BUCKEYE, AZ — Buckeye police say an arrest has been made in connection to the years-long investigation into the disappearance and death of 10-year-old Jesse Wilson.
At a Tuesday news conference, Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall said Wilson’s adoptive mother, Crystal Wilson, was taken into custody.
Last week, a grand jury indicted Crystal on counts of abandoning and concealing a body.
She was arrested Monday at her home in Georgia, where she had been living for several years.
Wilson is expected to be extradited to Maricopa County. According to a court document obtained by ABC15, the extradition isn't expected to happen until March 2023.
Cynthia Lauderdale, Wilson’s biological grandmother, also spoke out Tuesday to express her gratitude to the men and women who worked the case.
"We love Jesse very much....he stays with us every single day. We know that he's in Heaven with his mom," Lauderdale said, noting that Jesse's biological mother has also passed away.
Jesse disappeared from his family home in July 2016.
Skeletal human remains were found near State Route 85 and Broadway Road in March 2018, and police confirmed they belonged to the boy who was reported missing nearly two years earlier.
His adoptive mother, Crystal, initially contacted the Buckeye Police Department's non-emergency line in the early morning hours of July 18, saying her son had slipped out of their home.
Similar incidents involving Jesse and his siblings were uncovered, including an incident in April 2016, when Buckeye police responded to the family's neighborhood after Jesse was found in a neighbor's yard.
ABC15 also discovered 2011 reports from Avondale police, who were called to the family home over allegations that Crystal's five children were being abused and underfed. Responding officers checked the children for injuries and determined they were fed and there was no evidence of abuse.
Neighbors who lived near the Wilsons in Avondale told ABC15 the children were often seen knocking on doors asking for food.
After the discovery and analysis of the remains in 2018, police said they made contact with Crystal, who was out of state at the time.
Up until now, police said they had not ruled out any suspects or made any arrests, and the homicide investigation remained open.
Police say they have never received an admission of exactly what happened to Jesse. No murder weapons have been recovered, and police believe neglect may have played a role in Jesse's death.
"She knows what happened. She's not telling us," police said about Crystal on Tuesday.
DNA evidence, statements, and other evidence that placed Crystal in the area where Jesse's remains were found led police to make the arrest this week.
"I did have my suspicions from the beginning," Lauderdale said. "It's very hard, and even now it's hard, but I just keep going...He didn't deserve what was done to him," Lauderdale continued as if speaking directly to Crystal. "You need to be held accountable for his death and you need to speak up and let them know what happened."