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Family says goodbye to man lost for 7 years

"We'll still never have that closure, but it's a chance to honor him which I think he deserves, a day of remembrance."

BREESE, Ill. — Saturday, friends and family gathered at St. Augustine Church to say goodbye to a Breese, Illinois man.

Vincent “Vince” Wesselmann has been missing for over seven years and was legally declared dead by the courts in July.

Wesselmann was last seen walking by the Breese Grain Company on April 22, 2011 on his way to the post office but vanished before arriving.

His 11 surviving brothers and sisters are still hoping for answers but decided to hold a memorial service to honor him.

“We’ll still never have that closure, but it’s a chance to honor him which I think he deserves, a day of remembrance,” said Aggie Dumstorff, one of Wesselmann’s sisters.

Wesselmann was an Army veteran and very active in his community. He volunteered his time with Habitat for Humanity and at Camp Ondessonk and was active in his parish.

“He was such a humble guy, he went around helping people all the time,” said Dumstorff.

Breese Police Chief Bob Fix said that his department has followed up on hundreds of leads over the years. Fix says that without a crime scene to investigate and gather evidence, it’s hard to solve this kind of case, but says he will never give up.

“And sooner or later we're hoping somebody does talk, somebody has to know something, we just want to know where Vince is, we just want that final answer for us,” said Dumstorff.

Clinton County Crimestoppers is offering a $10,000.00 reward for information leading to the current whereabouts of Wesselmann. You can call the tip line at 618-594-6666 or the Breese Police Department at 618-526-7226.

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