THE RUNAWAY BRIDE

 

 

The Runaway Bride case refers to Jennifer Carol Wilbanks (born August 25, 1973), who ran away from home on April 26, 2005, in an effort to avoid her wedding with John Mason on April 30.

First reported missing by her fiance John Mason and her family, this case went from a missing person, a manhunt, a kidnapping and finally to a hoax perpetrated by Jennifer herself. He had told them she went out for an evening jog near their home in Duluth, a suburb northeast of Atlanta, and never returned. The search later turned into a criminal investigation. Mason hired a lawyer and passed a polygraph test.

Her family posted a $100,000 reward for her return or the arrest and conviction of those responsible for her disappearance. Family and friends had largely discounted the possibility that Wilbanks had gotten cold feet about the wedding, because she had left behind her keys, money, identification and engagement ring.

The 32-year-old woman, missing since Tuesday, called fiance John Mason from an Albuquerque 7-Eleven convenience store before dawn Saturday, and he kept her on the line long enough for police there to trace the call.

The bride-to-be also called 911 and reported she had been kidnapped near her home and driven more than 1,000 miles to New Mexico.

Although Wilbanks initially told police in Albuquerque that she had been kidnapped, she admitted after further questioning with police and the FBI that she had fled her suburban Atlanta home voluntarily, because she needed some time alone before the large wedding which included 28 attendants and 600 guests.

What I “Saw”:

I felt immediately that this was a hoax by a very spoiled woman. Her mind was a whirling of activity and childish thoughts and behaviors. I saw her in absolutely no danger. I saw her sitting by a large window with landscapes passing by and day turn to night … I sensed that she was on a bus. I couldn’t help but remember the scenes from Sleeping with The Enemy starring Julia Roberts … I reached for any sense of her being abused and I got nothing. All I knew was that she was behaving like a child and out of control. I knew that she would not be able to take care of herself and when her money ran out she would come home … sooner rather than later. Sure enough she did just that.

 

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