Naman Shrestha
In the summer of 2016, a tragedy struck the Hilbert family when Justin Hilbert’s body was discovered on the side of the road in Riverside County, California. The entire case is explored in a detailed manner in the episode titled ‘Wrong Turns’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline,’ which also sheds light on a related murder case of Bailey Sharp. Connecting both the gruesome crimes together was Justin’s fiancee, Tonya Reppe, who was immensely affected by the loss of the love of her life.
Tonya Reppe And Justin Hilbert Had Envisioned a Fulfilling Life Together
It didn’t take much time for Tonya Marie Reppe to fall head over heels in love with Justin Hilbert, given his cheery and compassionate nature. She told The Press-Enterprise, “His smile was by far my favorite thing about him. He always made me laugh. That’s what made me fall in love with him.” They began dating, and as their relationship became stronger, the couple started seeing a future with one another and got engaged. Sometime in 2015, they got pregnant and eagerly awaited the birth of their child. In early 2016, the pair welcomed an adorable baby boy whom they named Logan Hilbert.
As months went by, they began looking forward to exchanging their vows in the presence of their family and friends in a blissful ceremony. They were dedicated to building a comfortable life for themselves and their son, Logan, and had their entire lives ahead of themselves, but unfortunately, fate had other plans. Six months after the birth of Logan, Tonya became a single mother as Justin was murdered on June 21, 2016.
The loss of her soulmate and her baby’s father took a massive toll on her as she constantly missed his warm presence and smile the most. When the identities of the killers were still a mystery, she expressed her grief as well as frustration about not finding the killer during a conversation with CBS News, “Everybody loved him. I can’t imagine who would have so much hatred to do something like that. It’s heartbreaking. He’s only six months old. He’s never going to know his father. I want answers. I want to know who could have done this and why.”
Tonya Reppe Prefers to Keep Matters of Her Personal and Professional Life Private
Just a few weeks into the tragic demise of Justin Hilbert, Tonya began the process of changing her last name from Bischoff to Hilbert. She got the surname “Bischoff” from her previous marriage to a Riverside man named Jared Bischoff. According to her, they got divorced after he showed signs of being progressively violent with her. When Jared was arrested for the murder of his current girlfriend, Bailey Sharp, it did make him a suspect in the killing of Justin as well, in the eyes of the law and Tonya. When he and another one of his accomplices were convicted and sentenced for killing Justin in 2024, she was relieved and found a sense of closure.
Having said that, it is a known fact that losing the love of her life in such a brutal manner rocked Tonya Marie Reppe’s world. Though she had the support and compassion of her friends as well as her and Justin’s family members, nothing could fill the void left by Justin’s untimely death. The fact that her ex-husband was responsible for it affects her too. The members of the community were kind to the mother and son and reportedly donated in kind and cash for the well-being of the latter. From what we can tell, Tonya has decided to keep her life away from the prying eyes of the media.
After everything the family has been through, she understandably wants Logan to grow up without being subjected to unnecessary public attention. Not much is known about her life post-2016, but it is likely that she is a resident of West Warwick, Rhode Island, as of writing. Knowing what a loving and devoted mother she is, we are sure Tonya is doing her best to give Logan the best possible life she can. Though there may be times when she misses Justin and reflects on what life could’ve been like had he still been here, we believe she is grateful for the love they shared and the memories they created during their time together. We wish her all the strength to move forward in life.
Read More: Justin Hilbert: What Happened to Him? How Did He Die?
