Mysterious Disappearances: What Happened to Sarah Avon?

In July 1981, 6 year-old Sarah Avon vanished from Joliet, Illinois. Her disappearance led to a large search, though she has never been found.

While there were strong suspicions against two men in particular, it is unknown what happened to Sarah.

This article reviews this case. There is a reader’s poll at the end of the article, which we invite you to vote on. This will allow us all to see what the most accurate theory is.

Background

Sarah Avon was aged just 6 at the time of her disappearance. She lived in the city of Joliet in Illinois, United States.

Sarah’s parents were called Chuck and Mary. She also had a younger sister Marie, who was 5 at the time of her disappearance.

The Disappearance

On 21st July 1981, Sarah and a group of friends were out in the neighbourhood playing. It is worth remembering that times were very different in the 1980s – with it being commonplace for children to play with others without supervision.

It was very normal for children to be running around and playing games with each other throughout the day. The street where the Avon’s lived was tight-knit, with a strong community feel to it.

At one point, Sarah left the group she was playing with due to an argument. As a result, she walked away from the group. Tragically, she was never seen again.

At around 9pm on the same day, Sarah’s mother Mary went to her babysitter’s house to look for Sarah. However, to her horror, the babysitter hadn’t seen Sarah for a few hours.

It soon dawned on Mary that Marie was there, but Sarah wasn’t. She immediately phoned the Police to report Sarah as missing.

The Investigation

The Will County Sheriff’s Department initiated a large search for Sarah. They started going door-to-door in the nearby streets of Joliet.

They had a specific focus on houses where Sarah was known to frequent – hoping that she would be found there.

When she wasn’t found, the search was widened to other areas of Joliet. Despite it being late at night, the sheriff’s department were quick to act.

One of the areas of concern was a nearby stone quarry. Helicopters assisted in the search – shining lights on the area in case Sarah had managed to fall in the area.

The first few hours passed without any success. Then, the next day saw wider searches around Joliet. But still, there was no success.

Over the following days, further areas were searched. Flyers were handed out and radio messages were broadcast to raise awareness of Sarah.

But unfortunately, there were no solid leads initially. Searches continued, but there was simply no sign of Sarah.

It would later transpire that the sheriff’s department made a man named William Redden a person of interest.

Redden lived just two blocks away. Additionally, he was Chuck’s cousin – which meant he was a regular visitor to the Avon house.

Redden was questioned by the sheriff’s department at the time. He had a previous conviction of aggravated battery against a 19 month-old child. Redden was convicted and spent just over 3 years in prison, before being released in May 1975.

Redden was known as a rather scary individual in the local area, with many children said to be uncomfortable around him.

It isn’t known if Redden was able to produce an alibi, but he was strongly suspected by the sheriff’s department.

The house that he shared with his mother was searched. However, nothing of note was found. Despite the suspicions, investigators were unable to connect Redden to the disappearance.

Unfortunately, the case quickly went cold, with there seemingly being no sign of Sarah. For her family, this was incredibly difficult to live with.

As time went by, the search was scaled down. No trace of Sarah was found, with so many questions left unanswered.

Later Developments

The disappearance of Sarah certainly had a knock-on effect. Parents in the Joliet area, and even further afield, changed their approach towards their children. Parents – afraid of what may happen – ensured their children played closer to home.

Despite a lack of leads initially, there have been periodic updates in the case. The updates have provided some hope.

In 1993, a man named Robert Tadej came forward to the sheriff’s department. He reported that his uncle – Ernest Wilson Sr. – had made a deathbed confession about the case.

Ernest was a neighbour of the Avon family. Tadej said that Ernest was unable to speak in his final hours, but drew a circle in the middle of a triangle. Tadej suggested that this represented the triangular lot that Ernest had lived on, with the circle being where Sarah had been buried.

Then, a witness came forward to say that Ernest had been seen around the time of Sarah’s disappearance digging a chest-deep hole in his garden. Soon after this, the witness said that the Wilson family moved their pool to cover the area.

Ernest was known to have a mentally ill son. It is possible that the mentally ill son abducted Sarah and that Ernest helped him to cover up the murder. Ernest and his family left Joliet six months after Sarah vanished.

As a result of the supposed confession, the triangular lot was searched. Digging commenced, but unfortunately there was no sign of Sarah’s remains. However, it has been suggested that investigators didn’t dig deeply enough.

For several years, the case was quiet. The family battled to keep Sarah’s name in the news, but no leads developed.

In the late 2010s, investigators reopened the cold case to try and find an answer to the mystery.

New interviews with numerous people were completed. New forensic analysis took place, and an evidence audit was completed.

At the end of this analysis, the sheriff’s department believed that the evidence pointed towards the aforementioned Redden. As before, he had been strongly linked to the disappearance at the time.

In 2019, investigators returned to the Redden residence and searched the crawl space of the house. They also used ground penetrating technology in an effort to find Sarah’s remains.

But once again, there was no sign of anything amiss. It is unknown if any further searches in the area will take place again.

Redden died in 2010. While he died an innocent man, there are many that suspect he was involved in Sarah’s disappearance.

It isn’t known what happened to the Avon family after the disappearance. They have kept a low profile since.

Unlike in many cases where family members have criticised law enforcement, the Avon family praised the sheriff’s department for their efforts throughout the case.

Sarah’s disappearance remains unsolved. She hasn’t been seen now for over 45 years.

Theories

There are a few different theories that have been put forward. We take a look at the evidence for each theory:

Theory One: Sarah Avon was abducted and later killed

Surely the most realistic answer is that Sarah was abducted by someone and later murdered.

Sarah was alone and vulnerable, and aged just 6 – could have easily been abducted. It would be terribly unfortunate to find herself at the mercy of someone with such perverse feelings.

It is possible that she knew her attacker. Indeed, there are queries over both extended family member William Redden and neighbour Ernest Wilson Sr. Moreover, Redden has been the most strongly linked. If it was someone she knew, it would’ve made an abduction even easier.

There are many opportunists, and in a large country like USA, disposing of a body discreetly is possible. It is also possible that Sarah’s remains are located near one of the areas that were previously excavated.

Theory Two: Sarah Avon fell into the quarry

A second theory is that Sarah Avon unfortunately fell deep into the quarry near her house. In her state of anger while walking off, it is plausible that she may have gone in the direction of the quarry.

While the quarry was searched extensively by investigators, could it be possible that they didn’t search deeply enough? Perhaps she had already fallen from a great height before they got there.

Sarah was said to be rather mature for her age, so the chances of her falling into the quarry are slim, but it is a possibility. This theory would also explain why her body has never been found.

Theory Three: Sarah Avon died through exposure

Another theory is that Sarah managed to get lost and eventually died through exposure to the elements. Sarah may have ran a great distance away from the street she was playing on – only to then lose her bearings.

Over time, she may have grown hungry, became very cold, or suffered in some other way in the elements. She may have subsequently passed away.

However, this theory would involve Sarah’s remains being undiscovered for several decades. Furthermore, it is very unlikely that a 6 year old child could walk for long without someone intervening. But still, it is an outside possibility.

Reader Vote

With the above theories in mind, we now invite you to vote on the theory that you believe is the most accurate in the poll below.

Summary

Whenever a child goes missing, it is incredibly difficult for their loved ones. The Sarah Avon case has been a source of mystery for multiple decades.

We seem to be no closer to the truth, but the hope is that one day there will be justice for Sarah and the loved ones left behind.