Posted on 04/30/2005 6:35:35 AM PDT by kellynla
Duluth bride-to-be who vanished just days before her wedding turned up in New Mexico and fabricated a tale of abduction before admitting Saturday that she had gotten cold feet and "needed some time alone," police said.
Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, was in police custody more than 1,420 miles from her home on what was supposed to be her wedding day.
"It turns out that Miss Wilbanks basically felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it," said Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher. He said there would be no criminal charges.
Wilbanks, whose disappearance set off a nationwide hunt, called her fiance, John Mason, from a pay phone early Saturday and told him that she had been kidnapped while jogging three days before, authorities said. Her family rejoiced that she was safe, telling reporters that the media coverage apparently got to the kidnappers.
But Wilbanks soon recanted, according to police.
Ray Schultz, chief of police in Albuquerque, said Wilbanks "had become scared and concerned about her impending marriage and decided she needed some time alone." He said she traveled to Las Vegas by bus before going to Albuquerque.
"She's obviously very concerned about the stress that she's been through, the stress that's been placed on her family," he said. "She is very upset."
The scene at the house Wilbanks shared with Mason went from jubilant, with Mason hopping from one TV interview to the next and joking about meeting Sean Hannity, to more subdued.
Everyone but immediate family was told to leave the house, and the blinds were drawn and the front door closed. Police put up crime scene tape to keep people away.
"Having cold feet is a joy compared to what the alternative might have been," friend Melinda Larson, who had planned to attend the wedding...
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
Thanks Jeff! Appreciate that.
I agree. And the same is true for all who run away from home, and for all who commit suicide.
I'M in Albuquerque
I'm with you.
Mentally ill or not.
Sounds to me like she has some issues and the guy should run away.
Whatever happened to, "I changed my mind". Girls get that out, you know.
That is some pic.
Yes, it is. But that is unrelated to the search everyone wants her to pay for.
She was willing to let her fiance become a prime suspect. She was willing to ruin the travel plans of the wedding guests. She was willing to allow all those who had made massive expenditures for the wedding to just eat them.
I don't know how she can show her face in town ever again. Someone this narcissistic might be in need of a mental institution. She's definitely in need of some consequences for her evil action.
We SHOULD do that for all runaways. Why don't we?
she's need counseling.
I agree with everything you said except the above counseling part. I don't think she needs counseling. I think she is just irresponsible, selfish and uncaring about much of anything but herself. She put a lot of people including strangers through a lot and it's shameful on her part. She should have to pay back every cent it cost the authorities for the money it cost to organize this search. Not to mention the man hours and of course, the terrible pain she inflicted on everyone.
Bought the ticket ahead of time? Planned her trip? No, she doesn't need counseling...she needs good common sense, manners and feelings for others besides her own selfish self.
I feel really bad for her fiance in this whole thing. He seems like a nice guy and we never felt he was involved in this whole thing. I hope he finds someone who truly loves him and not herself.
True. This girl does have issues. Remember the Margot Kidder incident awhile back? She disappeared for days while people searched for her. Turns out she was in the middle of a Bipolar episode and just took off.
Maybe Ms. Wilbanks needs to go see someone about this.
What if she had not recanted her story of abduction? Would some innocent person be in jail now? She should be charged with giving police a false statement.
Oh, goodness no. I think she should be TOTALLY liable for the costs of the search effort.
I'm just a little curious what jsk10, who knows them, thinks.
(This is my second warning not to post before the caffeine kicks in. I am such the diet Cokehead.)
Mental breakdown? A planned "getaway" knowing how much it would hurt the very people who loved her and sang her praises? I dont' think so. Cold feet? Yes. But, to hurt so deeply the man who loved her and her mom and dad? No way, no mental breakdown here...just selfish from the word go.
Yeah. Can't have her take responsibity for her own actions!
Don't you know that everything that people do 'needs counseling'?
Just ask any liberal!
/sarc off
One of the most dangerous aspects of interactive talk shows is that the hosts and their guests tend to over-speculate and they say things that are little more than kneejerk reactions to an evolving story of which the facts are not known.
The profiler who accused the runaway bride of narcissism seemed pretty narcissistic herself - so much so that I was wondering if she was running for political office.
The media benefitted from this story and they are partially responsible for the seeming magnitude of the situation, and possibly, even for the amount of time and money spent by the Gwinnett County police, the GBI, and the FBI. This isn't a bad thing because the media has been helpful in other recent cases and we don't want to discourage them for being involved.
But I think we "experts" have to back off and wait for the facts to come in instead of believing we have the right to hang around in attack mode.
There may be other issues here that we are not aware of, but if it was a case of emotional breakdown over a huge wedding, then maybe it's time for a discussion about how stressful planning a wedding has become. I've seen other brides come very close to doing what she did. They just want the wedding part of the marriage to be over and done with.
When I got married, I was pretty stressed out beforehand, and I did so little in comparison to what women do nowadays. I didn't have my hair done. I didn't have my nails done. I threw on some eye makeup, which is the only makeup I wore in those days. My wedding dress cost $120. Weddings have really gotten out of control, expense-wise and in the amount of things brides are expected to do.
The media assault she is going to get upon arrival back in Georgia may be consequences enough.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Good questions. Here's one more. As someone pointed out in an email to Fox & Friends this morning, there is no Greyhound stop in Duluth GA. Did she have help getting to the nearest town with a bus connection? I'm betting yes.
she's need counseling.
I agree with everything you said except the above counseling part. I don't think she needs counseling. I think she is just irresponsible, selfish and uncaring about much of anything but herself. She put a lot of people including strangers through a lot and it's shameful on her part. She should have to pay back every cent it cost the authorities for the money it cost to organize this search. Not to mention the man hours and of course, the terrible pain she inflicted on everyone.
Bought the ticket ahead of time? Planned her trip? No, she doesn't need counseling...she needs good common sense, manners and feelings for others besides her own selfish self.
I feel really bad for her fiance in this whole thing. He seems like a nice guy and we never felt he was involved in this whole thing. I hope he finds someone who truly loves him and not herself.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.