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 ...
For Pete's sake. NO ONE KNOWS what is going on, not even the families. We know what it appears to be. We may never know all the facts. I don't care about that.
It's actually possible to allow the various parties to work this out themselves.
Good grief!
Hello everyone,
Well maybe if you're having reservations about getting married, addressing it this way in front of 300 million people might not be the best idea. :)
I have not been on board much because I've been with the families the last two days. Because I work in the media, I've been trying to help coordinate media strategy. The bottom line, with a wedding party this big, it would be foolish to have 28 groomsmen/bridesmaids saying who knows what to whoever. Some of you know the role I played in this, and I do appreiciate your words and prayers VERY MUCH.
As for Jennifer, of course I can't explain this. It's not her background, I can tell you that. I have come to know her family better through this ordeal, and they are as solid and as faith-based a group as I've ever met. The same for the Mason family. John Mason is in many ways, my hero. He has been a rock of faith that humbles me since day 1 of this nightmare. If you think you've seen an outpouring of love for Jennifer and John over the last 3 days, trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet. We are eager to give them both hugs and love starting now.
i do not know what the future holds here, for her or for them as a couple. I know they are both in my prayers. Someone with as many faults as I have (no new threads on this please) has no right to think about judging someone else.
Yesterday, her father cried on television saying he prayed it was a case of "cold feet". There were millions of prayers (many many of them from you all) praying she be found safe and brought home. Prayers answered. I guess we don't get to set stipulations to God. His will and his work will prevail for good in all of this.
One last personal note. This was so hard on me, but my friends here at FR were a pillar of strength for me. I'll never forget it. There are those of you (you know who you are) that I think we're better off if we do not communicate. Some comments burn too deep for me to erase right now. But the vast majority of you have really helped me through this. I pray for you all as you have done for me.
God Bless,
John
I'd take a bloody lie-detector 24/7 until she was found. If my woman/lover went out jogging in my neighborhood and never came back I'd be a wreck but I would trust the lie-detector to clear me.
I'm wondering if this whole thing isn't a future reality show, sponsored by big money.
Why would you demand the test be video-taped unless you wanted it to be seen by others?
Being from the area, I know of what i speak of that boy's local reputation....LOL
I'll take your word(s) for it. But if her father made the comment that he hoped it was 'cold feet', chances are he's spent 32 years watching his daughter get 'cold feet' about one thing or another. Any way you slice it, she is a 32 year old 3 year old.
If it was planned, she would have stayed hidden longer, at least until the second polygraph could be taped. she is simply a uncaring, unstable, immature bimbo. She should be sued to recover all the search costs.
That's true. I had a wedding that was kind of large and I don't remember there being any pressure. It was just a lot of fun.You get to say what you would like and it's done! You even get to pick out your gifts. Life should be so nice always.
Not a smart thing to do once the police made you a suspect (which is by default in these kinds of cases). Let your attorney handle dealing with the police.
Oh, I absolutely agree her actions precipitated a reaction, and a foreseeable one. And by definition, we are responsible for foreseeable consequences. Every person who runs away knows that somebody, maybe even law enforcement, will be looking for them. Many run aways go to great lengths to cover their tracks.
Actions HAVE consequences. We're not completely free to be selfish and thoughtless - it has impact on others ...
Again, have to agree in the general sense that actions have consequences, and sometime consequences that impact others. But we are free to dump a boyfriend, jilt a lover, stiff a date, etc. Even though the consequences are pain, sufferning, and in some cases financial loss.
... in this case, it should have financial and possibly legal consequences.
The law is all about drawing lines as to what is actionable, and what is not - what is criminal, and what is not. I don't think run away should be actionable. Leaving clothing and hair in a public place? It's tempting to jump to the conclusion that she was attempting to create a false crime scene -- but a search would have been underway, crime scene or not. Define the conduct that should be actionable, and apply it equally to ALL.
This kind of behavior should not be encouraged and every time we let somethign like this slide, it encourages other people to act like this. An example should be made of her.
Don't underestimate social stigma as a force for behavior control. There is no criminal penalty for waht CBS did with the false TANG documents, but social stigma and the desire to be perceived as credible serves to control behavior.
Not too many years ago, climber/hiker rescues were public paid - now the climber pays for stupid decisions that result in rescue. Maybe the law will adapt that paradigm to run aways. Then those who run away will leave a simple note - "Don't look for me."
Wait a minute.....if it was YOUR fiance or daughter that went out for a jog, and never showed up in a reasonable time, are you saying that you WOULDN'T expect the police to make a big deal of it?
There is absolutely no excuse for her not notifying the police that she was okay! NO EXCUSE!
And I hope the differenct municipalities and states SEND HER A BILL!
How did Homeland Security get involved?
Why did the Feds get involved so quickly?
I didn't know the Kennedys had relatives in Georgia.
No, the crapweasel media will make a movie about this loser skank.
Having lived in that area and, because my church was one of the biggest and wealthiest in Atlanta and I was in the performance choir, having been part of many of these weddings, I thought of that right away -- this was Mama's wedding and Mama's bridegroom.
But having heard that she bought the bus ticket in advance, and was intelligent enough to realize that she could not get on a plane without showing ID; thinking that people said she left her cell phone at home (nobody jogs in Atlanta without their phone, but you can track people by them); realizing from the many years of bus travel that she could have put a change of clothes and a purse with a loaded wallet in a locker at the bus station -- and then hearing that she'd deliberately planted false clues (e.g. the joggin gsuit and the hair she had cut herself); I think this woman is mentally ill and likely it will come out that she has done this kind of thing before.
Apparently her fiance is a fundamentalist Christian, and possibly she found out when she moved in with him that she can't stand him. But my vote right now is for mental illnesss.
I checked out your profile. You're good looking. What's the problem getting married? Having too much fun being a Warrior Princess?
Anyone who plans a 600-person, 14-bridesmaid wedding is a kook from the get-go. And an ultra-narcissistic kook to boot. And that was before she wasted all of the time and money of those would-be wedding attendees as well as the police and everyone else involved in her search.
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.