Mark Edward Prasse was a man with a bright future, known for his intelligence and dedication. A 32-year-old male, he grew up in the Hoopeston area and graduated from Hoopeston Area High School before earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1997. He worked as a general foreman at North American Lighting in Paris, Illinois, and was a member of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Hoopeston. He was survived by his parents, two sisters, a brother, and what his obituary described as his "special love, Lisa." His family and friends remembered him as a dear friend to many, a man who, by all accounts, was simply a "good guy."
The ordinary rhythm of life in rural Edgar County was shattered on the night of January 28, 2008. That day had begun normally for Mark and his close friend, 32-year-old Ryan Riddell. Mark worked his shift at North American Lighting, and Ryan tended to farm duties. Around 4:00 p.m., Ryan picked Mark up from his job, and the two friends went to a meeting in Tuscola. They were later seen stopping for gas in Newman around 7:22 p.m. The plan was for Ryan to drop Mark off at his house in Chrisman before returning to his own home in Villa Grove for dinner.
When Ryan never made it home, his wife and stepmother grew worried. They made numerous unanswered calls to both men's cell phones. Unable to reach either of them, the family contacted the Edgar County Sheriff's Office to request a welfare check at Mark's residence. At approximately 10:50 p.m., deputies entered Mark's home, located northwest of Paris and southwest of Chrisman. Inside, they made a grim discovery: the bodies of both Mark Prasse and Ryan Riddell. Both men had been shot to death multiple times.
The double homicide prompted a large-scale investigation led by the Illinois State Police (ISP), with assistance from the Edgar County Sheriff's Office and the Edgar County Coroner's Office. From the beginning, investigators believed the attack was not random and that the two friends were targeted victims. Despite hundreds of interviews and leads, a clear motive remained elusive. Police found nothing in the men's backgrounds to suggest why they would be targeted for such a violent crime. "These two victims, by all accounts, were good guys," ISP Investigations Commander Jill Rizzs stated in 2010. "The 'why' is the part that we need help on." Investigators noted that seven months prior, Ryan Riddell had been the victim of a violent home invasion, but they have stated they've found nothing to connect the two crimes, believing the link to be a coincidence.
Over the years, the case has remained an active investigation, with detectives continually reviewing the thousands of pages of reports and exhibits. "I wear this case at home, I wear it on weekends, I wear it on vacations," ISP Sgt. Kim Cessna, one of the first officers at the scene, said in a 2018 interview. While police at one point stated they believed a single person was likely responsible, they have remained open to all possibilities. The lack of a confession or informant has been a major hurdle. "Regardless of the situation, if there's more than one person involved, someone gets tricked up, and that person always talks," Cessna noted. "In this case though, there's not been a lot of talking."
The families of Mark and Ryan have endured years of pain and uncertainty, holding onto the hope that someone will come forward with the information needed to solve the case. "You wouldn’t believe how hard it is on the family,” Ryan's stepfather, Terry Romine, has said. "There have not been a lot of fun holidays since then." In memory of Mark, his family established the Mark E. Prasse Memorial Scholarship Fund through the University of Illinois Foundation.
As of March 2022, the case remains an unsolved cold case. Hope for a breakthrough was renewed when friends and family organized a successful fundraiser to pay for advanced forensic testing on evidence collected from the crime scene. The campaign raised $10,000, which was matched by the nonprofit Season of Justice, providing $20,000 to apply new scientific techniques to the evidence in the hopes of developing a DNA profile of the killer. A reward of $25,000 is offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the murders of Mark Prasse and Ryan Riddell. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Illinois State Police tip line at (217) 278-5004 or the FBI at (217) 522-9675. Tips can be made anonymously.
