A man living in Ohio has been arrested in connection with the 2016 murders of an elderly woman and her son in suburban Sycamore, authorities announced Tuesday.
Jonathan Hurst, a 51-year-old man who previously lived in Chicago but moved to Cincinnati, was taken into custody Monday and now faces two counts of first-degree murder, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s office said.
Hurst is accused of killing of 85-year-old Patricia Wilson and her 64-year-old son Robert Wilson, whose bodies were found inside a home in the rural Chicago suburb on Aug. 15, 2016. They died of blunt force trauma, authorities said.
Evidence at the time suggested someone had forced their way into the home before the murders and a vehicle had been taken from the scene. The vehicle was discovered near the Lincoln Park Zoo more than a week later.
Details on a potential motive weren’t immediately released Tuesday, but police believe the crime was random.
"There is no known connection to family," said Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan. "Appears to be a random act of violence...we believe he acted alone. We don’t know why he was in Sycamore."
The sheriff’s office said the investigation involved more than 1,300 leads, phone records and “a significant amount of physical evidence” collected from the crime scene.
The evidence gave them a DNA profile of a suspect, which ultimately led them to Hurst. They also used cell phone records and other evidence to confirm Hurst was in the area of the crime on the day of the murders and at the time he had been living in Lincoln Park, not far from where the Wilsons’ vehicle was found.
“This work took an extraordinary amount of effort and a significant amount of time to locate this offender, and through this effort approximately one week ago, a solid lead was identified using this unique profile along with continued diligent investigative techniques that led us to make this announcement today,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a release.
Police said their investigation remains active and asked anyone with information to call (815) 895-3272 or email Crime Stoppers at Crimestoppers@dekalbcounty.org.
“Our hearts and prayers remain with the members of the Wilson family who have remained patient and given their unwavering support of the Sheriffs Office during this complex investigation,” the department wrote. “We hope that they may attempt to start the healing process as we hold Jonathan Hurst accountable for the murders of Robert and Patricia Wilson.”
