Timothy Wiltsey's murder: A complete timeline of events
Timothy Wiltsey's sad and enigmatic death has altered New Jersey history, with the case spanning over three decades. His mother, Michelle Lodzinski, was found guilty of his death in 2016, but the judgment was later overturned by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2021.
The Dateline NBC episode on September 1, 2023, discusses the case of Timothy Wiltsey, identified as The Blue Blanket Mystery. It covers the facts around his disappearance and death as well as the later legal actions taken against his mother.
The case is scheduled to air again on Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on March 19 on Oxygen. Let's go thorough the chronology of the activities related to Timothy Wiltsey's missing and the consequent judicial battles.
Timeline of key events of Timothy Wiltsey's murder
The disappearance: May 25, 1991
According to Oxygen, five-year-old Timothy Wiltsey was reported missing from a Sayreville, New Jersey carnival on May 25, 1991. Michelle Lodzinski, his mother, says she turned away for a second to fetch a soda and when she turned back, Timothy was not there.
Lodzinski stated that she and Timothy traveled around a lake, visited a petting zoo, played kickball, and then went to the fair after spending the day at a park.
Discovery of Remains: April 1992
According to Oxygen, a year after Timothy Wiltsey vanished, a nature lover found a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sneaker a little west of the Raritan Center in Edison, New Jersey. Along with Timothy's other sneaker were his partial remains—Including his skull, leg, hip, and foot bones—that were discovered in April 1992.
Nearby were also a blue blanket, a pillowcase, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles balloon. Although a probe was conducted, no definitive forensic evidence or cause of death could be found.
Preliminary probe and no charges: 1992-2011
According to Oxygen, although officials looked into the case at length in the early 1990s, no charges were brought. Lodzinski went to Florida to be a paralegal. She claimed, falsely, in 1994 to have been kidnapped by two people pretending to be FBI officers.
Later on, she confessed to the fraud and pleaded guilty to giving the FBI false information. The incident did not lead to charges related to Timothy Wiltsey's death.
The case reopened: 2011
According to Oxygen, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office revisited the matter in 2011 after 20 years. The inquiry returned to the blanket discovered near Timothy's remains, prompting statements from Jennifer BlairDilcher, Lodzinski's niece, and two childminders.
They said they had observed the blanket in Lodzinski's house before Timothy vanished. Lodzinski was indicted by a grand jury in 2014 for the murder of Timothy.
The 2016 Conviction
According to Oxygen, Michelle Lodzinski was found guilty of her son's murder in 2016 and was handed a 30-year prison term with no parole. Though there was no forensic evidence, the prosecution case rested heavily on the testimonies connecting the blanket to Lodzinski. The defense contended that the proof was circumstantial and not enough to establish culpability beyond a reasonable doubt.
Appeals and the Overturned Conviction: 2016-2021
According to Oxygen, Lodzinski's petitions were first turned down; in 2019 an appeal court upheld her sentence. The New Jersey Supreme Court voted 43 in December 2021 to reverse the judgment, holding that the proof offered was insufficient to confirm Lodzinski's culpability.
The court emphasized there was no certain evidence of whether Timothy died on purpose, by accident, or from carelessness, or how he did so.
Current status
Lodzinski has been living with her family in Florida since she left Edna Mahan Correctional Facility. The Office of the Middlesex County District Attorney has decided not to seek more charges.
Watch Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on March 19 on Oxygen for more details on the case.
