IL IL - Dalton Mesarchik, 7, Streator, 26 March 2003

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping up one more time for Dalton.

 

[PoppyDiva]

This is taken from the YouTube channel LordanArts comment section of the video he made about this case. I think we should start looking for the killer amongst boat owners.
On a personal note, I also think this was someone Dalton was familiar with, and I have a feeling it was someone from the church. How would the killer know Dalton was waiting for a church van that never arrived? Why didn't church officials call those on the route of the absent van driver to tell them he/she would not show up? And while I'm thinking about this, I can't help to think about those few churchgoers who are actually rotten apples. Let's not forget that the BTK killer was president of his church's council, till he was caught.

I believe it was someone from the church as well.

 

[NicoleRH]

I believe it was someone from the church as well.

I agree on it most likely being someone from the church. There had to have been a specific person who was suppose to inform the parents that there would be no transportation that evening. Was the person who was sending letters all over town a member of the church? I cant find if they ever released the name of who was sending the letters, just that they know who sent them. So many questions

 

[JSolt1210]

I came here to say basically the same thing, that I think it was someone from the church.

Clearly no one from the church called to notify the Bible study had been canceled because otherwise Dalton's mom would've called him back inside.

I think this fact may also rule out family members because, as far as they knew, the Bible study was still on, and someone from the church was on the way pick up Dalton. So to abduct him at this point would've risked church members—not to mention the driver—noticing his absence within minutes.

On the other hand, I really don't think it was a crime of opportunity because how would someone know that a child was waiting on his own porch for a ride that wasn't coming?

The only thing I can't account for is Dalton's sister. She was supposed to be attending the same Bible study, and was home at the time, but decided last minute to walk to her friend's and be picked up by the same church bus from there. So if it was someone from the church, how did that person know that Dalton's sister wouldn't be there with him? Was it just luck?

 

[WrinkleInCrime]

I came here to say basically the same thing, that I think it was someone from the church.

Clearly no one from the church called to notify the Bible study had been canceled because otherwise Dalton's mom would've called him back inside.

I think this fact may also rule out family members because, as far as they knew, the Bible study was still on, and someone from the church was on the way pick up Dalton. So to abduct him at this point would've risked church members—not to mention the driver—noticing his absence within minutes.

On the other hand, I really don't think it was a crime of opportunity because how would someone know that a child was waiting on his own porch for a ride that wasn't coming?

The only thing I can't account for is Dalton's sister. She was supposed to be attending the same Bible study, and was home at the time, but decided last minute to walk to her friend's and be picked up by the same church bus from there. So if it was someone from the church, how did that person know that Dalton's sister wouldn't be there with him? Was it just luck?

I was originally thinking someone from the church service as well because a crime of opportunity would be unlikely given the location. But the bible study also still went on, to my knowledge, despite the bus not running. I'm a local (not in Streator but same county). The area Dalton lived and was last seen wouldn't be the average person's travel route that didn't live in the area or visit someone in the area IMO. If someone from the church were to pick him (and only him) up, I would think they would pull off to the side of the road rather than the middle of the road where the dogs' track on Dalton ended. My thoughts are that possibly someone that was speeding down the road or possibly under the influence may have hit Dalton. Dalton was alone and unsupervised so he could have been playing near/in the road since he was unsupervised or he possibly could have been going to where his sister was. This person may have hit Dalton and not severely injured him to the point any evidence would be left behind; but they may have panicked and quickly removed him from the location to kill and "dispose" of him. For the body to be found the next day within only a few miles, I doubt this is something they had done before. It seems more of a panic thing to me. MOO.

 

[TallCoolOne]

Wow, all this time and still no answers.... How utterly sad for Daltons loved ones.

Little man deserves more.

Keeping the faith,

~TCO~

 

[AubrieC]

I'm from the Chicagoland area. 2 hours give or take from Streator. I was 9 when Dalton was 7 in 2003. I don't remember this case at all and it recently came to my attention through a video on youtube about unsolved cases in Illinois.

There are a couple of major highways in the area and Starved Rock state park (30 minutes from Streator) which attracts a lot of tourists. I-55, I-80, IL-170 and IL-23 surround the town, so if someone went on the run after killing him, it wouldn't be hard to leave. Being March however, I'm unsure how much vegetation was in the area yet to be able to run off and hide in the wooded areas and farms if they left on foot (if they even left town at all.)

There was also a Dwight Correctional Center a half hour east of Streator, it was a maximum security women's prison in unincorporated Livingston County. The prison closed in 2013. I can't find any articles of any prisoners that could have possibly escaped in 2003 though. When it was open Dwight the only maximum security prison for women in the Illinois and it was inclusive of women on death row until the death penalty was abolished here.

Sorry for all the word vomit, also just here because its been a decade since the last comment on this thread. Justice for Dalton!