Mom reported adopted son missing in 2016, AZ cops say. Now she’s arrested in his death
The adoptive mother of a 10-year-old boy who went missing in 2016 and was found dead nearly two years later has been arrested, Arizona police said.
Crystal Wilson was arrested in Gainesville, Georgia, on Monday, Dec. 12, according to a Dec. 13 news release from the Buckeye Police Department.
In July 2016, Wilson, 54, told police her son, Jesse Wilson, ran away from their Buckeye home “after she had put him to bed for the night,” police said.
“For months, Buckeye police searched for Jesse with help from volunteers and law enforcement agencies including the FBI,” the release said.
Despite search efforts, Jesse was not found, police said.
It wasn’t until nearly two years later in March 2018 that “Jesse’s skeletal remains were found on the side of the road,” according to police.
The cause and manner of Jesse’s death could not be determined, police said.
Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall said at a news conference on Tuesday, Dec. 13, that he believes Wilson knows what happened to Jesse but “has not told detectives,” The Arizona Republic reported.
The case was taken up by a new investigator in November 2020, according to police. The investigator set out to “reexamine the facts, conduct follow up, obtain additional evidence and work closely with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to explore new angles in the case.”
A grand jury “indicted Wilson on one count of abandonment or concealment of a body” on Dec. 9 and a warrant for her arrest was issued, police said.
Wilson was taken into custody with help “from the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Gainesville Police Department,” police said.
Wilson has always been the “main person of interest,” Hall said, The Arizona Republic reported.
“She will be extradited to Maricopa County for prosecution,” according to police.
Buckeye is about 35 miles west of Phoenix.
This story was originally published December 13, 2022 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Mom reported adopted son missing in 2016, AZ cops say. Now she’s arrested in his death."
