Kayleah Wilson -- Found Deceased 5/19/10

12-Year-Old Kayleah Wilson Missing: Disappeared on Way to Birthday Party

April 1, 2010 12:34 PM
Posted by Kealan Oliver



GREELEY, Colo. (CBS/AP) Police are searching for 12-year-old Kayleah Wilson, who went missing while on her way to a friend's birthday party.

Wilson, from Greeley, Colo., has been missing since Sunday. She was on her way to meet a friend in an area across a busy highway from her home.

Over 20 police officers and FBI agents were searching for her Wednesday in Greeley, located about 60 miles north of Denver. Police used dogs to comb the medians, ditches and bushes along the highway for signs of the girl.

Police and FBI agents have not found any evidence that Wilson ran away or that she is a victim of foul play.

An Amber Alert has not yet been issued for Kayleah, as police say that the criteria for an Amber Alert are very specific and at this point all they know is that the 12-year-old has disappeared.

Carrie Booker, a neighbor of Wilson, told CBS affiliate KCNC-TV that Kayleah's mother "hasn't eaten for, like, two days because she's so worried." As of Wednesday night the girl's mother was still being interviewed. Police said they are taking a much closer look at this case.

The Brentwood Middle School student is 5 foot 1 inches tall, weighs 145 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a white and pink shirt, jeans and white and red shoes.

Anyone with information about this girl's whereabouts is asked to please call the Greeley Police Department at (970) 350-9600.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20001549-504083.html

FBI on Greeley missing girl: 'We have to assume the worst'

Web Staff KDVR Denver
6:28 PM MDT, April 2, 2010



 

GREELEY, Colo. - Greeley Police and the FBI held a joint news conference Friday afternoon, pleading for additional tips to help solve the disappearance of 12-year-old Kayleah Wilson.

Wilson was last seen at her Greeley home Sunday afternoon when she left to walk to a friend's house for a birthday party.

She never got there.

"If anyone has seen anything...please share that information with us," Greeley Police Sgt. Joe Tymkowych said. "It's kind of like when you pass by an accident and you assume someone has called (it) in...but maybe nobody has."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said authorities have received -to date- over 100 tips. However, FBI Special Agent Jim Davis would not provide any specifics as to whether they indicate Kayleah left on her own, or fell victim to foul play.

"We have to assume the worst. That is our job," Davis said. "We assume the worst and hope for the best, and that's how we're proceeding with the investigation."

"There is no higher priority in the Denver division of the FBI."

Police say the route Kayleah was expected to take to the party, along US Highway 34, would have put her in plain site of drivers. They are asking for anyone who might remember seeing her to call police.

On Thursday, Kayleah's stepfather raised the possibility that she ran off to California to be with her biological father. On Friday, however, the FBI said that did not appear to be the case.

"We interviewed the father and we're confident she's not with him in California," Davis said. "However, we have not washed out the possibility that she has left on her own."

Police say Kayleah was last seen wearing a white and pink shirt over a white tank top, blue jeans and white and red shoes. She's described as 5'1", 145 lbs., brown eyes and brown hair.

Also Friday, authorities displayed a red inhaler Kayleah, who suffers from asthma, took with her to the party with the hope that -if discovered- it could provide an important clue as to her whereabouts.

An AMBER Alert has not been issued in this case because Kayleah's disappearance does not yet meet the criteria. AMBER Alerts for missing children were created after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped and killed in Texas in 1996.

Anyone with information about Kayleah's disappearance can call the Greeley Police Department at (970) 350-9600 or the FBI's anonymous tip line, 1-800-CALL-FBI.

http://www.2thedeuce.com/news/kdvr-missing-girl-update-040210,0,4219577.story

This 12-year-old girl has been missing since last Sunday, and it seems that her disappearance has not been widely reported. No Amber alert because this case didn't meet the criteria and there is no evidence of abduction. How many abductions of kids are actually witnessed and immediately reported? There has to be another alert system for these kids. This girl's name (if spoken aloud) sounds like Caylee and that alone gives me the chills.
(No Amber alert was originally issued for Lindsey Baum, age 10, of Oregon....she is still missing.)
The longer a child is missing the less likely is the chance that the child will be found alive. Maybe this girl did try to run away, but if she did, she didn't get very far. This is so heartbreaking.

There has been no coverage on Kayleah at all! I don't understand why she does not meet the Amber Alert criteria. And you're right Cali, the longer it goes, there is less chance of finding her. I hope she is okay and will be brought home safely.

Kayleah Wilson case: Mom of missing girl's friend takes action

Saturday, April 3, 2010
By Mike Peters

A Greeley girl who is a good friend of missing Kayleah Wilson said Friday that the girl had never talked about running away or going to California to see her father.

Kayleah, 12, lives in south Greeley, and left her home last Sunday afternoon to walk to a friend's birthday party. She never arrived at the party and never returned home.

Dozens of Greeley police officers and FBI agents have been working the case, interviewing and re-interviewing friends and relatives. No trace of the girl has yet been found, although that also means investigators haven't found any evidence of foul play.

Jessica Thompson, 12, attends a different school than Kayleah, but they attend church together at Abundant Life Fellowship.

“She's a great friend,” Jessica said Friday morning. “She's a lot of fun to hang out with at the mall or go to movies. I was going to ask her to spend the night at my house, but then...” Jessica's voice trailed off when she spoke of her friend's disappearance.

Jessica said she found out about her missing friend early this week when a police officer came to Heath Middle School with a picture. “I asked him, ‘Is that Kayleah?' and he said it was and asked some questions about her.”

Kayleah's father lives in California and hasn't seen his daughter for several years. Some family members speculated she may have gone to California to see him, but police have been in constant touch with the father and he denies knowing anything about the disappearance.

Kayleah also apparently had a boyfriend who may be 17 years old, but Jessica Thompson said Kayleah never said anything to her about a boyfriend.

Jessica's mother, Michelle Thompson, doesn't know Kayleah, but she set up a Facebook page — “Prayers for Kayleah Wilson's Safe Return” — for those who are supporting and praying for the Wilson family.

“My daughter is good friends with Kayleah,” Thompson said, “and we wanted to do something for the community; to give people a chance to connect.”

Thompson also has arranged a candlelight vigil for Kayleah to be held Friday at the Higher Grounds activity center on 11th Avenue in north Greeley.

“Friday nights are kids' nights at the center,” Thompson said. “It was too soon to set it up for (Friday night), but we have planned the vigil for next Friday.

“We can only hope that she's back home and safe by then.”

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100403/NEWS/100409868/-1/RSS

Police using horses to search for missing girl

written by: Jeffrey Wolf 54 mins ago

GREELEY - Police on foot and on horseback were searching open areas near the home of a 12-year-old girl for any sign of the sixth-grader missing since Sunday.


Kayleah Wilson was last seen Sunday at about 3:40 p.m. when she left her home to walk to a friend's birthday party across a busy highway about a mile from her home.

More than 600 motorists passing near the area Friday were stopped by Greeley Police and asked if they had seen anything Sunday night.

Greeley Police Sgt. Joe Tymkowych says authorities have gone to Kayleah's favorite hangouts, searched along the highway, interviewed friends, family, and acquaintances, and have contacted registered sexual offenders who live nearby.

Both Greeley Police and the FBI have repeatedly made pleas to the public for any information on her whereabouts.

They say they do have some leads, but cannot comment on them.

Both Greeley Police and the FBI say a news conference held on Friday generated more callers and they are following up on many new leads.

Investigators also released pictures of Kayleah's inhaler, which is red and white, so they are asking people to be on the look out for that as well.

Kayleah is described as 5-foot, 1-inch tall, 145 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a white and pink shirt over a white tank top, blue jeans and white and red shoes. She is a student at Brentwood Middle School.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Greeley Police Department at 970-350-9600. Or you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI.





http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=135910

GREELEY - Investigators sent dive teams into a pond on the southwest side of Greeley in what they called the initial search of a vital area as they look for a 12-year-old girl who has been missing for nearly a week.



Kayleah Wilson was last seen last Sunday at about 3:40 p.m. when she left her home to walk to a friend's birthday party across a busy highway about a mile from her home.

Saturday, a dive team searched a pond near the Homestead Lakes area in Greeley around 3:30 p.m. for any signs of the missing sixth grader. Firefighters with the Union Colony Fire Department were at the pond with the FBI. Investigators also brought in sonar equipment.

They finished their search of the pond after 4 p.m.

The pond is about six blocks away from where Kayleah went missing.

The Weld County posse, a group of officers on horses, also searched the area. The mounted officers started at Greeley West High School and moved south in their search.

Investigators called off the search for the day around 5 p.m.

"We're still in the same place we were yesterday, pretty much the same stance. We are looking for something to tell us that she was either abducted or she's a runaway. We still don't know that for sure yet," Greeley Police Sgt. Joe Tymkowych said. "That's kind of the concern that has us at a point now where we really, every little piece of information, every little piece of evidence, we're combing through it and going over it two or three times, making sure."

More than 600 motorists passing near the area Friday were stopped by Greeley Police and asked if they had seen anything Sunday night.

Tymkowych says authorities have gone to Kayleah's favorite hangouts, searched along the highway, interviewed friends, family, and acquaintances, and have contacted registered sexual offenders who live nearby.

Both Greeley Police and the FBI have repeatedly made pleas to the public for any information on her whereabouts.

They say they do have some leads, but cannot comment on them.

Both Greeley Police and the FBI say a news conference held on Friday generated more callers and they are following up on many new leads.

Investigators also released pictures of Kayleah's inhaler, which is red and white, so they are asking people to be on the look out for that as well.

Kayleah is described as 5-foot, 1-inch tall, 145 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a white and pink shirt over a white tank top, blue jeans and white and red shoes. She is a student at Brentwood Middle School.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Greeley Police Department at 970-350-9600. Or you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=135910&catid=222

Leads in Greeley missing girl case top 240
Authorities in Greeley have received more than 240 leads in the case of a missing 12-year-old girl.

Posted: 8:56 AM Apr 5, 2010

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - Authorities in Greeley have received more than 240 leads in the case of a missing 12-year-old girl.

Kayleah Wilson last seen on the afternoon of March 28 when she left home to walk to a friend's birthday party.

Police stopped vehicles Sunday afternoon around the time Kayleah was last seen, asking motorists if they had noticed anything the week before. A search of ponds and a wooded, undeveloped area on Saturday hasn't turned up any sign of Kayleah, who weighs 145 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.

Police Sgt. Joe Tymkowych said authorities were also searching residential areas near her home, including one that wouldn't have been on her way to the birthday party. Police don't know if Kayleah was abducted or may have run away.

http://www.nbc11news.com/regionalnews/headlines/89914122.html

Reward offered in Greeley missing girl case

Dave Young Reporter
5:43 PM MDT, April 5, 2010

 

GREELEY, Colo. - Despite following up on more than 300 leads in Colorado and at least three other states, visiting more than a thousand homes and fielding hundreds of tips FBI and local investigators still have little to go on in their search for 12-year-old Kayleah Wilson.

"We believe there is information out there...People who may know something and haven't come forward with it," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jim Davis at a Monday press conference to update the investigation.

"The possibility always exists that we frightened this young lady into 'Gosh this is such a serious thing, now I'm afraid to come in,'" said Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner.

Despite pleas from her mother other family and friends, they've found no trace of Kayleah since she left for a birthday party a week ago Sunday afternoon.

However, police say there were a few sightings of Kayleah at Greeley Mall sometime after she said 'goodbye' to her mother and headed for the party a few blocks from the family's apartment.

"It's pretty clear that the longer this (search) goes, the more concerned we get about our ability to bring her home safely," said Davis.

While authorities will not share what -if anything- they have uncovered about the girl's disappearance, they still say there is no evidence of foul play. But they're not ruling out anything, or anyone, including family, stranger or someone the girl may have trusted.

And they sent Kayleah a message Monday.

"We want to get you in here safe. We want to get you back to your family. You're not in trouble. We're not going to put you in jail or anything like that," said Chief Garner.

Investigators have also released a new missing persons flier with a series of color photos of Kayleah in hopes it will spark someone to come forward.

http://www.2thedeuce.com/news/kdvr-missing-girl-update-040510,0,4809404.story

Search continues for missing 12-year-old Greeley girl; nearly 2 weeks since disappearance

Friday, April 9, 2010

GREELEY, Colo. — While the Greeley police and FBI continue to search for Kayleah Wilson or for clues as to why she disappeared almost two weeks ago, there were no new leads announced in the case.

The last press conference was Tuesday, and none was held Friday. Only a brief announcement came from FBI spokesman Dave Joly regarding the $10,000 reward for information leading to the return of the 12-year-old girl.

Kayleah disappeared March 28, after she left her home in south Greeley to go to a birthday party. Greeley police and the FBI have a surveillance film showing her in the Greeley Mall parking lot shortly after she left her home. She appeared to be all right at that time, and alone.

A candlelight vigil for the missing girl and her family is scheduled for tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Higher Grounds activity center, 134 N. 11th Ave.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Greeley police at (970) 350-9600, or the FBI hotline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20100409/COMMUNITY_NEWS/100409899/-1/RSS

Update on Kayleah: searchers are volunteering

Friday, April 16, 2010

Searches will be conducted throughout the weekend for Greeley's missing 12-year-old girl, Kayleah Wilson, and police said rumors of her body being found are not true.

Michelle Thompson, an organizer of the search and the new Kayleah Wilson Recovery Center, said that since they announced the search, she's been flooded with calls.

“I'm getting tons of calls from people who want to know where and when they can help,” Thompson said Friday. “I've had volunteeer searchers, people with ATVs call, and a group of divers. I'm not sure we need the divers right now, but we can use the searchers.”

Volunteers are asked to report to the Journey Christian Church, 2332 27th St. between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday or Sunday.

Although there have been rumors that her body has been found, Greeley police Sgt. Joe Tymkowych said that isn't true. “We received a lot of calls about that, but we need to assure every one that we're still searching.”

He said people may have heard about a 15-year-old Lander, Wyo. girl, who was missing, but her body was found last week. A relative of the girl's has been arrested in that case.

Tymkowych said the police are working with the volunteer searchers in Greeley and the search organization.

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, have a valid ID, and should dress for walking rugged terrain. Horseback searches and people with ATV vehicles are also urged to volunteer.

This week, the FBI said they are cutting back on the number of agents working the case, unless something else breaks on it. Greeley police, the FBI and the Weld County Sheriff's Office have searched thousands of homes, searched throughout Greeley and the outskirts of town.

Kayleah disappeared March 28 when she left home in south Greeley, telling her mother she was going to meet a friend and go to a birthday party. She hasn't been seen since.

The FBI has doubled the reward — now $20,000 — for information that would lead to the closing of the case. This week, the FBI Behavioral Science Unit released a list of personality changes to look for if there was an abductor in this case. Those changes include, changing one's appearance, changing the looks of a car, showing extensive interest in the case and unexplained injuries such as cuts and bruises to the hands, arms and face.

For questions about the recovery center or searches, call (970) 308-1678.

If you have information about Kayleah, call the Greeley police at 350-9600 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100416/NEWS/100419742/1051&ParentProfile=1001

Police issue ‘profile' of potential abductor in Kayleah Wilson case
Friday, April 16, 2010

Hoping to attract more tips on the Kayleah Wilson case, the FBI is doubling the reward and giving tips about what could be the odd behavior of a possible abductor.

Although Greeley police and the FBI were quick Thursday to say they had no evidence that the 12-year-old had been abducted, Police Chief Jerry Garner said, “I wouldn't be surprised to find that someone is hiding her in the Greeley area.”

Asking people in Greeley to be alert because if Kayleah was abducted, the person who took her could live in or around Greeley, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit gave several tips about what to watch for:

»People who come up with an excuse to leave this area unexpectedly for what may sound like a good reason, such as a work-related move, visiting a distant relative or friend.

»People who have missed work, called in sick, or asked to change shifts, particularly on days close to when the girl went missing.

»People with unexplained recent injuries, such as cuts or bruises on the head, hands or arms.

»An unexpected or sudden interest in the status of the investigation, paying very close attention to the media or avoiding conversations or activities related to the case.

»Minimizing or denying a known acquaintance with Kayleah.

»A recent display of nervousness or irritability.

»An increase or decrease in expressing religious beliefs.

»Changes in routine sleep patterns.

»Changes in the “usual” consumption of alcohol, drugs or cigarettes, either an increase or decrease.

»Shaving off facial or head hair, or growing a mustache or beard.

»A person who is no longer driving, or changes the appearance of his or her vehicle for no obvious reason. These include suddenly keeping it in a shed or garage, covering it, painting or selling the vehicle, or reporting it was stolen or given away.

The reward in the case was raised to $20,000 because the investigators haven't been getting as many leads in the case in recent days, said Special Agent-In-Charge Jim Davis.

Regarding the behavioral analysis of the possible abductor, Davis said “In our experience, we've seen this type of behavior before in suspects, and we hope people will look for these changes.”

The 12-year-old girl disappeared almost three weeks ago when she left home to walk to meet a friend for a birthday party. She hasn't been seen since.

In addition to the increased reward, the FBI also announced Thursday that they are cutting back on the number of agents who are in Greeley working the case. At one time, more than 50 people from the FBI were on the case, but because of the decrease in leads, they are cutting back.

Garner said the case is very unusual because they haven't found anything to lead them toward a runaway or an abduction, “But our concern and worries increase by the day.”

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100416/NEWS/100419759/1002&parentprofile=1001

It seems if Kayleah would have run away, something would have come to light by now. She's only 12, I doubt she had money and how would she travel? I hope she is found soon. It doesn't look good at this point.

Missing girl cases as different as they are similar

Probe's intensity, tools are far advanced since 1984

By Mike Peters
Sunday, May 2, 2010

They don't want it to happen again.

Not another Jonelle.

At 12 years old, she was attending a Greeley middle school; when she disappeared, the FBI came in within 24 hours, and despite a reward of $20,000, no clue has been found to prove she's alive or dead.

That was the Jonelle Matthews case, and now, it's the Kayleah Wilson case.

Police have found no connection between the cases that are separated by 25 years, but the coincidences are sometimes surprising.

Jonelle Matthews, 12, disappeared from her home in west Greeley on Dec. 20, 1984, and hasn't been found. Kayleah Wilson, 12, left her home in south Greeley on March 28 to meet a friend and go to a birthday party. She hasn't been seen since.

But even though there was national publicity and huge searches for Jonelle, the intensity of that case doesn't match what happened in Greeley in the past month. And despite the largest investigation in the history of Greeley, nothing has been found about Kayleah.

Lt. Brad Goldschmidt is the head of the Greeley detectives office now, and he remembers the Jonelle Matthews case in 1984. He'd been with the Greeley Police Department only six months back then, but he helped in the search and with the door-to-door contacts. The case has never left him.

And he also sees the differences in the investigations from 25 years ago and today:

» Although the FBI came to Greeley to help in both cases, there was one agent in Greeley in 1984, and more than 50 people from the FBI here for the Kayleah case.

» DNA has developed into a strong science in 25 years, and although there is no suspect, DNA available in either case, the science of DNA can still help. “We can check things now that we couldn't have back then,” Goldschmidt said. “We can swab a door and find if she's been there. Anywhere we think she might have gone can be swabbed and prove she was there through DNA.”

» There were few surveillance cameras on homes or businesses 25 years ago. In the Kayleah case, detectives and FBI agents have watched hundreds of tapes and found at least one where Kayleah was seen outside the Greeley Mall. That wasn't available 25 years ago.

» Because of the Internet, the speed of information on today's cases is much faster. Goldschmidt said the officers working the case were able to get Kayleah's name and photo on the missing children sites. Twenty-five years ago, it was more difficult to get that information out.

» “We have the names and addresses of all registered sex offenders now,” Goldschmidt said. “We've questioned them all, but

25 years ago they had no sex offenders' registration. It was difficult to find them back then.”

Despite the new revelations in crime investigation, Kayleah's case today compares in one strong aspect to Jonelle Matthews: neither girl has been found.

“I've never worked a case with so few substantial leads,” Goldschmidt said of the Kayleah case. “It's still a 50-50 chance of being a runaway or abduction.”

With the help of the FBI, Weld County Sheriff's Office and other departments, the Greeley police have used hundreds of searchers, search dogs, riders on ATV and horseback, and planes shooting aerial photos of large open areas of Greeley and Weld County, looking for anything that would lead to Kayleah.

“I've never seen anything like this investigation,” said Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner. “Our officers don't feel like they've missed anything that could be a clue. Even though we have no answers yet, we're satisfied a thorough investigation has been done to this point.”

There are now two FBI agents and two Greeley police detectives working the case full time. When leads come in, more officers join again to follow up.

Both Goldschmidt and Garner praised the FBI for the work they've done in the case, noting the cooperation between different agencies.

Garner also credited the people of Greeley who have stepped forward also. “The volunteers, the information that came in, the people who just wanted to help in some way has been overwhelming,” Garner said. “For example, when it was released that we had 50 agents and all the police and deputies working the case, people started bringing extra food to the station to make sure we all ate. That shows that in Greeley, people want to help each other.”

And, despite a month of intense investigation not yielding any evidence of what happened to Kayleah, the investigation will continue. “We will not give up on this case,” Garner said. “That is what I told Kayleah's mother.”

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100502/NEWS/100509935/-1/RSS

Search slated for Saturday

Friday, May 7, 2010

Saying that the family is “hanging in there,” the mother of a missing 12-year-old Greeley girl announced they have organized a search for her Saturday in the Windsor area.

Kayleah Wilson disappeared March 28 when she left her south Greeley home to meet a friend for a birthday party. Despite the most intensive investigation in Greeley history, no sign of the 12-year-old has been found.

Her mother, April Wilson, said Friday a search will be held in Windsor Saturday. Volunteers can report any time between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the MediGrow Shop 1292 Main Street in Windsor, Unit 1. MediGrow is a medical marijuana shop.

Volunteers can check in at the shop and be assigned specific areas to search.

HOW TO HELP
» If you have information about Kayleah Wilson, call the Greeley police at (970) 350-9600 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100507/NEWS/100509768/-1/RSS

Somber Mother's Day doesn't slow down Kayleah's mom and the search for her missing daughter

By Sharon Dunn
Sunday, May 9, 2010

Kayleah loved Mother's Day.

The soon-to-be 13-year-old for years made the holiday a special one for her mother.

“Mother's Day was her thing,” April Wilson said Saturday as she sat in the command center of a search for her daughter in Windsor. “She always did something, like make cards with little sayings. She'd look them up on the Internet and print it off and make cards.”

Now, with Mother's Day 2010 upon her, the 37-year-old mother of three could only dread it. Her baby girl, Kayleah, has been missing for six weeks after vanishing on her way to a friend's birthday party on a Sunday afternoon.

Police and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation organized massive searches for the girl in the two weeks following her March 28 disappearance, but the number of authorities working the case has decreased, while clues to her disappearance have remained weak from the get-go. It's a fact Wilson accepts.

“They have to go back to their day jobs,” she said, adding that she remains confident police are on task. “I don't feel at all that the authorities have slacked off. You can't feel that way when the detective tells you, ‘I will never stop looking for your daughter.' ”

Since Kayleah's disappearance, Wilson said her full-time job has become the task of finding her daughter. She makes flyers every day, and finds new places to hang them. Saturday, she checked in 13 volunteers who came to the Windsor search for the girl. Wilson is prohibited from going on the search, she said, and she doesn't think she could handle finding anything “bad” anyway. She has organized another search for her daughter May 22-23 in Milliken and Johnstown.

“There were hundreds of volunteers at first, but every little bit counts,” she said. “Everyone says the world is so different, that people don't care. That's not what I've seen in this entire process. So many people who don't even know me tell me, ‘We're praying for you.' Prayer is good.”

Until the end of the school year, searches have to be a bit haphazard, as she also must negotiate life and conflicts people have. Today, Mother's Day, is a day most will spend with their own families.

“I'm going to church with my mother and spending the day with my kids, like any other day,” Wilson said.

With two boys still at home, she already has had to deal with one special day without her baby girl. She turned 37 on April 20, the day her daughter had insisted on baking a cake.

Wilson now just tries to keep busy. During the daytime, she said, it's easier, as she cares for Jesse Wilson, 4, and later in the afternoon, her 17-year-old son, Mackenzie Wilson.

“Nighttime sucks,” Wilson admitted, adding that she sleeps with Kayleah's hot pink sleeping bag every night. “I'm still not sleeping. I'm constantly wondering where is she, where could she be? ... She didn't even take a coat. When it's rainy outside, my first thought is, ‘I hope she's inside.' ”

Wilson has found herself listening to Kayleah's favorite music, and buying the foods Kayleah wanted.

“Everything in the house reminds me of her,” Wilson said. “I went and bought popsicles for goodness sake because she said she wanted to have popsicle races to see who could eat the most the quickest without having a brain freeze.”

Wilson won't let the worry get the best of her, though. She said she must keep hope alive and will do anything she can to find her daughter, who turns 13 on June 25.

“Every day becomes more frustrating,” she said. “But it's just like life. You either deal with it and have faith or you roll over and die, and I'm not going to do that.”

» What's next
April Wilson and volunteers have planned a 10th search for Kayleah Wilson for May 22-23 in Milliken and Johnstown. Volunteers should check in between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Milliken Police Department, 1201 Broad St. Volunteers must be at least 18 and have a photo ID. Volunteers are asked to keep dogs and children at home. For more information, call Judy at (970) 576-0618 or e-mail djsauriol@q.com.

» How to help
Kayleah Wilson is described as 5-foot-1, 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white and pink shirt over a white tank top, blue jeans, and white and red shoes.

If you have information about Kayleah Wilson, call the Greeley police at (970) 350-9600 or the FBI at (800) CALL-FBI.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100509/NEWS/100509685/-1/rss

Kayleah's mother joins safety fair

Sunday, May 16, 2010
By Mike Peters

As families lined up to have their children's photos taken, April Wilson sat at the other end of the table, photos of her missing daughter, silently letting people know what could happen.

The Children's Safety Fair was Saturday at CenterPlace Shopping Center in west Greeley, and drew many families and children, but probably the most-visited booth was where children could get a special ID card.

Josh Gonzalez of Best Buy was one of the people at computers, putting together the IDs for children. “This is our second year of doing this,” Gonzalez said. “We seem to have more parents doing this because of the missing girl.”

That “missing girl” is Kayleah Wilson, 12, who disappeared two months ago. Her mother, April, at the other end of the table, said there was no news about her daughter this weekend.

Dozens of booths, fire trucks, ambulances, police cars and other child-related booths were set up Saturday, including the Greeley Optimist Club, which had a bicycle course set up for kids to learn about street crossings and stop signs.

There was a booth about child safety seats and a “smoking” building that firefighters used to teach children about getting through a house fire.

And back at the children's ID booth, April Wilson said they ran out of fingerprint kits because so many families were coming through.

The search for the missing Greeley girl continues next Saturday, as her family asks for volunteers to search the Milliken and Johnstown areas.

Kayleah disappeared March 28, when she left home to meet a friend and go to a birthday party. Despite the most extensive investigation in Greeley history, no sign of the girl has turned up.

The family has been spreading the search to different areas in Weld County, in hopes some trace of the girl will be found.

When she was reported missing, Greeley police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Weld County Sheriff's Office worked together on the case. More than 50 FBI agents were in Greeley for two weeks before they began to scale back because Kayleah couldn't be found.

Volunteer searchers are asked to meet at the Milliken Police Department, 1201 Broad St. in Milliken between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday. Searchers must be at least 18 years old with a photo ID. Volunteers are asked not to bring their children or dogs to the search.

For more information, contact Judy Sauriol at (970) 576-0618, or at djsauriol@q.com.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100516/NEWS/100519719/-1/RSS

Body found in Greeley ditch near home of missing girl

Web Staff KDVR Denver
1:27 PM MDT, May 19, 2010



GREELEY, Colo. - Police were investigating the discovery of a body in west Greeley Wednesday not far from the home of a missing girl. A police spokesman said the body is too badly decomposed to determine if it is a male or female.

The body was found less than a mile from the home of 12-year-old Kayleah Wilson. The 6th grader has been missing since March 28. Reports said Kayleah's mother, April, was notified that a body had been found. A victim's advocate from the Greeley Police Dept. was at the family's home Wednesday morning.

Police say an employee of a ditch company found the body near 35th Ave. and U.S. 34 Bypass. Sgt. Joe Tymkowych told the Greeley Tribune the worker was checking the narrow ditch for any problems following Tuesday's heavy rains at about 6 a.m. Wednesday. He came to a gate and when he opened that gate, as he always does, he noticed the body and contacted police.

The ditch runs underground behind the former Kendall Printing building, behind Trinity Lutheran School as well as Sunset Memorial Gardens cemetery.

A dive team from the Union Colony Fire Rescue Authority recovered the body just after 10 a.m.

Tymkowych said that area has been searched at least twice for Kayleah Wilson, the 12-year-old girl who has been missing for almost two months. She was walking to a friend's birthday party when she disappeared near the Greeley Mall.

A team from the Weld County Coroner's Office was on site where the body was found. Tymkowych says investigators planned to use dental records and possibly DNA and hair fibers to identify the body.

http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-body-greeley-text,0,5649937.story

Breaking News

Published: May 19, 2010
Video: Kayleah Wilson (PHOTO) Body Found

Body of Kayleah Wilson found. A naked body authorities believe may be that of a Greeley, Colo., girl missing for nearly two months turned up Wednesday in a drainage ditch, police said.

Irrigation workers found the badly decomposed body believed to be that of Kayleah Wilson, 12, who disappeared March 28 en route to a birthday party, KMGH-TV, Denver, reported.

Kayleah was last seen outside Greeley Mall, the FBI said. The ditch where the body was discovered was about 1 1/2 miles away and about a half mile from the girl's home.

Investigators said dental records would be used to make a positive identification. ABC reported the body was so badly decomposed, it was not immediately clear whether it was male or female.

Greeley police said they had not determined why Kayleah disappeared. They said they had not ruled out the possibility she ran away.