Bride To Be Missing: Foul Play or Cold Feet?

[Honeykiss1974]

Search halted in case of missing bride-to-be

Investigators testing hair, but have no other leads
The Associated Press
Updated: 3:07 p.m. ET April 29, 2005

DULUTH, Ga. - Police halted their search for a missing bride-to-be on Friday, saying they had “turned over probably every leaf in the city.”

The announcement came minutes after the family of 32-year-old Jennifer Carol Wilbanks announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to anyone responsible for her disappearance.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7665482/

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Do you think she got cold feet and left or what? I'm not sure.

[WCUgirl]

No, if she had gotten cold feet she would have taken her ID and her cc and probably some cash.

I suspect foul play.

[TheEpitome1920]

I was just talking about this with a co-worker. I think she's dead.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
I was just talking about this with a co-worker. I think she's dead.

So do I. I hope that I am wrong, but I doubt it.

[winnieb]

I think she's dead too.
Cold feet-- you would likely take id, ccards or some cash at least.
And was it a random crime, or the hubby-to-be?

[aephi alum]

I think she's dead too.

[KillarneyRose]

This case reminds me a little of what happened to someone I was friendly with in high school. He was getting married in San Francisco (early 1996, if I recall correctly) and had left the rehearsal dinner the night before and was never seen alive again. His body was found the next morning outside of a parking garage; it has never been determined if he fell, jumped or was pushed. It was upsetting for me, someone who hadn't even seen him in probably 10 years and I can't even imagine how horrible of an ordeal it was for his fiance and family.

I hope Ms. Wilbanks is okay, though.

[AlphaSigOU]

She's been found alive in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The mystery continues...

[AGDee]

She has admitted that she hopped on a bus to Vegas and then went to New Mexico because she had gotten cold feet. It sounds to me like this family is pressuring her to get hitched. Read this line from the newest update on CNN:


Her father, Harris Wilbanks, said a new wedding date will be set after they talk to her.


Uhhh..HELLO??? She went to pretty huge extremes to avoid getting married. Think maybe she shouldn't marry this guy???

[WesternAlumn]

I cannot believe that she did not confide in any family member about her reservations. I think the least she could have done was to leave a note for someone to say that she needed some time alone.

[lauralaylin]

I think she's the most selfish person alive. How can anyone do that to their families? Did she ever think about their suffering? How about all the people who searched for her? I hope her fiance doesn't want to marry her after this.

[Honeykiss1974]

Georgia bride-to-be fabricated abduction story
Saturday, April 30, 2005 Posted: 9:22 AM EDT (1322 GMT)


Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, was missing since she went jogging Tuesday evening.

(CNN) -- A Georgia woman, who was found in New Mexico early Saturday and who said she had been abducted, admitted today she had made up the story because she was nervous about her upcoming wedding, police said.

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, had told them she had taken a bus to Las Vegas, Nevada, and on Saturday had taken another bus to New Mexico.

Earlier, Wilbanks had told family members and police that she had been abducted by a man and a woman in a van. She was to be married Saturday.

"Agents and detectives learned Miss Wilbanks had become scared and concerned about her pending marriage and decided she needed some time alone," Schultz said.

Police in New Mexico said she will face no criminal charges, despite her false kidnapping story. When asked what would happen in Georgia, Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher told reporters: "No criminal charges."

Spokesman Mike Satterfield read a statement from the family.

"It has been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her and talking with her concerning these issues," Satterfield said. "There have been so many people who helped us through this and we want to thank all of them."

Rest of article

[Honeykiss1974]

In an article she claimed that she didnt expect it to gain national attention - but with the fact that she is pretty and wealthy, the media jumped all over it .

Yesterday, I was watching John Walsh from AMW on CNN, and he was talking about why the media picks the abduction/missing person cases that it does (which was because of looks, race and wealth) because according to the FBI's website, there are currently over 22,000 missing women over 18 (and that's just the one's that are reported).

Its sad that there are more serious cases out there, and the media hopped all over this one when in fact, she was hitching a hreyhound to New Mexico.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I am glad that she is alive and I was wrong. She must have felt really desperate to run away like that.

[AGDLynn]

I can understand why she could bolt because of wedding pressures.

What I don't understand is why, after all the national media, did she not contact her family immediately.

Surely in towns from Duluth GA to Nevada to New Mexico, they have newspapers and/or TV!