THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
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westvalleyview.com
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS .............. 3 Four pickleball courts coming to Goodyear park
SPORTS ........ 17 Samantha Deane joining NAU track and field in fall
9 DAYS ......... 18 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................10 BUSINESS..................... 12 SPORTS ..........................16 FEATURES .....................20 NEIGHBORHOOD......24 YOUTH ...........................26 OBITUARIES .................30 CLASSIFIEDS................32 NORTH
The Voice of the West Valley for 32 years
23
April 4, 2018
Buckeye remains identified as Jesse Wilson By Connor Dziawura Buckeye police are confident they will solve the case of 10-year-old Jesse Wilson, whose remains were recently located and identified through forensic analysis. The department has not yet ruled out any possibilities or named any suspects, though the case is being treated as a homicide. “While it is not the outcome of which we hoped, we want to stress that this is not the end of this investigation,” Detective Tamela Skaggs said. “The Buckeye Police Department, along with state and federal partners, will continue pursuing this investigation until its conclusion. We believe this case will be resolved, and Jesse deserves nothing less.” The partial human skeletal remains were discovered by a Buckeye municipal employee – previously identified by Police Chief Larry Hall as a street sweeper – in the area of State Route 85 and Broadway Road around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 8. The individual immediately reported the findings to police, and a subsequent search revealed additional remains scattered throughout the area. The remains were submitted to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office and Arizona Department of Public Safety Crime Lab for forensic analysis and further testing. The bones were confirmed to belong to Jesse through DNA samples provided by his biological father. His adoptive mother, Crystal, was
Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall addresses media after forensic analysis revealed the partial human skeletal remains found near State Route 85 and Broadway Road belong to missing 10-year-old Jesse Wilson. (West Valley View photo by Melissa Fossum)
notified by police following the discovery. Police have confirmed she is out of state, though Skaggs predicts she will be interviewed soon. Though many early questions can be put aside, much still stands to be uncovered. Cause of death and whether or not the remains originated in the field in which
they were found are “undetermined at this time,” Skaggs said, with police awaiting additional results from DPS. Because cause of death is not yet known, signs of foul play have not yet been confirmed. The FBI will continue to assist Buckeye police
Remains...continued on page 2
Tolleson hosts its first State of the City address By Juan Escobedo
Tolleson Mayor Anna Tovar highlighted several of the city’s achievements during the municipality’s first State of the City address on March 27 at the Tolleson Union High School District Office. More than 100 community members heard Tovar discuss the 91st Avenue expansion, a new city hall and city complex, a beautification plan, a senior
center and parks and recreation center, and the new home for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6310. “Tolleson has always been a diamond in the rough,” Tovar said. “Now it’s time to make that diamond shine for the rest of the world to see.” In March, crews began expanding 91st Avenue, Tovar said. The project, set for
completion in December, will make room for the new Marriott hotel and retail space. Tovar calls 91st Avenue the “gateway to our community” and said it should welcome visitors with a safe, efficient and aesthetically pleasing road design.
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