missing bride-to-be in georgia

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:16 am

the latest i heard is that a "clump" of hair has been found,which could be anyone's of course. will update....i hope not another Laci~or Lori Hacking scenario.

100 Officers To Continue Searching

UPDATED: 12:20 pm EDT April 28, 2005

DULUTH, Ga. -- "We have nothing. It's very frustrating."

That's what Duluth, Ga., Police Chief Randy Belcher told reporters Thursday morning about the search for a Georgia woman who vanished just a few days before she was to be married. He said the case is now being handled as a criminal investigation.

Jennifer Wilbanks

Belcher said that the publicity about the search for Jennifer Wilbanks has generated a number of reported sightings, but no real leads in the case. At another news conference earlier Thursday, Maj. Don Woodruff said that Wilbanks' family said it's "totally uncharacteristic of her behavior" to be out of touch so long.

A cadre of volunteers helped search Wednesday for Wilbanks, 32, who disappeared Tuesday night after going out for an evening jog. The search was primarily along the banks of the Chattahoochee River near Atlanta.

Video: Search Widens For Missing Bride-To-Be

Belcher said Wilbanks is a marathon runner -- who once competed in the Boston marathon -- who didn't have a particular route she followed when she ran. So, he said the search area is widening -- and additional dogs are being brought in to try to pick up a scent.

He said Thursday's search would rely on about 100 police officers from Duluth and surrounding agencies, without volunteers.

Wilbanks was last seen in the downtown Duluth area at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday after leaving the house she shares with her fiance, police said. The couple was set to be married this weekend.

She was last seen wearing a gray sweat shirt and blue sweat pants. She stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds, police said. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information was asked to call Duluth police at (770) 476-4151.

John Mason, the woman's fiance, said he called police after she failed to return home, and he and other relatives were unable to find her.

"She left out of here with a radio and just the clothes she had on," Mason said, adding that he doesn't believe his prospective bride was suffering from last-minute pre-wedding jitters. "If it's cold feet, it's the worst case of cold feet I've seen."

Mason said his fiance left her pocket book, diamond ring, credit cards, car keys and cell phone behind when she went to jog. The wedding had been scheduled for Saturday.

Joyce Parrish, the woman's mother, said she was excited as the wedding day neared. Parrish said her daughter was putting the final touches on her wedding plans. She said they talked just a few hours before she disappeared.

Volunteers, who numbered in the hundreds, handed out fliers to motorists Wednesday that sought help from anyone who might have information about the woman's disappearance. Distributed by Internet Broadcasting

Philadelphia Eagle · Post by **Philadelphia Eagle** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:41 am

Surely not another Laci, LC. That would be appaling.

If she was running by herself in a secluded area she could have been attacked by any drongo who happened to be in the area.

Looking to your further posts on this.

Jives · Post by **Jives** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:01 pm

Oh NO! Please don't let it be another Laci. The boyfriend doesn't seem to be a bad guy, though, does he?

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:08 pm

Jives wrote: Oh NO! Please don't let it be another Laci. The boyfriend doesn't seem to be a bad guy, though, does he? i haven't formed an opinion of him yet, but i am following this very closely. he waited 5 hours to call the authorities, that bothers me. further, he is the only person who says she went jogging. AP

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 3:08 pm

the fiance was asked by police to take a polygraph....he said he will LET THEM KNOW TOMORROW!! :-2

devist8me · Post by **devist8me** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 4:05 pm

He did it. Saw a short clip awhile ago and that was the first thing I thought.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:10 pm

family pastor just made a statement that they "were very much in love".~~ that's what Laci's Mom said and what Lori's Mom said. their computers have been taken from their home. i am not coming to any conclusions yet. i want to see where and in what condition she is found. fiance wants to wait to 1300 eastern tomorrow to say whether he will take polygraph. guess he needs to consult with someone. should be a no-brainer, since polygraphs are not admissable in court, and ostensibly he wants to assist in eliminating himself so that police can expend efforts elsewhere. if he decides not to take it, that speaks volumes. it's only an investigative tool and loved ones NEVER hesitate in a case of this nature. they usually beg to take it and get it out of the way.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 8:22 pm

Hello Reeny and welcome to FG, nice to meet you! not ready to call him guilty, but my radar is certainly engaged. it will all depend on how she is found. i know this, any speculation about "runaway bride' is bull, there were 600 invited to wedding, gift registries, the dress, she's all excited when talking to her mom and the pastor. she has NOT run off without any personal belongings. so that's OUT. this IS foul play.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:48 am

in one half hour, at 1215 eastern, the family will be speaking on FOX cable news. also, at 1300 the police chief will hold a news conference. all her out-of-state friends have come into town for the saturday wedding. so sad. :yh_flower

mominiowa · Post by **mominiowa** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:11 am

Hi - U all know I am not a investigator...But one thing everybody use to say about a murderer - was they would talk in past tense..HE (the hubby to be) is talking in future and is calm..I can not hang him yet........

My theory - someone hit her by accident as she was jogging..Was scared to tell anyone - so they hid her body, missing of course the hair - if u have ever hit a deer or anything, that stuff just hangs on your vehicle- nasty.

Oh hell who knows..Maybe if he did do it.They can put him in the cell with Scott and they can have a "special" relationship till they are both hung...

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:13 am

police say he took a private polygraph but they want him to take GBI (georgia bureau of investigation) polygraph and he set so many conditions that essentially he has de facto refused. not good. the private poly was via his own attorney. :sneaky: ....and that cut clump of hair they found was "consistant" with hers...strange, why cut her hair??

LoveMama · Post by **LoveMama** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:19 am

I don't think this's gals alive. Ex Boyfriend or fiance.......

Getting a lot of press and I think LE has some idea who did this.

I agree with LC......she didn't run away from her marriage. Some SOB got rid of her! GEEZE! Poor gal, poor family.

LE saying they've got lots of tips.....I sure hope so.

xxxooo

Mama

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:57 am

Not sounding good.. :-5 The fiance doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.. I don't care what the conditions were for a POLIGRAPH TEST, I would take any and all to help in the search for my loved one. IF YOU NOT GUILTY WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HIDE..

BOY THIS IS JUST TO MUCH LIKE LACI, AND LORI CASES.. JUST BREAKS YOUR HEART.. :-1

I just heard that the wedding that was to be tomorrow, would have had 12 or more bridesmaids, and 12 or more bridegrooms and a guest list of 600 people. :-1

Jives · Post by **Jives** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 12:52 pm

Now, now...let's not go with the "guilty until proven innocent" theory. Maybe he's in denial. A picture taken out of context can be easily misconstrued.

For example, when the med-techs told me at the hospital last month, that they couldn't help my wife, despite our driving 200 miles and waiting 12 hours in the ER, I smiled. Not because I thought it was funny that my wife couldn't get the help she needed, but because of the sheer irony and futility of the situation.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:57 pm

i listened to her father tonight on CNN and FOX,,,,such a dignified and genuinely nice man, with a broken heart. tonight was supposed to be a joyful evening with rehearsal dinner, there are 28 in the wedding party, who now plan to have a prayer at the church tomorrow at the appointed hour the wedding would have been. :-1

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 3:50 am

incredible!!!!!

Updated: 06:26 a.m. EDT (10:26 GMT) April 30, 2005

Missing bride-to-be found alive in New Mexico

BREAKING NEWS Missing bride-to-be Jennifer Wilbanks has been found alive and well in New Mexico after being freed by apparent kidnappers, police said. Wilbanks called her family in Georgia early today from an Albuquerque pay phone to tell them she'd been freed by a man and woman who Wilbanks said abducted her Tuesday evening.

DEVELOPING STORY

Post by **Betty Boop** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 4:06 am

That's brilliant - that she's still alive!:-6

It still seems odd that her fiance wouldn't take all the polygragh tests though, did he play a part in this 'kidnap'???

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 4:25 am

i smell a hoax.

BTS · Post by **BTS** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 4:31 am

lady cop wrote: i smell a hoax.
Can you expand on your theory?

Peg · Post by **Peg** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 7:12 am

I wonder, with his stipulations on the lie detector test, etc. if her fiance didn't know.

Philadelphia Eagle · Post by **Philadelphia Eagle** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 7:16 am

She needs a lot more than'a bit of therapy'.

There are a number of misdemeanours with which she can, and no doubt will, be charged. They all carry jail-time. I'm sure LC could list them.

I wouldn't plan to be doing too much in the forseeable future if I were her.

mominiowa · Post by **mominiowa** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:29 am

Holy Cow...Now thats what I say COLD FEET! I just cried by the back door and wanted to RUN.......LOL but didn't go to Mexico...

Jives · Post by **Jives** » Sun May 01, 2005 9:11 am

Ai! Carumba! Well if you're gonna hide somewhere, New Mexico is the best place to be, they don't even show our weather on CNN. Most people don't even know we're a state.

But, MAN...am I ever pissed off at her! Surely she knew half the country was looking for her! If I were her father I'd give her a good old-fashioned spanking for all the pain she caused innocent people. One smack on the butt for every thousand people she made worry for no good reason....let's see there appoximately 481,000,000 people in the U.S., so that's 481,000 smacks on the butt.

I honestly do hope she gets the book thrown at her, she cost untold thousands in taxpayer money to search for her, lied to the police, lied to the country, and caused untold thousands of people to worry. All because she was a little "scared" to get married.

Stupid, selfish, immature BRAT!!

Jives · Post by **Jives** » Sun May 01, 2005 9:17 am

Looks like I'm not the only one whos' mad at the little brat. Her fellow townspeople in Duluth call it a "dirty trick" and I'm inclined to agree with them.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/30/bride. ... index.html

minks · Post by **minks** » Sun May 01, 2005 9:22 am

crikey we had a similar incident here in a small town near by, it was the municipal councilor and she staged some flakey kidnapping just to go have a fling in Las Vegas. Stupidly her husband stands by her.

jahamaa · Post by **jahamaa** » Sun May 01, 2005 9:27 am

A lot of people including me figured the boyfriend had something to do with it.

Everynow and then the brilliance of our innocent until proven quilty system really hits home.

As to why he didn't just take the lie detectors test, Have you seen how many innocent people have been found in jail due to DNA science. Just think how many more may be there that can't prove their innocence. I think he did exactly the right thing.

Jives you called it just right. selfish, immature brat.

Jives · Post by **Jives** » Sun May 01, 2005 9:48 am

Yeah! It makes my hair stand on end to see the fact that if he had flunked the lie detector test, there were people just waiting to send him to the electric chair!

It reminds me of an incident one time when I had just purchased a used black, full length, leather trenchcoat. I loved that coat, it was extremely cool and made me look like "Neo" from the Matrix. (Although at that time the movie was still decades in the future).

I was walking home late at night, when suddenly a police car cut me off and three other cars pulledup. They jumped out of their car and yelled," hands up!" Now... I put my hands up...EXTREMELY SLOWLY....and tried my best to act calm. "What's the matter Officer?" I asked.

Most of them were glaring at me like I was a serial killer, over the barrels of their guns, but one nice one said," Just relax buddy, we just had a robbery up the street by a guy wearing a black trench coat. He robbed a Pizza Hut. We're going to just hold you here while the owner comes over for an ID."

I started sweating. Although I hadn't done anything wong, if I looked at all like the robber, and the guy mistook me for him, I was on my way up the river for 10-20 years.

The car pulled up and ....after what seemed like a century or two...I heard a voice say, "Naah. That isn' t the guy." I collapsed with relief. The cop told me, "Sorry. You can go."

I went all right, straight home that night and straight to the used clothing store the next day to sell them the trenchcoat back.

No wonder the boyfirend was so cautious in his moves after the police expressed an interest in him.

jahamaa · Post by **jahamaa** » Sun May 01, 2005 9:57 am

Yeah, please don't ask me any details because this was years ago and I only remember what I am telling you here.

I read an article that said no lie dector test should ever be used to determine the guilt of a suspect that it was not a good enough test to base guilt or innocence on.

It had been written by the inventor of the lie detector.