IL IL - Jerry Wolking, 52, Moline, 18 October 1990

[JusticeWillBeServed]

It's been 26 years since Jerry Wolking was last seen. Significant progress has been made but investigators still need additional information to help solve the case.

NamUs

Doe Network

Charley Project

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
• Missing Since: October 18, 1990 from Moline, Illinois
• Classification: Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth: June 25, 1938
• Age: 52 years old
• Height and Weight: 5'10, 160 - 180 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Gray hair, hazel eyes. Wolking may wear eyeglasses.
• Clothing/Jewelry Description: A plaid shirt, a gold satin Quad City Car Club jacket, jeans and sneakers.
• Medical Conditions: Wolking has heart problems.

Details of Disappearance
Wolking was last seen leaving a friend's house at 11:00 p.m. on October 18, 1990. His silver and blue 1988 Chevrolet Suburban was later found abandoned in the long-term parking lot of the Quad City International Airport. The vehicle had front-end damage, newspapers and other items were strewn around in the interior and the trailer hitch was packed with mud; Wolking's loved ones said it would be uncharacteristic of him to leave his car in such a dirty condition. There were drops of his blood on all four sides of the car, inside and out.

Wolking's family noticed before his disappearance that he had been behaving oddly. A few days before his disappearance, at a family birthday party, he paced up and down and seemed preoccupied. He also did not want to stay to deliver the gift. This behavior is uncharacteristic of Wolking. He was being followed at the time of his disappearance by a private detective who came forward later. The detective had been hired by a former boyfriend of Wolking's girlfriend.

Wolking has never been heard from again. Authorities could find no evidence that he took a plane or bus out of the Quad City area. His case remains unsolved. His family believes he was murdered.

Moline PD: Last few pieces missing in 26-year disappearance of Jerry Wolking

Foul play had always been suspected in the case, according to previous reports. Back in June of 2013 detectives and crime scene investigators converged on a wooded area off of John Deere Road as part of a renewed search for the Moline man’s remains. Even earlier, in April of that year, police excavated a site in rural Milan, taking soil samples. The land was once owned by the parents of a longtime person of interest in the case, who has since died.

In their Facebook post, they wrote that “significant progress,” using biological and fingerprint evidence, had been made on the case over the last few years. Police said witnesses have come forward and little by little the pieces have come together.

Students helps police with cold case - December 2013

Police search for Moline man missing more than 20 years - June 2013

Excavation starts in 1990 disappearance of Moline man - April 2013

 

[Tulessa]

It's been 26 years since Jerry Wolking was last seen. Significant progress has been made but investigators still need additional information to help solve the case.

NamUs

Doe Network

Charley Project

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
• Missing Since: October 18, 1990 from Moline, Illinois
• Classification: Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth: June 25, 1938
• Age: 52 years old
• Height and Weight: 5'10, 160 - 180 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian male. Gray hair, hazel eyes. Wolking may wear eyeglasses.
• Clothing/Jewelry Description: A plaid shirt, a gold satin Quad City Car Club jacket, jeans and sneakers.
• Medical Conditions: Wolking has heart problems.

Details of Disappearance
Wolking was last seen leaving a friend's house at 11:00 p.m. on October 18, 1990. His silver and blue 1988 Chevrolet Suburban was later found abandoned in the long-term parking lot of the Quad City International Airport. The vehicle had front-end damage, newspapers and other items were strewn around in the interior and the trailer hitch was packed with mud; Wolking's loved ones said it would be uncharacteristic of him to leave his car in such a dirty condition. There were drops of his blood on all four sides of the car, inside and out.

Wolking's family noticed before his disappearance that he had been behaving oddly. A few days before his disappearance, at a family birthday party, he paced up and down and seemed preoccupied. He also did not want to stay to deliver the gift. This behavior is uncharacteristic of Wolking. He was being followed at the time of his disappearance by a private detective who came forward later. The detective had been hired by a former boyfriend of Wolking's girlfriend.

Wolking has never been heard from again. Authorities could find no evidence that he took a plane or bus out of the Quad City area. His case remains unsolved. His family believes he was murdered.

Moline PD: Last few pieces missing in 26-year disappearance of Jerry Wolking



Students helps police with cold case - December 2013

Police search for Moline man missing more than 20 years - June 2013

Excavation starts in 1990 disappearance of Moline man - April 2013

Now this concerns me!

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Moline Police ask for help on 27th anniversary of Jerry Wolking's disappearance

http://www.kwqc.com/content/news/Moline-Police-ask-for-help-on-27th-anniversary-of-Jerry-Wolkings-disappearance-451444523.html

Police say evidence shows that he was likely involved in an argument near his home and then struck by his own vehicle. The suspect then placed Wolking into the rear of his Suburban and took him to an unknown location. Wolking has not been seen since that date.

During the cold case review, police say several new witnesses came forward and told them Wolking was fearful of his girlfriend’s estranged husband, confiding in family members and co-workers that he was afraid he would be harmed by him.

The Moline Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding Wolking’s disappearance to come forward and put this case to rest for his family.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Jerry Wolking Sr., 52, of Moline, went missing on Oct. 18, 1990. He last was seen leaving the the Rock Island home of his girlfriend around 10:45 p.m., headed to his home in Moline.

Although his body never was found, police and family said in 2014 that they believe Wolking was killed. They also said they know who killed him, but do not have sufficient evidence to prove it.

Evidence gathered in 1990 showed that Wolking made it back to his residence, was likely involved in an argument, then struck by his own vehicle.

On Oct. 21, 1990, his blood-stained Chevrolet Suburban was discovered in long-term parking at the Quad-City International Airport. During a cold case review in 2013, with the assistance of the University of North Texas, the blood stains were identified as belonging to Wolking.

Also in 2013, new witnesses came forward to say they saw a vehicle like the Suburban stuck in the mud in the early morning of Oct. 19 in a wooded area east of the Green Valley softball complex. Forensic testing comparing the dirt from that area and the dirt from the Suburban showed them to be geologically similar.

The area was searched, but nothing significant to the case was discovered.

The Big Story: Some Q-C missing remain unfound, others discovered after a violent death

 

[iulia]

28 years later: Social media may crack unsolved murder of Moline man

The unsolved case is the longest running cold case at the department, but officers say they are not giving up.
They are now using social media to uncover new leads.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Where is Jerry Wolking? Moline police closer to cracking the 28 year old case

 

[ADKGemini]

Jerry Alfred Wolking Sr. – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance
Wolking was last seen leaving a friend's house at 11:00 p.m. on October 18, 1990. His silver and blue 1988 Chevrolet Suburban was later found abandoned in the long-term parking lot of the Quad City International Airport.

The vehicle had front-end damage, newspapers and other items were strewn around in the interior and the trailer hitch and wheel wells were packed with mud; Wolking's loved ones said it would be uncharacteristic of him to leave his car in such a dirty condition.

There were drops of his blood on all four sides of the car, inside and out. Investigators believe whoever was driving the truck ran over someone with it. Geological testing of the mud on the outside of the car indicated it came from the Poplar Grove, Illinois area.

Wolking's family noticed before his disappearance that he had been behaving oddly. A few days before his disappearance, at a family birthday party, he paced up and down and seemed preoccupied. He also did not want to stay to deliver the gift. This behavior is uncharacteristic of Wolking.

He told people he was afraid his girlfriend's estranged husband was going to kill him, and said if anything happened to him, this man was probably responsible. This person is considered a suspect in Wolking's disappearance, but he was never charged in the case and is now deceased. Investigators don't believe whoever killed Wolking acted alone.

Police have a working theory of a crime: they think he arrived home and was met by one or more attackers near his residence, that a struggle took place and that Wolking was struck by his own vehicle. Investigators believe Wolking's body may be near the Poplar Grove Addition in Moline, east of the area now known as Green Valley Sports Complex.

Wolking's body has never been found despite extensive searches.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Missing and Murdered in the Midwest: Jerry Wolking, the vanished Moline family man | wqad.com

Jerry Wolking: The vanished Moline family man – Missing and Murdered in the Midwest – Podcast

 

[TootsieFootsie]

QC man remains missing after 32 years

Thirty-two years ago, the disappearance of a Moline man became what is now one of the most high-profile, longest-running missing-persons cases in the Quad Cities. Jerry Wolking Sr. left his girlfr…

www.ourquadcities.com

Thirty-two years ago, the disappearance of a Moline man became what is now one of the most high-profile, longest-running missing-persons cases in the Quad Cities.

Jerry Wolking Sr. left his girlfriend’s house the night of Oct. 18, 1990. The John Deere Harvester Works employee remains missing and has not been seen to this day.

Investigators think Jerry was struck by his own truck – that someone used the 1988 Suburban and hit him with it, leaving him with fatal injuries.

Law enforcement thinks the suspect, whom they believe is deceased, may have placed Jerry’s body in the back of the vehicle and dumped his body. And the suspect may not have worked alone.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Photos from Fulton HS 1951-6

 

[spartanx]

I read in another article that he was being followed by a private investigator who had been hired by her estranged ex-husband... It certainly seems like it was probably the jealous ex who has since passed away... maybe he paid someone to help him or he had someone close enough to him that was willing to dispose of the body... I don't think justice can be done with this case, but I hope the remains are found and returned to the family...
I have the impression that it was an ambush against him... perhaps he was thrown into the water or disappeared by another method...
either way
rest in peace

 

[Blue Girl1991]

The name of the ex-husband is Cornelius Sedam. It is very possible that he had accomplices who are still alive.

I think about Jerry's arrival at the birthday party when he was upset and having trouble enjoying himself, aware of the danger, then he leaves and disappears and his family is left with grief, It is so sad.

I hope the investigators will find the accomplices and Jerry's family will find closure and justice.

 

[spartanx]

The name of the ex-husband is Cornelius Sedam. It is very possible that he had accomplices who are still alive.

I think about Jerry's arrival at the birthday party when he was upset and having trouble enjoying himself, aware of the danger, then he leaves and disappears and his family is left with grief, It is so sad.

I hope the investigators will find the accomplices and Jerry's family will find closure and justice.

This is what we all hope for... justice, that everything is resolved and the guilty pay with prison for their crime...

 

[Pennysmom1]

847DMIL - Jerry Alfred Wolking Sr.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Available

<<Evidence analyzed in 2013 shows that Jerry was struck by his own truck, critically injured or likely killed, then placed inside his own truck and transported from the scene.>>

 

[Pennysmom1]

Archived article from Quad City Times
Oct 18, 2022, updated Nov 23, 2023

https://archive.ph/sSNzN

<<In 1990, Sedam came to the attention of detectives investigating the disappearance because he was the estranged husband of Wolking’s girlfriend. Sedam died in 2010 without making any statements to police about Wolking.

Sedam, police alleged, was tracking Wolking before he disappeared. Sedam, who lived near his estranged wife, used a city directory to contact all of the Wolkings listed in it and tried to use a private investigator to follow him and his vehicle.
When Sedam identified Wolking’s phone number, he called it several times before Oct. 18, police said. The night of the disappearance, around the same time Wolking was leaving his girlfriend’s house, Sedam called a closed convenience store near his home and left the phone off the hook for a long time.

Sedam had lived in the area several years and knew the store would be closed at that time, police said.
Sedam made no further phone calls to Wolking’s residence after Oct. 18. On Oct. 22, the day the Suburban was found, Sedam left the Quad-Cities area for an undisclosed amount of time.

In late 2013, people came forward and told police they saw Wolking’s Suburban stuck in the mud in the Poplar Grove area of Moline, the department said. It was revving its engine.

The area is east of 60th Street, behind the current Skip-A-Long Child Development location, police said.
An analysis of soil recovered from the Suburban showed it to be similar to the soil in the Poplar Grove area, but when officers searched, they uncovered no new clues, the department said.>>

So Jerry disappeared in 1990, and Sedam died in 2010. Why couldn't LE figure this out in that amount of time? Maybe they didn't have all the information right away, but Jerry's girlfriends HAD to have known that Sedam was threatening Jerry. Did she not pass that info along to LE? It's really sad, I feel like LE really dropped the ball if they didn't get a statement from Sedam in 20 years! (this paragraph is MOO)

<<Sedam died in 2010 without making any statements to police about Wolking.>>




Jerry's Find-A-Grave has quite a bit of info about him personally.

Jerry A Wolking (1938-1990) - Find a Grave...

A memorial service for Jerry A. Wolking of Moline will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at First Presbyterian Church, Coal Valley. The Rev. Tim Snart will officiate. At 11:15 a.m. Thursday, following the memorial service, there will be a service at National Cemetery on the Rock Island Arsenal where a...

www.findagrave.com

 

[Pennysmom1]