How Could You? Hall of Shame-Jesse Wilson-Child Death UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Buckeye, Arizona, “Skeletal remains in an Arizona irrigation ditch have been identified as those of 10-year-old [adopted] boy Jesse Wilson who vanished from his suburban Phoenix home nearly two years ago.

At a news conference, Buckeye Detective Tamela Skaggs confirmed that partial remains recovered from a site off of State Highway 85 earlier this month are those of Wilson.

She said without knowing the cause of death, investigators don’t know if there was foul play at this time, but the case will be treated as a homicide.

‘Any time we have a case with a dead body we will investigate that as a homicide,’ she said.

She said police have yet to rule out any suspects.

Investigators don’t know how long Wilson’s remains were in the area near a state highway, or how they wound up there, Skaggs said. That area was searched in the summer of 2016, but was covered by water at the time.

‘There is the weather we have to consider and landscape, animal activity,’ she said. ‘All those things come into play with that specific desert area.’

Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall said the discovery of Wilson’s remains was the ‘worst outcome we could possibly imagine.’

‘I wish I could say it’s closure but it’s not because we haven’t found the person responsible,’ he said.

FBI agent Lance Leising said the agency is helping Buckeye police investigators with additional interviewers, evidence experts and strategy advice.

The boy disappeared from his home in the early morning of July 18, 2016, in a Buckeye neighborhood, located about 35 miles west of Phoenix.

Police treated it as a runaway case because the boy’s adoptive mother, Crystal Wilson, told investigators that he suffered from ‘learning and developmental issues’ and was taking medication.

The mom-of-five said he had slipped out of his second-floor bedroom window overnight in the past.

In a July 2016 interview with the station KPHO, Ms Wilson addressed her missing son directly, saying: ‘This is your mommy. No one is mad at you. I just miss your loving, caring sweet voice. That’s all I have to say.’

Skaggs confirmed that Crystal Wilson has been notified, and that Wilson’s biological father came forward when the remains were located. She also said Wilson’s siblings are currently in foster care, and that Crystal Wilson is living out of state.

The FBI, Buckeye Police and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office personnel searched for the boy for weeks following his disappearance. Drones, US Border Patrol tracking dogs and citizen volunteers also searched.

The partial human skeletal remains were found March 8 about six miles from the boy’s home by a municipal worker. A subsequent search of the area uncovered additional remains.

The remains were submitted for forensic analysis and positively identified as Jesse Wilson, police said.

A press release from the Buckeye Police Department described the victim as a ‘bright, energetic, and caring young man who was well-liked by his friends and teachers,’ and vowed to pursue the investigation into his death until its conclusion.

‘We believe this case will be resolved as Jesse deserves nothing less,’ officials stated.  ”

Skeletal remains found in Arizona desert are identified as 10-year-old boy who had been missing for nearly two years

[Daily Mail 3/28/18 by AP and Snejana Farberov]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“A woman has been arrested in the death of her adopted 10-year-old son whose body was found in 2018 a few miles from his home in the Phoenix suburb of Buckeye, authorities said Tuesday.

Police said 54-year-old Crystal Wilson was indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury last week on one count of abandoning or concealing a body.

Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall said at a news conference Tuesday that there wasn’t enough evidence to charge the woman with homicide but she was the main “person of interest” all along.

Wilson was arrested Monday at her home in Gainesville, Georgia where she’d been living for several years, according to Hall, who said she will be extradited soon for prosecution.

Police said Jesse Wilson went missing in July 2016 and the boy’s remains were found nearly two years later on the side of a road about six miles from his home.

The county medical examiner’s office declared the cause of death as undetermined.

Police said Crystal Wilson had moved a few weeks before her son’s remains were discovered.

Hall said the case broke after Buckeye police reassigned it to a new investigator, who gathered new evidence and reexamined old leads and that led to the Dec. 9 indictment.

It was unclear Tuesday if Crystal Wilson has a lawyer yet who can speak on her behalf.”

Woman Arrested in Death of Her Young Adopted Son in Arizona
[US News 12/13/22 by AP]

Update 2:“A woman accused in the disappearance and death of her 10-year-old adopted son in a Phoenix suburb has pleaded not guilty in the case and is facing a July 6 trial, according to authorities.

Buckeye police said 54-year-old Crystal Wilson appeared in court briefly Friday with her lawyer. She entered a plea and a judge scheduled a pre-trial conference for April 25.

Wilson is facing one count of abandoning or concealing a body. She was arrested in December in Gainesville, Georgia, and recently extradited to Maricopa County.

Jesse Wilson’s body was found in 2018 a few miles from his home. Police said Crystal Wilson had moved a few weeks before her son’s remains were discovered and had been living the past few years in Georgia.

She told police in July 2016 that her son had run away from their home after she put him to bed for the night. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies unsuccessfully searched for months for the boy.

His skeletal remains were found in March 2018 on the side of a road about six miles (9.6 kilometers) from his home. The county medical examiner’s office declared the cause of death as undetermined.

In November 2020, Buckeye police reassigned the case to a new investigator who gathered more evidence and reexamined old leads that led to an indictment last December.

Police said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Crystal Wilson with a homicide, but she was the main person of interest in the case all along.”

Woman accused in death of son in Arizona pleads not guilty
[APNews 3/12/23 by AP]