IN IN - Dawnita Wilkerson, 44, mother of 6, Evansville, 21 Jun 2020

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BethAnn777 said:
crimejunkiepodcast.com

MISSING: Dawnita Wilkerson | Crime Junkie Podcast

When Dawnita Wilkerson stops answering her phone one Sunday in June of 2020, her loved ones know something is wrong.
crimejunkiepodcast.com crimejunkiepodcast.com
Crime Junkie just released a podcast about Dawnita.
Click to expand...
Normally, I like the 'Crime Junkie' podcast, but not entirely this time. I had never heard of the case before the podcast. A big red flag for me was when it was stated that she wanted someone to get her a gun. OK, this is IN, not CA or IL where there are hoops to jump thru to buy a gun. Yes, there is a background check and BATF paperwork to complete, but she simply has to go to a gun shop, have someone help her pick out an appropriate gun and she fills out the paperwork. HOWEVER, that may not be possible IF such a person has a felony conviction and per IN court records it doesn't look good.
In 2010 she is convicted of a misdemeanor for battery resulting in bodily injury. In 2011, arrested for battery with a deadly weapon and inflicting bodily injury. In 2017, she is convicted of battery with bodily injury and 2 counts of intimidation or threats against others and there is supposedly a list of victims. In 2018, conviction of assaulting a public safety official (LE?) and inflicting bodily harm while drawing or using a deadly weapon. In 2019 she is again arrested on a felony charge of domestic violence and while she does miss one hearing due to her child's illness, that reason is not cited for her last missing appearance. To be sure, I bet that last one is due to her missing (murdered?) status. No wonder she is asking someone to get her a gun - she is a convicted felon.

I'm not blaming the victim here, but we aren't getting the full story. We don't know if the BF or his relative was involved in any of these and was the other party. (If we have his full name we might find out he was also arrested at these same times. According to one article I read her BF has four charges of violence in IL.) IF they aren't involved, then there are other potential persons that need to looked at by LE. Regardless of Dawnita's past crimes she doesn't deserve what has happened to her, but at the same time the full story may reveal more information.
 
Wilkerson, a then-44-year-old mother of six, disappeared on June 21, 2020. Despite promising clues and information police shared publicly last year, her case appears no closer to being solved.

However, an episode of true-crime podcast Crime Junkie has revealed new details on what investigators do know about Wilkerson's disappearance so far.

"I'm going to be honest, we all believe she is dead," said Faye Cardin, Wilkerson's aunt.

She said police have not communicated much with the family throughout the investigation.

FBI missing person flyer for Evansville woman Dawnita Wilkerson


“We hoped we would have had more answers by now, but sadly we don’t. The detective working this case is also on the FBI Task Force; with all the resources that are available to him and our department, we have never stopped and we will continue to investigate this case," said Officer Taylor Merriss, an Evansville Police Department spokesperson.

Wilkerson was last seen on video getting into and leaving an East Side motel in a silver Chevrolet Suburban SUV with tinted windows, according to Evansville police and FBI investigators. They believe the SUV then drove into Southern Illinois
www.courierpress.com

Dawnita Wilkerson went missing in Evansville 2 years ago. Here is what we know.

Despite information police shared publicly last year, the case of the mother of six's disappearance appears no closer to being solved.
www.courierpress.com
 
JUN 22, 2022
www.wevv.com

Tuesday marks 2 years since disappearance of Evansville woman Dawnita Wilkerson

The search still continues for missing Evansville woman Dawnita Wilkerson after she was last seen two years ago on June 21, 2020.
www.wevv.com www.wevv.com
[...]

Kiahnna says that a new detective has been assigned to Dawnita's case. The family is hopeful the detective will be able to uncover some sort of new evidence or information that will help bring Dawnita home.

Anyone who may have information on the case is asked to call the FBI Indianapolis Office at 317-595-4000 or the Evansville Police Department at 812-436-7979.
 
Dawnita Wilkerson was last seen at an Evansville motel on June 21, 2020 at 8:16 p.m.


Dawnita Wilkerson was last seen June 21, 2020 getting into a silver 2004 Chevy Suburban at an Evansville motel. Her phone was turned off by the next morning.

Wilkerson, now 46, was reported missing when she didn't call her family like she typically does. She has several health conditions that require medication.

Information about this case can be relayed to FBI Indianapolis at 317-595-4000 or the Evansville Police Department at 812-436-7979 or tip line at 812-435-6194.
www.indystar.com

Indiana FBI agents are working on these 6 cases. Can you help solve one?

The Indianapolis FBI is looking for information in six cases ranging from missing persons, unsolved homicides and crimes against children.
www.indystar.com
 
SEP 7, 2022
www.wevv.com

'Find Dawnita Day' happening in Evansville on Saturday

There's an event happening in Evansville on Saturday to raise awareness about the disappearance of Dawnita Wilkerson.
www.wevv.com www.wevv.com
There's an event happening in Evansville on Saturday to raise awareness about the disappearance of a missing woman.

The "Find Dawnita Day" gathering is being held at Garvin Park on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

[...]

Dawnita was last seen in June of 2020. For more information on her disappearance provided by the FBI, click here.
 
jessarox said:
www.courierpress.com

Dawnita Wilkerson's family frustrated by recent lack of police communication

Members of Dawnita Wilkerson's family say they’re having a hard time getting in touch with police more than two years after her disappearance.
www.courierpress.com

This is just heartbreaking, the police seem like they've given up but they don't even have the decency to tell the family it's a cold case.
Click to expand...
It didn't read to me like they've given up. But I read clearly that the family is frustrated over lack of information/communication. It sounds like there has been a lot of turnover at the PD. That follows given the nationwide trend over the last 2 years. I think turnover has been high nearly everywhere. MOO

I hope her loved ones have her home, one way or another very soon. I can't imagine the not knowing. That has to be, well, I can't even come up with the words. I hope that they also get justice. It sounds like people know what happened and aren't talking. Maybe someone this Christmas season will find it in their heart to be brave, come forward, and tell what they know. Her family deserves to know the truth.
 
DEC 5, 2022

Dawnita Wilkerson

dawnita_wilkerson.jpg


Dawnita Wilkerson told her family she‘d be right back when she walked out of her brother’s house in Evansville, Indiana, on Sunday, June 21, 2020. The 44-year-old mother of six never returned. Dawnita’s aunt, Julia Womack, told Dateline that when her niece didn’t call her mother as she usually did, the family became worried. “Every day she calls her mom at 5:00 a.m.,” Julia said. “Somebody always knows where she is. And suddenly everybody just stopped hearing from her. We knew something had to be wrong.” The family reported Dawnita missing. Julia said detectives met with the family in July of 2020 to brief them on the case, but the family said they are not authorized to discuss details for fear of harming the investigation. An officer with the Evansville Police Department confirmed in November 2022 that Dawnita's case is still an active investigation. Dawnita is 5’3” and weighs approximately 145 lbs., with brown eyes and dark hair. Anyone who may have information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Evansville Police Department’s Adult Investigative Unit at 812-436-7979 or call the Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (1-800-782-7463).
 
FEB 24, 2023
www.crimeonline.com

Dawnita Wilkerson: Missing Indiana Mom-of-6 Hasn’t Been Seen in Nearly Three Years

Family members continue to search for answers after Indiana woman Dawnita Wilkerson mysteriously disappeared in 2020. According to the FBI, Wilkerson was last seen leaving an East-Side Evansville motel on June 21, 2020, in a grey Chevrolet Suburban SUV with tinted windows. The following morning...
www.crimeonline.com www.crimeonline.com
[...]

During a press conference in 2021, investigators shared information about the vehicle and hotel. Although law enforcement said they’ve been in contact with the uncooperative owner of the SUV, no suspects were named, the Courier & Press reports.

That same year, family members told the outlet that Wilkerson had complained of getting threats from two men a few days before she vanished and feared for her life.

One of the was reportedly Wilkerson’s former boyfriend, while the other one was said to be the former boyfriend’s nephew, according to a “Crime Junkie” podcast episode. Police have not confirmed the information.

[...]

Evansville Police Department spokesperson, Officer Taylor Merriss, said that despite the lack of answers, the FBI Task Force joined in the search and law enforcement is using the resources available to work the case.

“We hoped we would have had more answers by now, but sadly we don’t. The detective working this case is also on the FBI Task Force; with all the resources that are available to him and our department, we have never stopped and we will continue to investigate this case,” said Officer Taylor Merriss, an Evansville Police Department spokesperson.

[...]
 
legalmomma said:
I live in Indiana and had not heard about Dawnita missing. It is sad how some cases get media attention and others do not. I supposed it's because of race, background (she has a bench warrant out for violation of probation) and other factors Indiana Supreme Court public access case search - MyCase
But she is missing. I hope she is safe.
Click to expand...
Hello,

I grew up in Evansville and now live about 12 miles NE of the airport. I've been following Dawnita's case some since her disappearance. I realize your post is a couple of years old now; however, I wanted to give an update on your comment.

1. As of March 2, 2023, there is not a warrant listed for Dawnita. It is possible to search for active warrants at Warrants Search - Vanderburgh County.

2. While it appears she does have a lengthy rap sheet via MyCase, her most recent case was filed on Feb 21, 2020 - just a couple of months before she disappeared. It was an infraction for driving without a valid driver's license. A hearing was scheduled for March 11, 2020, and Dawnita failed to appear. As a result, her license was ordered to be suspended on April 13, 2020. Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and local government shutdown for several weeks, the license suspension date was ordered on June 12, 2020. Dawnita disappeared nine days later. It's a tiny thing, but it gives me pause to wonder if there's a connection here. I have many questions about it, up to and including if perhaps she was running from something or someone.

3. Because I'm nosey, I dug a little deeper into her criminal history and noticed a number of cases were filed in Posey County, Indiana. It made me wonder if the EPD ever collaborated with the sheriff's office in Posey County. Maybe something happened over there?

4. I'm also, like many others I've read about, curious about where law enforcement officials are getting the Carbondale, Illinois connection. I wish they'd be just a little bit more forthcoming with information on that. I understand it may compromise the investigation (which is very much still open). I just hate the fact that we're going on two years since her disappearance and it seems as if we have no more information now than we did then.

My heart goes out to her family, and I hope she is found soon.
 
In 2021, three people who knew Wilkerson told the Courier & Press that she was afraid for her life around the time of her disappearance. She’d received threatening messages from two men – one of whom she dated off and on. The morning before she disappeared, she reportedly texted a friend and said she was with both of them.
Click to expand...

Earlier this year, a man – who the Courier & Press isn’t naming since he hasn’t been charged in connection to Wilkerson’s disappearance – was arrested and accused of two counts of rape, as well as other charges.

Family members say details from the affidavit mirror injuries they say the man inflicted upon Wilkerson several years ago, including bite marks to her shoulder. Cardin gave an old picture of Wilkerson to the Courier & Press that she said showed bruising from the bite marks.

Gray said despite the active investigation, there are no official persons of interest in the disappearance.
Click to expand...

It's Dawnita Wilkerson's birthday. Here's where the missing Evansville woman's case stands

So infuriating that they clearly have names but apparently they went nowhere. I doubt we have professional kidnappers/killers walking around Evansville so how have they gone so long without being caught? Is our police department just really incompetent or lazy or something?
 
“A lot of people don’t realize this, but September 15 is actually ‘Find Dawnita Day’ in Vanderburgh County,” says Nora Martin, Dawnita’s aunt, “it is a holiday here in the county. It’s to bring awareness to missing person awareness. It’s about my niece who’s been missing for 3 years.”

The goal for Dawnita’s family and friends, like her two aunts, Nora and Wyolene Martin, is to raise money to up the reward from $5,000 to $10,000 in hopes that they can finally get some information to solve her case.

“I miss her. Her laughing, her dancing, her crazy singing,” says Nora, “sadly, even in situations like this, it’s money that talks.”

“We hope to keep it alive because if we don’t keep it alive then it goes to the wayside,” says Wyolene, “it has to be the family, the friends, the loving people we don’t even know just come out from all over. I mean from ALL over, they send you messages and it’s loving, and they can see; and I think they can feel the love.”
www.14news.com

Family of missing Evansville woman still searching for answers over three years later

September 15 is reserved for “Find Dawnita Day” in Evansville.
www.14news.com www.14news.com
 
NOV 3, 2023
NBC News - 10 YEARS OF MISSING IN AMERICA
[...]

“Every day she calls her mom at 5:00 a.m.,” Julia said. “Somebody always knows where she is. And suddenly everybody just stopped hearing from her. We knew something had to be wrong.” The family reported Dawnita missing. Julia said detectives met with the family in July of 2020 to brief them on the case, but the family said they are not authorized to discuss details for fear of harming the investigation. In November of 2023, Dateline spoke with a Det. Sgt. Todd Mattingly who confirmed that Dawnita's case is still active and that the FBI is assisting them. He told Dateline that there are no major updates at this time, but that officials cannot comment on the case as it is an active investigation. ...

[...]
 
For Faye Cardin, Dawnita’s aunt, it’s another terrible episode for a family that’s endured a steady stream of pain and uncertainty over the last several years.

Dawnita vanished on June 21, 2020. She was last seen on surveillance footage climbing into a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban alongside two men outside an East Side Evansville motel. Then, in February 2022, Dawnita’s 25-year-old son, retired Army serviceman Kylar Wilkerson, was killed after being struck by a vehicle in Tacoma Washington.

Now there’s the death of Tula, who Cardin said served as a rock for Wilkerson’s grieving children.

“We’re trying to move forward, but it seems like we end up taking four steps back,” Cardin said. “We start to get OK with our emotions and then something else happens.”
www.courierpress.com

After mothers' passings, families push for answers in Andi Wagner, Dawnita Wilkerson cases

The mothers of two missing Evansville women have both died in the last month, robbing them of a chance to see resolutions in their daughters’ cases.
www.courierpress.com
 
“There are so many families that go without knowing anything. And then the kids, the grandkids, they keep following up, finding out what is going on, asking what is going on if they are still working on their case,” says Faye Cardin, Dawnita Wilkerson’s aunt.

Wilkerson was last seen on June 21, 2020, at a motel in Evansville. Since then, the family has held several events to raise awareness. Businesses throughout the tristate put up posters, including Pie Pan Restaurant & Bakery.

“It is the little thing that we can do to bring awareness to her situation. It will be up in our lobby until her family has answers,” says Jackie Weil, an employee of the Pie Pan Restaurant & Bakery.
www.tristatehomepage.com

Wilkerson family hopes National Missing Persons Day raises awareness

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — Today is National Missing Persons Day, and the family of Dawnita Wilkerson is hoping the designation draws attention to missing person cases around the country. &#82…
www.tristatehomepage.com www.tristatehomepage.com
 
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