Where is Michelle Lodzinski now? Details explored ahead of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on Oxygen

Michelle Lodzinski’s story first gripped the nation in 1991 when her 5-year-old son, Timothy Wiltsey, vanished from a carnival in Sayreville. Nearly a year passed before search teams found Timothy’s skeletal remains in a creek near Edison, New Jersey. Alongside the remains was a blue blanket, which became a central piece of evidence as the investigation unfolded.

Years later, the case reached a turning point. Michelle Lodzinski was convicted in 2016 and handed a 30-year prison sentence, as per Oxygen.com on December 29, 2021. It was in December 2021 that the New Jersey Supreme Court overturned her conviction, citing a lack of solid evidence.

Michelle Lodzinski had already built a life in Florida, working as a paralegal and raising a family. After her release, Michelle returned to Port St. Lucie to reunite with relatives and her two sons, as reported by People on December 29, 2021. She has stayed away from the spotlight and is still considered to be living there.

The controversial case, marked by circumstantial evidence and Lodzinski’s shifting accounts, is revisited in the upcoming Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, titled The Blue Blanket Mystery. As highlighted by CBS on December 28, 2021, the court ruled that no reasonable jury could rightfully confirm that Michelle Lodzinski purposely or knowingly caused Timothy’s death, ending decades of legal proceedings.

---

By 2014, Michelle Lodzinski was married, had two more sons, and was working as a paralegal in Florida

By 2014, Lodzinski had moved to Florida, where she worked as a paralegal, got married, and was raising two sons. Life appeared settled, but the shadow of an old case was about to catch up with her. More than two decades earlier, in 1991, Michelle’s 5-year-old son, Timothy Wiltsey, vanished during a carnival in Sayreville, New Jersey. She told the police she had stepped away for a soda, and when she turned around, Timothy was gone.

That initial explanation, according to Oxygen.com, soon gave way to several inconsistencies and raised suspicion. Almost a year later, the search ended when Timothy’s partial remains were discovered in a creek near Edison, New Jersey. Nearby were items like his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sneaker and a blue blanket.

The case remained unsolved for years. However, in 2014, as noted by People, investigators took another look. Their focus shifted to the blanket found near Timothy’s body. Michelle Lodzinski’s niece and two babysitters claimed they had seen the same blanket in her apartment, contradicting Lodzinski’s prior account.

Authorities arrested her in Florida on August 6, 2014, coincidentally on what would have been Timothy’s 29th birthday. As reported by CBS, prosecutors charged her with first-degree murder, which led to a conviction in 2016 and a 30-year sentence.

The entire case leaned heavily on circumstantial evidence. For years, Michelle Lodzinski and her legal team fought the ruling. Then, in December 2021, the New Jersey Supreme Court overturned the conviction, stating,

“No reasonable jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Lodzinski purposefully or knowingly caused Timothy’s death.” - As stated by the court in its opinion (Oxygen.com, December 29, 2021).

Following her release from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, Lodzinski returned to Florida to live with her family. Her attorney confirmed that she was focused on reuniting with her two sons and other relatives.

---

The upcoming Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, titled The Blue Blanket Mystery, airing on March 19, 2025, will revisit the case. The episode promises to delve into the emotional and investigative complexities that have followed Michelle Lodzinski for more than three decades.