Sidney Schiltz, 42, of Sheridan, Illinois, was shot to death and his body was found after a rural home on North 42nd Road was set on fire in the early hours of July 17, 2025. Deputies and the LaSalle County Coroner responded after 911 callers reported gunshots just after 1 a.m. and then flames at the same address. Prosecutors and witness statements say Schiltz was shot multiple times, including a wound to the back of the head.

Melissa Vissman was also killed in the incident; two other people in the house survived, one with shrapnel injuries, and later provided accounts of the moments before and after the shooting. Authorities say the assailant searched a safe for money, drugs, and a gun and then set the house ablaze in an apparent effort to destroy evidence. A firearm believed to be used was recovered.

On July 18 law enforcement arrested 45-year-old Ronald W. Martin Jr. after a manhunt across LaSalle County; prosecutors charged him with six counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Schiltz and Vissman. Investigators also questioned a relative of the suspect on suspicion of aiding and abetting but prosecutors released that man the same day, citing insufficient evidence. Anyone who knew Sidney or has information about what happened is asked to come forward.