Ryan Riddell was a 32-year-old man from Villa Grove, Illinois, who was remembered as a "good guy" with no criminal history. He worked in farming and was a friend to many. His stepfather, Terry Romine, recalled how the family’s holidays were never the same after his death, a testament to the deep void his loss created. Ryan and his wife, Juanita, had a loving family, and before she passed away in 2015, Romine promised her he would never give up the fight to find justice for her son.
On the afternoon of January 28, 2008, Ryan Riddell drove to Paris, Illinois, to pick up his longtime friend, Mark Prasse, also 32, from his job at North American Lighting. It was a normal day for both men. After picking Mark up around 4 p.m., they went to a meeting in Tuscola. Later, they stopped at Ryan’s home in Villa Grove before heading toward Mark’s house in rural Chrisman. Ryan was supposed to drop his friend off and return home for dinner.
Along the way, they made a stop at a gas station in Newman at 7:22 p.m. When Ryan failed to return home, his wife and stepmother grew worried. After numerous unanswered calls to both men's cell phones, the family contacted the Edgar County Sheriff's Office to request a welfare check at Mark Prasse's residence.
At approximately 10:50 p.m., deputies entered the home and made a devastating discovery. Both Ryan Riddell and Mark Prasse were found dead inside. They had been shot multiple times in what investigators quickly determined was not a random act of violence. The crime scene, located in a quiet area northwest of Paris and southwest of Chrisman, became the focus of an intense investigation.
The double homicide investigation was a joint effort involving the Illinois State Police, the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department, and the Edgar County Coroner’s Office. Investigators believe the attack was targeted and that the killer or killers went to the home with the specific intent to commit murder. "I don't think it escalated into something," said Illinois State Police Sgt. Kim Cessna, the lead investigator. "They knew what they were going to do when they went there." Police have also stated they suspect only one person was responsible for the murders, reasoning that if more people were involved, someone would have talked by now.
A troubling event seven months prior to the murders added a layer of complexity to the case. In June 2007, Ryan had been the victim of a home invasion at his own farmhouse in Villa Grove. While investigators have looked into potential connections between the home invasion and the double homicide, no definitive link has been publicly established. The motive for the brutal killings remains the central mystery that has baffled law enforcement for over a decade. "These two victims, by all accounts, were good guys," ISP Investigations Commander Jill Rizzs said in 2010. "The 'why' is the part that we need help on."
For years, Ryan's family has lived with the pain of not knowing who took his life. His stepfather, Terry Romine, keeps a collection of Ryan's mini-farm toys as a memory of his stepson. "You wouldn’t believe how hard it is on the family," Romine said. "There have not been a lot of fun holidays since then." He described the person responsible as someone who "can't be human... No conscience whatsoever." The case has taken a lasting toll on the investigators as well. "I wear this case at home, I wear it on weekends, I wear it on vacations," Sgt. Cessna stated in 2018.
As of June 2021, the double homicide of Ryan Riddell and Mark Prasse remains an unsolved cold case. While investigators have followed hundreds of leads and compiled thousands of pages of reports, no arrests have been made. Sgt. Cessna has noted that advancements in DNA technology since 2008 could potentially provide a future breakthrough. A reward of $25,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.
Anyone with information about the murders of Ryan Riddell and Mark Prasse is urged to contact the Illinois State Police at 217-278-5000. An anonymous tip line has also been established at 217-278-5004.
