Melissa Vissman, a 31-year-old White/Caucasian female, was found dead in the early morning hours of July 17, 2025, inside a rural Sheridan, Illinois home that had been set on fire shortly after gunshots were reported. Deputies first received a 911 call about shots fired just before 1 a.m., and about 25 minutes later, a second call reported the same house was ablaze. After the fire was extinguished, two bodies were discovered inside.
The LaSalle County Coroner formally identified the victims as Melissa Vissman, 31, of Ottawa, Illinois, and Sidney A. Schiltz, 42, of Sheridan; forensic autopsies were conducted the next day.
Two other people escaped from the home, one of whom called 911 for help and another who was injured by shrapnel, according to investigators. Authorities said the group had been helping Schiltz pack to move when tensions escalated. The house was known, prosecutors alleged later, to be associated with narcotics and money, and an argument over drugs or cash may have preceded the shooting. Witness accounts described the gunman demanding money, cocaine, and a gun from a safe before leaving.
After an hours-long manhunt on July 18, law enforcement arrested 45-year-old Ronald W. Martin Jr. He was found hiding on rural property owned by his family with assistance from U.S. Marshals and Illinois State Police air support. Prosecutors charged Martin with multiple counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Melissa Vissman, 31, and Sidney Schiltz, 42, and alleged he set the house on fire to conceal the crime scene. Martin was scheduled to appear in court on August 1, 2025. If convicted, he faces a mandatory sentence of natural life in prison.
Initial official statements withheld precise causes of death pending further forensic testing due to the damage from the fire, but authorities indicated both victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Early reporting also noted that investigators believed they recovered a weapon and that Martin drove away in a red Dodge Ram before he was tracked to the LaSalle County property. As of those reports, no additional suspects were charged; a second man questioned for possible interference was released for lack of evidence.
Public records and memorial pages reflect the community impact of the killings, naming Melissa Vissman, 31, among those lost to gun violence on July 17, 2025, in Sheridan, Illinois. News coverage consistently places the attack and subsequent fire at the Sheridan residence where the victims were discovered, with the coroner’s notice fixing Melissa Vissman’s age at 31 and her residence as Ottawa.
