Offender Record · OFF-2026-172
Paula Sims (photo from the Radford University biography)
Paula Marie Sims
Sex
Female
Race
White
Height
5'9"
Born
1959
Custody
Released
States
IL, AL, MO
Custody
Sims was released from Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, Illinois, around 3:30 p.m. Friday 2022-09-09 (parole granted 2022-09-08).
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Paula Sims was convicted in 1990 of first-degree murder in the death of her 6-week-old daughter Heather Sims, and later admitted to the 1986 killing of her 13-day-old daughter Loralei Sims. In 1990, she ultimately confessed to killing both babies. She must maintain registry as a convicted murderer and violent offender against youth. Sims, who is now 64-years-old, is currently living in Alabama.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Jun 17, 1986, Brighton, Illinois
Obstructing justice and concealing homicide (Loralei Sims)
Jersey County State's Attorney, Illinois · Jersey County Court · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 5-year sentence (concurrent with life sentence); no murder charge filed in return
Loralei Sims, 13-day-old, disappeared on June 17, 1986 from their Brighton home; her remains were found in a wooded area behind the family's home. She later pleaded guilty to the charges in Jersey County in return for a 5-year sentence and a promise that she never would be charged with murder in Loralei's death.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Sims, Paula; Paula Sims trial: Either a maniacal killer on the loose, or Sims was lying, prosecutor says; Paula Sims' case is closed; Madison County prosecutor opposes early release for Paula Sims in daughters' deaths
Offense date Apr 29, 1989, Alton, Illinois
First-degree murder (Heather Sims)
Madison County State's Attorney, Illinois · Madison County Circuit Court, Peoria · Arrested Jul 02, 1989 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole
Heather Sims, 6-week-old, disappeared on April 29, 1989 from their Alton home; her body was found in a trash barrel at Lock & Dam 26, West Alton on May 3, 1989. The garbage bag holding Heather's body was manufactured within seconds of and by the same machine as the bags found in the Sims' home. The pathologist determined that Heather's body had different degrees of decomposition externally and internally, indicating the baby's body had been frozen after her death.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Sims, Paula; Paula Sims; Paula Sims trial: Either a maniacal killer on the loose, or Sims was lying, prosecutor says; Prison escapee caught close to home; Paula Sims' case is closed
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
2
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1986–1989
Victim profile
Children, Family members
Range from home
local
Confessed
Yes
Education
some college
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
1
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Madison County Jail · IL
Held Sims pending trial in 1989
Alton Police Department · IL
Arrested Sims on 1989-07-02 for Heather Sims murder; investigated 1989 kidnapping report
Illinois Department of Corrections · IL
Held Sims at Logan Correctional Center; managed her sentence until parole in 2021
Source: KSDK
Illinois Prisoner Review Board · IL
Reviewed parole eligibility; voted 12-1 to grant parole in 2021
Source: KSDK
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · US
Assisted Jersey County detectives with forensic identification of Loralei Sims remains in 1986
Jersey County Sheriff's Office · IL
Initial investigation of Loralei Sims disappearance and death, June 1986
Jersey County State's Attorney's Office · IL
Charged Sims with obstructing justice and concealing homicide in Loralei Sims death, 1986-06-17
Madison County State's Attorney's Office · IL
Prosecuted Sims for first-degree murder of Heather Sims, convicted 1989-04-29
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
AL
Alabama
Sep 09, 2022 – present
IL
Wood River, Illinois
May 1976 – 1977 · Civic Memorial High School
Wood River, Illinois
May 1976 – 1978 · Cottage Hills area
Godfrey, Illinois
approx. 1978 – 1979 · National Food Store cashier
Brighton, Illinois
Jan 1983 – Jan 1987 · near Jersey/Macoupin counties
Alton, Illinois
Jan 1987 – Apr 1989 · 1053 Washington Avenue
Cottage Hills, Illinois
Jul 02, 1989 – Jul 02, 1989 · arrested at parents' home; held in Madison County Jail
Illinois
Feb 02, 1990 – Sep 09, 2022 · Logan Correctional Center, Lincoln, Illinois (at time of release; also held at Dwight Correctional Center)
MO
Freeman, Missouri
May 1959 – May 1966
La Plata, Missouri
May 1966 – May 1976
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1969 blue Maverick – blue '69 Maverick
approx. 1978
Purchased 1978
Photographs by Year
Paula Sims (photo from the Radford University biography)
Paula Sims (photo from the Radford University biography)
Paula Sims (photo from the Radford University biography)
Timeline
May 21, 1959
Paula Marie Sims born in Freeman, Missouri, last of three children, only girl.
May 1966
Family moved to La Plata, Northeastern Missouri; Paula sexually molested by grandfather.
Apr 10, 1976
Car wreck with brother Randy, who died at scene age 19; Paula suffered facial fractures and jaw fractures.
May 1976
Family moved to Wood River, Illinois (Cottage Hills); Paula made new friends June Bland and Rhonda Henson at Civic Memorial High School.
1977
Paula graduated from high school, known as loner.
1978
Attended Lewis and Clark Community College keypunch program for one year; worked as cashier at National Food Store on Godfrey road.
May 02, 1981
Paula married Robert Sims.
Jan 1983
Rob and Paula moved to Brighton, Illinois.
Jan 1984
Purchased house and told friend June they were planning to start a family.
Jun 05, 1986
First child, daughter Loralei Marie Sims, born at 6:03 p.m.
Jun 17, 1986
Loralei reported stolen from family's home late at night; Paula claimed a man dressed in black held a gun on her, forcing her to lie on basement floor while he took Loralei.
Jun 24, 1986
Loralei's skeletal remains found 150 feet behind family's home in woods; raccoon had carried body down hill.
Aug 19, 1986
Loralei's remains delivered to Allo laboratory for genetic identification testing; results came back within ten days showing 97.2 percent match.
Jan 1987
Robert and Paula moved to new home at 1053 Washington Avenue in Alton.
Feb 01, 1988
Second child, son Randall Troy, born.
Mar 18, 1989
Third child, daughter Heather, born.
Apr 29, 1989
Heather reported by Paula to have been taken from their Alton home late at night; Paula claimed someone hit her in back of head while taking out trash; medical examiner found no forensic evidence of head trauma.
May 03, 1989
Heather's remains found at Lock & Dam 26, Alton lake at 7:00 p.m. in trash barrel near parking lot edge in black trash bag; Paula's DNA found on trash bag.
Jul 02, 1989
Paula Sims arrested at home of parents in Cottage Hills and held in Madison County Jail without bond.
Jul 13, 1989
Paula Sims indicted on two counts of murder in Heather's death; grand jury described slaying as brutal and heinous.
Jan 30, 1990
Jury found Paula guilty of murder.
Jan 31, 1990
Paula found guilty of first-degree murder in death of Heather, two counts obstructing justice, one count concealing homicide.
Feb 1990
Paula admitted to killing infant daughter Loralei on 06/17/86 and admitted to killing daughter Heather on 04/29/89; stated postpartum depression for both deaths.
Feb 02, 1990
Paula sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Jun 11, 2001
Appeal heard, People vs. Sims, in Appellate court of Illinois Fifth district; appeal denied; judge denied post-conviction relief.
Oct 17, 2006
Sims asked Illinois Prisoner Review Board for clemency.
Mar 2021
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker granted executive clemency, changing her sentence from life without possibility of parole to life with possibility of parole.
Sep 08, 2022
Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted 12-1 to grant Paula Sims parole.
Sep 09, 2022
Paula Sims released from Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, Illinois at 3:30-4:25 p.m., having served more than 30 years in prison.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Sims, Paula“Paula Sims born May 21, 1959; married Robert Sims 05/02/1981; moved to Brighton, Illinois 01/1983; Loralei born 06/05/1986, disappeared 06/17/1986, remains found 06/24/1986; moved to Alton 01/1987; Randall Troy born 02/01/1988; Heather born 03/18/1989, disappeared 04/29/1989, remains found 05/03/1989; arrested 07/08/1989; convicted 01/31/1990 of first-degree murder, two counts obstructing justice, concealing homicide; sentenced life without parole 02/1990.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
Paula Sims“Paula Marie Sims was sentenced to life in prison in Illinois, USA on February 2, 1990 for killing her daughters in 1986 and 1989. On February 2, 1990, after deliberating for two days, jurors found Paula guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of obstructing justice, and one count of concealing homicide.”
News report · Advantage News ·
Paula Sims' case is closed“She also pled guilty to obstructing justice in the death of her 13-day-old daughter, Loralei, in 1986. She must maintain registry as a convicted murderer and violent offender against youth. Sims, who is now 64-years-old, is currently living in Alabama.”
News report · Alton Telegraph ·
Paula Sims murder case hearing set for Wednesday could close the case“She was paroled in October 2021 after serving more than 30 years in prison. Robert and the couple's son, Randall, died in an automobile accident in 2015. She was paroled in October 2021 after serving more than 30 years in prison.”
News report · KSDK ·
Paula Sims is a free woman after being in prison for killing her infant daughters in 1980s“Paula Sims, the woman who admitted to killing her two infant daughters in the 1980s, is officially free after serving more than 30 years behind bars. Sims was released from Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, Illinois, around 3:30 p.m. Friday.”
News report · St. Louis Post-Dispatch ·
Madison County prosecutor opposes early release for Paula Sims in daughters' deaths“Sims was convicted of obstructing justice in that death. A jury convicted Sims in 1990 for the first-degree murder of Heather, and she received a life sentence. While the mother was only convicted in Heather's death, she ultimately admitted to killing both.”
News report · St. Louis Post-Dispatch ·
Paula Sims trial: Either a maniacal killer on the loose, or Sims was lying, prosecutor says“Paula Sims was charged in Jersey and Madison counties with obstructing justice and concealing a homicide in both deaths. Soon after, she was indicted for first-degree murder on allegations that she smothered Heather. She later pleaded guilty to the charges in Jersey County in return for a 5-year sentence and a promise that she never would be charged with murder in Loralei's death.”
News report · Alton Telegraph ·
Prison escapee caught close to home“July 13, 1989 Paula Sims, who in April reported that a masked gunman had kidnapped her infant daughter Heather, was held in the Madison County Jail without bond after being indicted on two counts of murder in Heather's death. Sims was arrested without incident at the home of her parents, Orville and Nylene Blew in Cottage Hills.”
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