Case against Arizona woman accused in death of young adopted son dismissed but may be refiled

PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities said Tuesday that the case against a woman charged in the death of her adopted 10-year-old son in the Phoenix suburb of Buckeye will not proceed at this time because of insufficient evidence.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to dismiss the case without prejudice against Crystal Wilson, 56, who was facing one count of unlawful transportation of a dead body.

“At this time, there was not enough evidence to proceed with prosecution of the defendant,” said Carla Navarrete, spokeswoman for the county attorney’s office. “If new evidence is discovered and brought forward by law enforcement in the future, the office is open to re-examining the case.”

Buckeye police said Jesse Wilson went missing in July 2016 and the boy’s remains were found on the side of a road about 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) from his home nearly two years later.

Crystal Wilson told police that her son had run away after putting her to bed at night.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies searched unsuccessfully for the boy for months before his skeletal remains were found in March 2018.

The county medical examiner’s office declared the cause of death undetermined.

Police said Crystal Wilson had moved in weeks before her son’s remains were found.

He was indicted and arrested by a county grand jury in December 2022 Georgia – where she lived for several years – before being extradited to Arizona.

The woman pleaded not guilty in the case in March 2023 and was on supervised release and wearing an electronic monitor while awaiting trial.

The county public defender representing Crystal Wilson was not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon seeking comment about the case.

“This is an active homicide investigation and the department will not give up on Jesse,” Buckeye Police Chief Robert Sanders said in a statement. “The bottom line is Crystal Wilson is the only person who knows what happened to Jesse,” he said.

Copyright 2024 The associated Press, All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.