Jennifer Wilbanks

Jennifer Carol Wilbanks, C.M.A. (a.k.a. "The Runaway Bride") (born August 25, 1973) is an American who ran away from home on April 26, 2005, in an effort to avoid her wedding with John Mason on April 30. Her disappearance from Duluth, Georgia, sparked a nationwide search and intensive media coverage. On April 29, she called Mason, her fiancé, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and claimed falsely that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a hispanic male and white woman.

Timeline of the actual event

April 26, 2005 — Mason notified police that she was missing two hours after she failed to return from her evening jog.

Related Topics:
April 26 - 2005

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April 27 — 250 people took part in the search for Wilbanks. Local police speculated publicly that Wilbanks' disappearance might be "a case of the premarital jitters," but the search continued. The mayor of Duluth later reported the city spent between $40,000 and $60,000 in the search.

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April 27 — police received numerous pieces of evidence that later turned out to be false leads, including large clumps of dark brown hair in an area next to a retention pond, a variety of clothing, and purported murder weapons.

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April 28 — Woodruff announced that because there were no other explanations, Wilbanks' disappearance was being handled as a criminal investigation. The FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were now involved in the case.

Related Topics:
April 28 - FBI - Georgia Bureau of Investigation

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April 29 — Wilbanks' relatives offered a $100,000 reward and planned vigils. Later that day, Wilbanks called Mason from a pay phone and told him that she had been kidnapped, but had just been released. She also called 911, declaring in a frantic voice that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a Hispanic man and a Caucasian woman in their 40s driving a blue van. When asked if she knew what direction her captors went after setting her free, she said, "I have no idea. I don't even know where I am."

Related Topics:
April 29 - 911 - Sexually assaulted

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The calls were traced to a pay phone at a 7-Eleven in Albuquerque, where she was picked up by local police. Her family publicly thanked the media for getting through to the kidnappers.

Related Topics:
7-Eleven - Albuquerque - Media

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Later during police interrogation, Wilbanks admitted that she had not in fact been abducted, but needed time and space to escape the pressures of her upcoming wedding.

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May 25 — Wilbanks is charged with making false statements. {{ref|WillibanksCharged}}

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May 31 — Wilbanks reaches an agreement with the city of Duluth to repay more than $13,000 in costs incurred by the city in their search. {{ref|DuluthPayment}}

Related Topics:
May 31 - Duluth

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