DECEASED SOLDIER’S MEDALS STOLEN, PAGE 3
westvalleyview.com — the newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park & Tolleson, AZ 50¢ Wednesday, August 17, 2016 (623) 535-8439
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Buckeye boy still missing Police conduct secondary search for 10-year-old Jesse Wilson by Emily Toepfer assistant editor
CELEBRATING A CENTURY Avondale woman turns 100 — Page 2.
BACK IN THE GAME West Valley football teams preparing for new season — Page 11.
DAILY UPDATES! News Updates and fresh Classified ads posted Monday - Friday at 4:30 p.m. online at www.westvalleyview.com
Multiple police agencies returned last week to a field in Buckeye, playing out the worst-case scenario in the search for missing 10-yearold Jesse Wilson. At about 5:15 a.m. Aug. 11, Buckeye police, along with the FBI and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, descended upon a desert area near Miller Road and Durango Street, about 2.5 miles west of where Jesse was last seen July 17 in his family’s home. Police also looked through an abandoned residential area near Southern Avenue and Rooks Road. Officials didn’t say why the locations were the focus of searches, but said they were not the result of a tip. “We do primary searches and we do secondary searches. We just want to check and recheck to make sure that we’ve covered all of our bases,” said Sgt. Jason Weeks, a spokesman with the Buckeye Police Department. The community was not asked to help with the search, because the scenario being played out that day was a recovery operation, meaning a body could possibly be found, Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall said. “There’s a lot of different scenarios that we have to play out, and one of the scenarios we play out is one today that he might have been dumped in the desert,” Hall said. However, police are still holding out hope to find Jesse alive, Weeks said. “The police officers’ hearts are invested in this, too. This is a 10-year-old boy that’s been missing for [four] weeks now, so we have a big, vested interest in this,” he said. “We want to find Jesse.” Jesse was last seen sleeping in
View photo by Jordan Christopher
LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL wrap up their search for Jesse Wilson Aug. 11 near Interstate 10 and Miller Road in Buckeye. The 10-year-old Buckeye boy went missing from his home near Watson and Yuma roads four weeks ago. Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall said the search was a recovery scenario, one of many the department was considering, and was not prompted by a tip. Searchers also combed an area near Southern Avenue and Rooks Road, but did not find anything. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI assisted in the search efforts. his bed at 9:30 p.m. July 17 near Watson and Yuma roads. When his mother went to check on him four hours later, Jesse was gone. Police said his mother, Crystal Wilson, is still cooperating with law enforcement. “For all of us who are parents, this is something we hold sacred and we are going to continue to do everything we possibly can to bring closure to the family and the community,” Hall said.
The Wilson home was also searched again Aug. 11, and officers removed several items. Jesse is described as black, 4 feet tall and weighing 60 pounds. He has short buzzed brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a red T-shirt, unknown color shorts, and black socks and shoes. If you have seen him or know of his whereabouts, contact the Buckeye Police Department’s
tip line at 623-349-6411 or 911. Information can also be sent to bpdtips@buckeyeaz.gov. “He could be out hiding in someone’s house right now, we just don’t know it,” Weeks said. “That’s why we’re out doing searches and that’s why we still ask for tips to come in.” Emily Toepfer can be reached at etoepfer@westvalleyview.com or on Twitter @EmilyToepfer.
F-35 declared ‘combat ready’ By Kourtney Balsan special to the View
Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, on Aug. 2 declared the F-35A Lightning II to be “combat ready,” officials said. “I am proud to announce this powerful new weapons system has achieved initial combat capability,” Carlisle said in a press release. “The F-35A will be the most dominant aircraft in our inventory because it can go where our legacy aircraft cannot, and provide the capabilities our commanders need on the modern battlefield.” The F-35A is the latest addition to the Air Combat Command’s fleet of deployable and fifth-generation aircraft, Lt. Col. Matthew Hasson, Luke Air Force Base Public Affairs chief, said, adding that the jet provides air superiority and has achieved unmatched levels of survivability and the lethality required to keep an advantage against new and evolving threats. The F-35A has a wide array of capabilities
Volume 31, No. 19 28 Pages 1 Section Circulation: 73,775 INDEX Classifieds .................... 22 Editorials & Letters .......... 6 Obituaries ...................... 21 Sports ........................... 11 Military ............................. 4 Briefcase ......................... 5 9 Days a Week............... 20 Recycle this paper
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Devante Williams
AN F-35 LIGHTNING II prepares to take off June 10 at Luke Air Force Base.
(See Combat on Page 4)