.
In 1998, michelle moved toFlorida before moving to
Minnesota and falling pregnantwith her third child.
Over the forthcoming years,michelle lived a life of
anonymity in Florida.
(13:02):
Every now and then a reporterwould wait outside her home
hoping to catch a comment fromthe main suspect in Timmy's
murder.
Michelle always refused.
Her neighbors knew nothing ofher sordid past and she wanted
to keep it that way.
Unbeknownst to Michelle,however, was that Sayreville
police periodically reviewedcold cases Soon Timmy's would be
(13:23):
up for review On what wouldhave been Timmy's 29th birthday.
Michelle was arrested for themurder of her son.
When the case was handed to thegrand jury to review, it was
determined that Michelle didpurposefully or knowingly kill
Timothy Wiltsy or did purposelyor knowingly inflict serious
bodily injury upon TimothyWiltsy, resulting in his death.
(13:43):
A judge ordered that Michellewould not be allowed to postpone
and would remain in a Floridajail until she was extradited
back to New Jersey in Septemberwhere she was scheduled to stand
trial.
Michelle's first courtappearance was just days later
and she announced that she wouldbe pleading not guilty to the
murder of Timmy.
During this hearing,prosecutors revealed some of the
(14:05):
new evidence that led to thearrest of Michelle.
When Timmy's remains werediscovered, investigators had
failed to show some of the itemsthat were found at the crime
scene to people who couldpotentially identify them.
The blue and white blanket hadbeen shown to Michelle and she
claimed she had never seen itbefore.
However, investigators hadlater tracked down Timmy's
cousin, jennifer Blair Dilcher,who had often babysat Timmy when
(14:28):
she was a teenager.
Jennifer started shakinguncontrollably when shown the
blanket.
She recognized it immediatelyas the blanket she used to
snuggle up with Timothy.
The trial was scheduled forMarch 2016.
Now it was time for theprosecution and the defense to
build their case.
The moment that manyinvestigators and locals alike
(14:49):
had been anticipating for 25years rolled around on the 16th
of March 2016.
The evidence will show.
It was his mother, michelleLidzinski, the very person who
brought him into the world, tookhim out of it, bellowed
Assistant County ProsecutorChristy Bevacqua in his opening
statements.
There is probably nothing morehorrible to contemplate than the
death of a child, any child,especially your child, said
(15:12):
defense lawyer Gerald Kraviden.
Maybe the only thing worse isthe day when they turn around
and someone falsely accuses youof killing your own child.
Kevin Skolnick, a formerSayreville police officer, was
the first to take the stand.
He told the court that Michellewas completely blasé when she
reported her son missing fromthe carnival.
She didn't appear distraughtand she certainly didn't elicit
(15:34):
the emotions one would expect ofa mother whose son was missing.
The following day, danielleJuerding, a former babysitter
for Timmy, took the stand.
Danielle was the secondbabysitter to identify the
blanket found with Timmy'sremains as the same one that she
had seen numerous times insidehis home.
This piece of evidence was thesmoking gun.
If the blanket had come frominside Michelle's home, then how
(15:57):
did it get to the crime scene?
She dumped his body in a creeklike a piece of trash, but she
left behind a telling clue thisblanket, declared Deputy First
Assistant Prosecutor ChristyBebequa.
No other killer could get this,she said.
Another babysitter, dawnMatthews, also identified the
blanket as the same one she hadseen whilst looking after Timmy
(16:18):
when she was 15.
There were now three separatewitnesses who could identify the
blanket found discarded withTimmy's body.
Michelle always claimed she wasa loving mother to Timmy.
This was questioned by MaryEllen Quirk, the former school
nurse at Timmy's school.
Questioned by Mary Ellen Quirk,the former school nurse at
Timmy's school, she was calledto the witness stand where she
recalled how Timmy was eitherlate or absent for almost half
(16:38):
of his first year at school.
She told the court that whenMichelle dropped Timmy off, she
never hugged him or kissed him,she just sent him on his way.
The court was next to heartestimony from Laura Metchkowski
.
Laura was at the carnival onthe evening that Timmy
disappeared, she told the jurythat she had struck up a
conversation with Michelle at afood stand, noting that Michelle
(17:00):
was on her own.
Laura even recollected whatMichelle had been wearing that
evening.
There was no sign of Timmy, nordid Michelle mention Timmy.
One of the most pivotal momentsof the trial was when the many
interviews with Michelle wereplayed in court.
These tapes took the courtroomback to 25 years ago.
(17:21):
In these tapes, the jury couldhear just how many times
Michelle changed her story as towhat took place at the carnival
, from claiming she had justturned her back on Timmy to
claiming he was abducted by awoman named Ellen.
These tapes were damning toMichelle's case.
In the taped interviews, herdemeanor was ever-changing and
she was often uncooperative,even storming out of the
interview on several occasions.
Her disposition certainlydidn't portray her as an
(17:43):
innocent mother, but instead amother with something to hide.
While more evidence againstMichelle had been brought
forward by now, the court wasstill questioning what
motivation she could have had tokill her own son.
Michelle's brother'sex-girlfriend, danielle Marquis,
was the first to hint at amotivation when she took to the
stand.
She told the court that Timmyhad been having medical issues
(18:04):
and these issues were proving tobe a problem for Michelle.
The older he got, the moremedical problems he was having.
It was harder for her, youcould tell she testified.
Danielle also told the courtthat she had once heard Michelle
exclaim I'm a weekend mom andI'm not made for this shit.
It's certainly not unheard offor parents to kill their
(18:25):
children as they consider them aburden in one way or another.
After several days ofdeliberation, the jury had
reached a verdict guilty.
As the verdict was announced,michelle bowed her head and
began to shake.
She didn't say a word.
The verdict came 9,125 daysafter Michelle first reported
Timmy missing, declaring thatMichelle will be old and gray
(18:47):
when she is released.
The judge sentenced her to 30years in prison without parole.
For decades, investigators,locals and even some family
members believed deep down thatMichelle was involved in her
son's murder and at last, theyfinally had closure.
In October 2021, the New JerseySupreme Court overturned the
verdict in the murder casedating back to 1991, the killing
(19:10):
of five-year-old TimothyWiltsie.
After five years in prison, hismother, 54-year-old Michelle
Ludzinski, was set free from afacility in Hunterdon County.
No longer a convicted murderer.
The state's high court hastossed out Ludzinski's 2016
conviction for killing her son.
Lack of evidence as to herintent convinced four of the
seven high court judges to tossthe conviction.
(19:31):
Writing no reasonable jury couldfind beyond a reasonable doubt
that Ludzinski purposefully orknowingly caused Timmy's death.
Purposeful, negligent,accidental, reckless there are a
variety of standards that comeinto play when convicting
somebody for homicide and therewas no proof as to any one of
those characterizations, legalexpert John Wisniewski said.
(19:52):
Ludzinski's lawyer said sheburst into tears of relief when
told her conviction was setaside.
She is expected to return toFlorida, where she had restarted
her life and gave birth to twomore sons.
The three judges who voted touphold the conviction wrote the
decision will undermine thejury's role at the heart of our
criminal justice system.
Justice was not finally foundfor little Timothy.
(20:15):
It's mind-blowing that a parentcould kill their own child.
I never can grasp the reasoningbehind such a horrible act.
Until next time, please takecare of yourselves, thank you.
Popular Podcasts
40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.