On May 8, 2005, 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and her 9-year-old friend Krystal Tobias left to ride bicycles in Zion, Illinois, and did not return. Families, police and volunteers searched overnight; the next day Laura’s father, Jerry Hobbs, found the girls’ bodies in a park. Both children had suffered fatal stab wounds to the neck and face and were sexually assaulted.

Authorities initially focused on Laura’s father, Jerry Hobbs, who had recently moved to Zion from Texas. He was arrested on a weapons charge, interrogated and confessed to the killings; he spent about five years in the Lake County jail awaiting trial. In 2008 testing of semen from Laura’s body reportedly did not match Jerry Hobbs. In 2010 DNA from Laura’s body was reported to match 16-year-old neighborhood resident Jorge Avila-Torrez, who was later convicted of the murders and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

The protracted investigation, the contested confession, and the role of DNA testing changed how this case is discussed in Lake County. Does anyone from Zion or who knew Laura and Krystal have details that could shed more light on how the search and early investigation unfolded?