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Jesse Wilson’s adoptive mother arrested BY JOE MCHUGH
West Valley View Staff Writer
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December 21, 2022
The Voice of the West Valley for 37 years
fter four years of investigation after the death of 10-year-old Jesse Wilson, the Buckeye Police Department recently arrested his adoptive mother, Crystal Wilson, in Gainesville, Georgia. She is now faced with abandonment or concealment of a dead body and will be held in Hall County Jail in Gainesville, Georgia, until March 15, 2023, where she will then be extradited to Arizona for further proceedings. Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall and the Buckeye Police Department hosted a press conference on Dec. 13 to announce the news to the public and share the details of the arrest. “We continue to see justice for this little boy,” Hall said. “Members of the Maricopa County’s Attorney’s Office and the local FBI are here today. I want to thank them for their
assistance in bringing this case resolution and helping off some closure to those who loved him.” In attendance at the press conference was Jesse’s biological grandmother, Cynthia Lauderdale, and she gave praise to Buckeye police’s work in her grandson’s investigation. “We never gave up hope that justice was going to be served,” Lauderdale said. “We’re just happy that it’s finally come to the end, where the person is going to be liable and will be held accountable for things that she did.” Jesse initially went missing on July 18, 2016. Crystal had told police Jesse had run away from their home near 239th Avenue and Twilight Trail after she had put him to bed for the night. For months, Buckeye police searched for Jesse with help from
Arrest...continued on page 4
Crystal Wilson is faced with abandonment or concealment of a dead body. (Submitted)
State panel urges 23 measures to help kids’ mental health BY PAUL MARYNIAK
West Valley View Staff Writer
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tating that “in Arizona, suicide is the leading cause of death for ages 10-14 and ages 15-25,” a special Arizona House task force has signed off on 23 recommendations to address the problem. Co-chair and outgoing Rep. Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, conceded that the problem the committee had been tasked to address “isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation.” “This is an all-hands-on-deck,” Osborne
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said, and that finding solutions needs the involvement of parents, medical experts and educators, law enforcement and teens themselves. She pointed to the 400-page report the House Ad Hoc Committee on Teen Mental Health is issuing and ticked off a variety of actions that need to be taken not just on a governmental level but in homes and schools as well by businesses. “Those kids need to know you’re back there,” Osborne said.
“Those are the things that we need to be doing. There’s so many great people that are doing it, but we need more of them to do it.” But Rep. Travis Gratham, R-Gilbert, who co-chaired the panel, warned that those recommendations may not be adopted in the coming legislative session as quickly as they hope. Tell the panel their work over the last
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