Six months gone: Gil Wierschke

Six months ago, on Monday, August 12, 2024, fifteen minutes before sunset, 76-year-old Gil Wierschke wandered from his home south of Roscoe Road. Police have not been able to locate him since. His daughter April says, "Unlike what Alzheimers is portrayed as, he was coherent. He knew who he was, who his family was, where they lived, etc." But without help, he could no longer do what he had always done well: dress himself, use a phone, list items on eBay, go bowling, or navigate somewhere. Still, the Vietnam veteran was proud of being able to walk long distances.

His wife Cindy Wierschke recalled the night he disappeared, when he was helping her brother with some boxes in their garage. Her brother warned him not to trip but "he said to my brother, 'watch me,' and hopped over the boxes and walked out into the driveway." She added, "I was inside and my brother later said he thought Gil was just going to hang out in the driveway and didn't tell me. By the time I realized he was gone, it was 8:30 and starting to get dark. I looked for him for about a half hour and then called the police. I think that because it was so dark out it hampered search efforts."

Roscoe police immediately began looking for Gil by car, on foot, and by air, eventually using heat-sensing drones, trained dogs, divers, and sonar. They had the help of Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, Boone County Sheriff's Office and the Illinois Search and Rescue Council (ISARC). Police searched the river from the bridge to Ventura Blvd in Machesney Park, Even a psychic gave an opinion. On Sunday, Aug. 24, 2024, more than 40 people met at Roscoe Middle School to form search parties.

Cindy says Gil didn't carry a phone, since he could no longer use one. He had temporarily taken off his smart watch and she hadn't yet put it back on him. And he had left his wallet in his church pants the day before.

More about Gil and the search

• Missing person: Gil Wierschke, Roscoe, IL, since Aug. 12, 2024
• Search continues for missing Roscoe man
• Roscoe man still missing: one month later
• Gil Wierschke still missing: "The wondering is hard to deal with"

"It's like a grieving process," Cindy said in November. "The first few months I cried a lot... No answers. No one can figure out what happened. I speculate, but even those theories aren't any comfort... No closure. I always knew eventually one of us would go first. Even when people get married they usually say till death do us part, but I don't even know if he is dead or not." She fears that he may have fallen into the Rock River or that someone tried to rob him.

Arizona police Sgt. Josh Lee speculated that "someone might have given him a change of clothes. Perhaps someone also gave him food and money. With money, if there is a bus route or a train stop within walking distance, he might be halfway (or even further) across the country by now."

If Gil were spotted on the street, or even if his body were found, he could be identified through NAMUS, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the only unified missing persons database in the country. Roscoe Deputy Police Chief Thomas Farone says the investigation is still active but there are "no updates, and we are fully compliant with the procedures [PDF] set forth in NAMUS." Besides the basic information about Gil that anyone can see, NAMUS stores extra details for the use of law enforcement and forensic professionals, such as DNA samples and other medical information.

Cindy says, "It feels like he suddenly died of a heart attack and they whisked him away before I got to say my goodbyes."

Anyone with additional information about Gil Wierschke can report it to the Roscoe Police Department at 815-623-7338 or the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department non-emergency number at 815-282-2600.