Georgia Woman Found, Reportedly Got Cold Feet (AP)
A Georgia bride-to-be who vanished just days before her wedding turned up in New Mexico and fabricated a tale of abduction before admitting Saturday that she got cold feet and “needed some time alone,” police said. Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, was in police custody more than 1,420 miles from her home on what was supposed to be her wedding day Saturday. “It turns out that Miss Wilbanks basically felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it,” said Randy Belcher, the police chief in Duluth, Ga., the Atlanta suburb where Wilbanks lives with her fiance. He said there would be no criminal charges.
Wilbanks had called her fiance, John Mason, from a pay phone late Friday and told him that she had been kidnapped three days earlier while jogging, authorities said. Her family rejoiced that she was safe, telling reporters that the media coverage apparently got to the kidnappers. But Wilbanks, who is a nurse, soon recanted, according to police.
Her uncle, Mike Satterfield, thanked people who had helped in the search. “Jennifer had some issues the family was not aware of. We’re looking forward to loving her and talking to her about these issues,” he said.
There certainly should be criminal charges filed here. Her little stunt cost hundreds, if not thousands, of man hours for the police and took them away from trying to solve actual crimes.
And, if she can’t handle the stress of a wedding, I’d certainly hate to have her performing emergency medical services on me.
