Murder of Streator boy still a mystery

STREATOR -- In the mind of Michelle Mesarchik, her son Dalton will always be the 7-year-old she last saw five years ago.

Dalton was abducted from his front yard in Streator on March 26, 2003. A fisherman found his body in the Vermilion River the next day.

An autopsy showed the boy was beaten to death with a 3-pound sledgehammer that could only be purchased at a Kmart.

Michelle Mesarchik and about 80 other people gathered late Wednesday on the steps of Streator City Hall to mourn Dalton on the fifth anniversary of his death at the hands of a still-unknown killer.

Mesarchik says she often wonders why her son was murdered, but realizes no answer will ever make sense.

City, state, Livingston County law enforcement officials say their investigations into the murder continue.