Talk:Runaway bride case

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography. For more information, visit the project page.
Biography Portal
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the project's quality scale. [FAQ]
Photo request It is requested that a picture or pictures of this person be included in this article to improve its quality.

Note: Wikipedia's non-free content use policy almost never permits the use of non-free images (such as promotional photos, press photos, screenshots, book covers and similar) to merely show what a living person looks like. Efforts should be made to take a free licensed photo during a public appearance, or obtaining a free content release of an existing photo instead.
Georgia (U.S. state) Portal
This article is part of WikiProject Georgia (U.S. state), an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Georgia (U.S. state) on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit this article, or visit the project page to join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale.
Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the importance scale.
Criminal justice Portal
This article is part of WikiProject Crime, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide on true crime and criminology-related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
B This article has been rated as B-class on the assessment scale.
Low This article is on a subject of low-importance for crime-related articles.
WikiProject Crime To-do:
Articles for deletion
This page was previously nominated for deletion. Please see prior discussion(s) before considering re-nomination:
It is requested that a photograph or photographs be included in this article to improve its quality.

Wikipedians in Georgia (U.S. state) may be able to help!
The Free Image Search Tool (FIST) may be able to locate suitable images on Flickr and other web sites.

I live less than mile away from her house and everyone in alaska knew about it. Stupid. samphex 13:39, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Early comments

an anonymous user posted in this article the following: "Sadly, if Jennifer Wilbanks were Black, regardless of her socioeconomic status, she would be in jail right now. This case goes to show how racist this country really is."

Moreover, in her dialog with a 911 operator, Jennifer Wilbanks said twice that the fictitious person who kidnapped her was a Hispanic male in his 30s or 40s. Go to video.msn.com and select "911 Call". It is a 7:42 length audio of her 911 call. At 1:12 and 1:21 in the segment she claimed that a Hispanic man kidnapped her. Vivid imagination? Or playing in to white racism to create a "believable" story with which to extricate herself? You won't hear about that in the mainstream media abstracts because it conflicts with their sympathetic treatment of one of their own. Fortuantely, the internet allows interested parties to examine primary documents undistilled by a priesthood, secular or otherwise.

  • It took me about 30 minutes to finally listen to it. I had to install IE 6 and Media Player 10. Thanks for finding this 9-11 call. It is very helpful. Is there a way we can create this as an external link on the article? Kingturtle 04:07, 1 May 2005 (UTC) P.S. I'm not sure why you say I won't hear this in the mainstream media, considering that the clip you provided is a clip courtesy of MSNBC.

"Wilbanks told investigators that after a night in Las Vegas, she befriended a Hispanic man and a white woman, and the three took a bus to Albuquerque". - Reference: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/02/wilbanks.found/index.html

I think Merika Media are greatly disappointed this didn't turn into a fresh Lacy Peterson to ignore the real world with. Kwantus 13:55, 2005 May 4 (UTC)

[edit] currency

I don't really think the information here will change rapidly. Kingturtle 05:11, 1 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] clarification requested

Her disappearance sparked a nationwide hunt. "The strange and somewhat humoristic behavior was reported worldwide on the news."

What is strange or humoristic about a nationwide hunt? Kingturtle 16:36, 1 May 2005 (UTC)


"Also as part of the deal, a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report was dismissed. Wilbanks' record will be expunged if she successfully completes probation. If not, she will be forced to surrender and be placed in a mental institution." Cite please? Why would she be placed in a mental institution if she was held to be competent to be tried? I find that hard to believe. --vayacondia

[edit] Picture

Isn't there any picture of her where she isn't make goo-goo eyes? I have to sleep at night. -- Cecropia | explains it all ® 00:11, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

She looks like Karen Carpenter on crystal meth, quite frankly. All the pictures in the Dateline special had those really creepy bug-eyes. That was the "best" one. Mike H 00:34, May 2, 2005 (UTC)

This woman is a whole nother kinda crazy. I would assume all pictures of her look like that.--Wasabe3543 21:45, 3 May 2005 (UTC)

Strangely, for me she does look quite normal on that pic. Often people look very strange on photos taken by non-professional photographers. Przepla 19:14, 5 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Is it appropriate to say that she faked her own kidnapping?

It seems wrong to say she faked her own kidnapping. She ran away, and then, after the media (which is strangely not mentioned in the article, despite being, clearly, the most significant part of the story) had already reported her as having been kidnapped, she made some stupid phone calls saying she'd been kidnapped. I don't see as how that can consist of "faking one's own kidnapping." john k 17:01, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

I would say she did not fake her own kidnapping. As you say, I think the kidnapping story was something she made up when she realized that, having messed up as much as she did and everybody looking for her, she tried to get herself off the hook and not look like such an idiot. If she had intended to fake a kidnapping, she would have faked a ransome note or something and then "escaped." In fact, I don't think she did anything illegal until she claimed she was kidnapped. This does not impress me as a person who thinks very clearly about consequences of particular actions. -- Cecropia | explains it all ® 17:28, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

True - we don't yet know when she decided to fake her own kidnapping. It may have been planned from the get-go, it may have been invented at the last minute. For now, we should change the language of the article accordingly. Kingturtle 18:00, 8 May 2005 (UTC) P.S. John, I appreciate your bringing this up in TALK instead of making changes in the article, but I encourage you to be bold in making changes to articles. As long as your thinking is rational, as long as your changes are rational, and as long as you write thorough edit summaries and/or explanations in TALK, be bold. Kingturtle 18:00, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

Yes, I know I could have just changed it, but I wasn't sure exactly how it should be phrased, and I'm always wary of changing current events articles. I've been around a while, Kingturtle, I don't need tips on how to go about editing wikipedia. john k 19:10, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

I didn't mean to sound patronizing....just encouraging. :) Kingturtle 19:15, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Dissociative Fugue

Wilbanks may be a Dissociative Fugue victim. There were hints in the early stories if you knew what to look for. She didn't take a change of clothing, she did not eat.

Now she is in a psychiatric program.

VisionAndPsychosis.Net is interested in this story because if an interview can be obtained a new understanding of the cause of Dissociative Fugue is possible. See the Jennifer Wilbanks and Panic Attack pages at http://VisionAndPsychosis.Net

L K Tucker

[edit] Marriage?

What I'd really like to know after reading this article, is whether she actually got married to the guy. Radiant_* 17:50, May 11, 2005 (UTC)

I believe he's still planning on it. (The local radio station mentions it from time to time. I believe they called him something equivalent to "dipshit".) --Cuervo 13:25, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)

They broke up and now she's suing him because he took proceeds from a book deal and used it to buy a house solely in his name and then kicked her out. (Allegedly, of course!)

[edit] Bold edit

In response to vfd that was rehashing the same themes over and over, I boldly edited the article to reflect deletionist criticism of detailed play-by-play of insignificant non-events. I also added paragraphing that amplified the media frenzy. I think it is now of acceptable level of detail, so I removed vfd tag. It still rings of anti-media POV but I personally may be incapable of editing that out. For more vfd history and debate, see Jennifer Wilbanks vfd page... oh , one more comment is that the VFD was doomed to go on forever since there was no published criteria to conclude it. MPS 17:12, 16 May 2005 (UTC)

=== To Bold Edit----- === you missed the most important facet of this case. Is Wilbanks a Dissociative Fugue victim???

Hashing and rehashing the media versions of what happened is of little import. They rarely know which end is up in most stories.

There will be little opportunity to get an interview until the issue stops bouncing in the news cycle.

I will be working to contact the two participants in the next few weeks.

All the detail of what she said and when she said it is moot if it was confabulation. There is no independant witness for these stories. Why didn't the "couple" step forward? The story of a couple may be confabulation. It's too early to know.

Your edit pulled the alternate view out of the article. I will rely on your judgement and wording. But that point of view should be there.

There should at least be a hint that the story is still developing.

I did not change anything today. I don't have time.

L K Tucker researcher'AT'http://VisionAndPsychosis.net

[edit] OK, VfD failed.

It was noted on the VfD page that we should try again in about 12 months. That's what I'll do. - Ta bu shi da yu 03:26, 18 May 2005 (UTC)

Is there a special reason why you're nominating this and other VFDs you've done in the past? I realize you're from Australia and that you don't care about this, but I wouldn't vote against some Australian cause célèbre on VFD because I don't care about her. Sounds a bit Australia-centric. Mike H 16:10, May 18, 2005 (UTC)
Custom, your tone is somewhat inflammatory. If you have a problem with Ta bu shi da yu's editing style confront him on his talk page. I try to steer clear of the deletionist/inclusionist rhetoric on article talk pages, especiially when the VFD vote is over. If you followed the Wilbanks VFD debate, his comments are not entirely unreasonable. Next May,I'm probably going to vote 'keep' again, but I think it's appropriate to hold off the aspersion-casting until then. MPS 16:27, 18 May 2005 (UTC)
Hold on! The only reason I said this is because her notability right now is high, but notability in 12 months may not be as high. I would do the same for an Australian who ran away from her husband, so I'm a little unsure why you say I wouldn't! - Ta bu shi da yu 00:13, 19 May 2005 (UTC)
P.S. as for other VfDs in the past... please refer to which VfDs you are talking about. Thanks. - Ta bu shi da yu 00:14, 19 May 2005 (UTC)

Wow. I missed the VFD for this article? I was just going to nominate it for deletion myself. Remind me when it is nominated again so I can personally delete this rubbish. This link is Broken 00:39, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Ongoing event?

Is this an ongoing event or not? - RoyBoy 800 05:18, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC)

it's over now. This link is Broken 00:39, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Thank goodness. Let us never speak of this again. :P - Ta bu shi da yu 06:19, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] OK, have switched to use footnoting

If this really is notable, then the timeline needs to be converted into prose. - Ta bu shi da yu 03:36, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] What do the letters CMA after her name stand for?

From the dab page CMA could mean either Certified Management Accountant or Certified Medical Assistant. A Google search found CNN asserting she was a medical assistant so I have linked the CMA to the latter.--A Y Arktos 21:14, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] AFD

This was listed on AFD, where it got a consensus to keep. That does not keep someone from moving or merging it normally, of course. --SPUI (talk - RFC) 08:23, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

  • I would not expect after 2 AfD's with concensus to keep that anybody would be so Bold as to move or merge without first discussing here.--A Y Arktos\talk 22:27, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] why the hell is this **** in Wikipedia?

why does Wikipedia include this insignificant crap, when there are far more important things to cover. This encourages other ****heads to do stupid stunts like this so they can get attention and their own articles! this website is full of ****, like insignificant bands that only do like 1 song and were started on MYSPACE. delete this —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.12.116.66 (talk • contribs) 15:07, July 3, 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, not everything in wikipedia is related to rocket science, nuclear physics or world peace. This woman made a lot of news in 2005 and in the opinion of many editors here meets the standards defined in Wikipedia:Notability (people). As you can see by other content on this talk page, there are a minority of other editors who agree with you. I see you have also been editing an album of Nick Lachey. I am sure there are some editors here who would question his notablity. --rogerd 22:45, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
Sorry but articles about a never-was who gained notoriety, not the same as notability or fame, over the span of a few weeks in late-spring last year have no place in a reference work. Paris Hilton has continually been irritating long enough to be included in a reference work. JimCubb 06:58, 31 October 2006 (UTC)
A nation-wide hunt took place for this women. It was a media event. The story also involves issues regarding mental illness and racism. Kingturtle 21:47, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] external link deletion

Dear Editors,

I see that my addition to the External Links section has now been deleted. I had posted "Censored Latino artist and collaborator critique Wilbanks-style racism" (http://billfisher.dreamhost.com/nohate.html which is my site) and someone (ip 68.164.169.94) with no connection to me or my site recently posted "Artists censored on Wilbanks story" (http://billfisher.dreamhost.com/imagery.html). Both posts have been deleted by ip 170.141.68.99. While I find the later, "Artist Censored" posted link to be redundant, and a better link would be http://billfisher.dreamhost.com/missing.html , I believe the information on these sites to be quite relevant, topical and useful for those researching subtle forms of racism and the "Damsel-in-Distress Syndrome" (Susan Smith, Miriam Kashani, et al). The fact that the artwork was censored from an exhibition in Wilbanks' home town makes the issue even more urgent. I am guessing the deletion was due to the link being seen as spam or self-promotion. I hope the editor may reconsider this decision, especially considering the post from ip 68.164.169.94 which has no connection to the authors of the linked site. All feedback is welcome. As I understand it, if the consensus here is that the link should be restored (or changed to http://billfisher.dreamhost.com/missing.html ), then I may do so.

Billfisher 01:34, 23 October 2006 (UTC)


I don't really see how this link is notable. Besides, adding links to promote your website may constitute WP:SPAM. bibliomaniac15 00:01, 18 April 2007 (UTC)


Thank you, Bibliomaniac. I would like to stress that I did not add the link to promote my website. This is an issue that I feel is an important aspect of race relations in the USA, and an aspect of the Wilbanks' and other similar cases normally marginalized in mainstream media coverage. Also considering that another individual with no connection to me or the artwork cited also posted a link to the artwork would indicate there is interest in the issue. Again, my suggestion now is that the link be to http://billfisher.dreamhost.com/missing.html , not the links I or the other individual originally posted. Thank you again, Billfisher 16:21, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

After looking at the site in question, while I will presume that you were acting in good faith, I agree that the link does not meet our external link guidelines. It's only of tangential relevance to the article's subject, and I see no indication that it undergoes editorial control or otherwise qualifies as a reliable source. While it's an interesting site, I don't think it really fits an article here. Seraphimblade Talk to me 05:15, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you, Seraphimblade. Billfisher 13:29, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

WHICH PERSONALITY DISORDER DOES SHE HAVE? She's either borderline or narcissistic? She certainly liked the attention she got. 11/20/2007 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.241.29.196 (talk) 21:32, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] POORLY SOURCED CONCLUSION?

The setence beginning "some Americans" which argues that some see this as an example of feminism run amok needs to be sourced, as does the claim that it can be read as just an example of her being troubled and not a as sign of larger societal issues. But the feminism claim is unclear. . . running away from a wedding is a feminist impulse? Lying about an assault and thinking you won't be called out it? This needs to be clarified AND sourced. Raw123 22:16, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestion! When you feel an article needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes. Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the Edit this page link at the top. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons why you might want to). The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes — they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. Sherilyn Sidaway 00:59, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] article name

In June 2007 this article's name was changed from Jennifer Wilbanks to Runaway bride case. I think the article should be switched back to Jennifer Wilbanks. Kingturtle (talk) 22:03, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Moreover, there are other runaway bride cases. This is not the only one. Kingturtle (talk) 12:45, 9 April 2008 (UTC)