TROY, Ill. — The body of a woman found in a field near the intersection of Lebanon and Troy O’Fallon Road on July 20, 1990, has been identified as Wynona Nadine Michel, nearly 35 years after her death.
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Madison County Sheriff’s Office detectives initially responded to the scene, treating the case as a homicide. Investigators determined the woman had been deceased for about a week before being discovered by a farmer.
Hundreds of hours were spent on the investigation and numerous leads pursued, but the case remained unsolved and the victim unidentified for more than three decades.
In late 2024, advances in forensic science prompted a renewed examination of evidence. Detectives collaborated with the Illinois State Crime Lab and the forensic company Othram to process the evidence further. Additional interviews were conducted, leading to the identification of Michel, a white female born on Aug. 23, 1959.
Michel was 30 years old when she was killed in the summer of 1990. She left behind two children, one of whom is still living.
The Madison County Coroner’s Office obtained a death certificate through the State of Illinois.
Investigators, after speaking with Michel’s family, established a timeline of her life.
Born in Los Angeles, she moved with her parents and four siblings to Tennessee as a toddler. Around her 16th birthday, the family relocated to Vero Beach, Fla. In 1983 or 1984, she moved to the Anderson and Shasta area in California.
Michel and her children traveled by bus back to Nashville, Tenn., in April 1990. She was last seen by family in the Washington, D.C., area around May 1990.
“We want to bring some closure to Wynona’s family but we also request that anyone reach out to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to assist with finding the killer,” Sheriff Jeff C. Connor said. “We urge you to review the attached photographs of Wynona and her family and contact our office with any information.”
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Madison County Sheriff’s Office at 618-692-4433, the anonymous tip line at 618-296-3000, or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS.
