Found Alive TX - Wilson Stratton, 17, Houston, 19 Jan 2018

[Presley78]

I’m hopeful that surveillance cameras will be of great help here.
I hope that the footage from that day is still available. I’ve heard some businesses will reuse tapes and doing so loses footage. I’m hoping that in the area this occurred in used digital images and store them on a hard drive.


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[Ontario Mom]

I haven't seen it mentioned in any of the MSM articles (but maybe I missed it?) but I wonder if it's been released whether or not there's been any activity on his debit/atm card since the night he was last seen.

 

[ksprincess]

I’m hopeful that surveillance cameras will be of great help here.
I hope that the footage from that day is still available. I’ve heard some businesses will reuse tapes and doing so loses footage. I’m hoping that in the area this occurred in used digital images and store them on a hard drive.


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Yes hopefully. I'm also guessing that many of the homes in this area have security cameras.

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[inmyhumbleopinion]

I haven't seen it mentioned in any of the MSM articles (but maybe I missed it?) but I wonder if it's been released whether or not there's been any activity on his debit/atm card since the night he was last seen.

Which makes me wonder if he had his wallet and/or phone with him. The gas station may take Apple Pay, so if he didn’t take a wallet, that by itself may not be a red flag, but unless he had a reason not to take a phone with him, it would be extremely unusual for a kid that age to not take a phone, IMO.

It’s also possible he had a second phone (that maybe the family didn’t know about), IMO.

Speaking of the gas station, do we know if he even went inside?

“The teen was last seen on Jan. 19 while leaving a Shell Gas station on San Felipe Street and Willowick Road near River Oaks.”
http://cw39.com/2018/01/28/the-search-is-on-for-missing-17-year-old-wilson-stratton/

“Wilson Stratton was last spotted at a River Oaks-area gas station on Jan. 19, according to authorities.”
http://m.chron.com/news/houston-tex...ar-old-missing-12531884.php#item-85307-tbla-5

Or was he there to meet someone, rather than to buy a drink, snack, etc.?

No vehicle description has been given, so it is possible that he was on foot. Also, someone upthread said on the local news it was reported he was last seen walking from the gas station. If he was indeed on foot, there likely was a reason he didn’t drive, IMO.

Alternatively, perhaps he was dropped off by a third party, and for some reason, they left him there, or a security camera captured him getting into a car. They may not be releasing car description so as to not make the perp(s) nervous.

I also wonder how the family/PI knew to focus on the gas station. Maybe he told a family member before he left? Or he could have posted something on Snapchat, Instagram, etc. from the vicinity?

I’m sorry for the rambling. Hopefully, as LE becomes involved, more helpful info is released.

So glad that Tim Miller is involved. Hoping that Wilson is found today.

 

[ElementalLaura]

It does look like his family is wealthy. His older brother attended a boarding school in Connecticut where tuition is $57,000 a year. I don't know where Wilson attended school though.

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Has it been mentioned whether Austin is attending school?

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

https://twitter.com/Fox26Houston/st...share|twsrc^m5|twgr^email|twcon^7046|twterm^1

He did go inside the gas station.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

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[inmyhumbleopinion]

New photos:

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[Davia18]

I find it strange also they didn't report him missing. Even if wealthy and my child went missing the last thing I would think is ransom. But that's just me.

 

[MissMalowe]

Have to admit, when I first started reading this page and saw that it was 9 days before he was officially reported missing, the hinky meter was going off big time.

But....given the fact this family is not only affluent but have direct ties to some very important government and oil industry ties..... It wouldn't surprise me if there had already been an extensive investigation beyond just a top notch private investigator from day 1, KWIM?

Also....the oil industry. Even if you are involved in a relatively low-level position, with just small fragments of knowledge about the bigger picture, the corruption, shady deals made under the table and other activities are alarming. Also, "ransom" comes in many forms, not just trade-offs where loads of cash in a duffel bag are involved and Im sure they occur more often than we as the public would know/assume.

Aside from that, to take things in a different direction; was it normal for him to walk to the gas station vs. drive? It wasn't a great distance, but from the surveillance video, he is in the candy aisle and (I honestly mean this as kindly as possible) he doesn't seem to have the physique of someone who works out often/is a health nut/would often walk or bike places for health reasons. Why no car?

 

[MissMalowe]

..... I wonder if he took cash out at the gas station and that was the last time he was seen. $200 limit on most ATM, doesn’t get you far in Houston, especially if you aren’t used to scraping by. I guess he could have been building up a stash of cash over time.

With that level of wealth, it's likely he is an authorized user on exclusive credit cards, (the type that are for wealthy people and have perks far beyond the type people with normal incomes qualify for) the AMT of cash advances he could get would not be limited to $200 ATM withdrawals. However, despite the wealth, that would depend on his parents and whether or not he had access to such card.

 

[Claireishere]

Have to admit, when I first started reading this page and saw that it was 9 days before he was officially reported missing, the hinky meter was going off big time.

But....given the fact this family is not only affluent but have direct ties to some very important government and oil industry ties..... It wouldn't surprise me if there had already been an extensive investigation beyond just a top notch private investigator from day 1, KWIM?

Also....the oil industry. Even if you are involved in a relatively low-level position, with just small fragments of knowledge about the bigger picture, the corruption, shady deals made under the table and other activities are alarming. Also, "ransom" comes in many forms, not just trade-offs where loads of cash in a duffel bag are involved and Im sure they occur more often than we as the public would know/assume.

Aside from that, to take things in a different direction; was it normal for him to walk to the gas station vs. drive? It wasn't a great distance, but from the surveillance video, he is in the candy aisle and (I honestly mean this as kindly as possible) he doesn't seem to have the physique of someone who works out often/is a health nut/would often walk or bike places for health reasons. Why no car?

I’m sorry but what?!?!?! Lol I am part of an oil family. My husband has a more advanced position and works in Houston for one of the bigger companies. While yes there is certainly a lot of wheeling and dealing in this industry, corruption isn’t really prevalent at all. It is all so tightly guarded and regulated it would make that almost impossible.


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[Claireishere]

Have to admit, when I first started reading this page and saw that it was 9 days before he was officially reported missing, the hinky meter was going off big time.

But....given the fact this family is not only affluent but have direct ties to some very important government and oil industry ties..... It wouldn't surprise me if there had already been an extensive investigation beyond just a top notch private investigator from day 1, KWIM?

Also....the oil industry. Even if you are involved in a relatively low-level position, with just small fragments of knowledge about the bigger picture, the corruption, shady deals made under the table and other activities are alarming. Also, "ransom" comes in many forms, not just trade-offs where loads of cash in a duffel bag are involved and Im sure they occur more often than we as the public would know/assume.

Aside from that, to take things in a different direction; was it normal for him to walk to the gas station vs. drive? It wasn't a great distance, but from the surveillance video, he is in the candy aisle and (I honestly mean this as kindly as possible) he doesn't seem to have the physique of someone who works out often/is a health nut/would often walk or bike places for health reasons. Why no car?

My kid has no car because of his grades and I expect him to buy his own. It could be a number of reasons.


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[mooliz]

Any insights into the area where the search is being held? Is it near the gas station or a main thoroughfare? Any locals with thoughts as to ‘why that area?’

I live in the neighborhood. Shell is located next to a dry cleaner, then a small plaza with a restaurant and a few other business. Across San Felipe are the rear yards of residential properties, most with high walls between the very narrow sidewalk and the street. Some have cameras. Across Willowick is also residential. Behind the Shell is a 1960s condo tower. If you go west from the Shell across some railroad tracks, that's where the search is being conducted. No idea as to why that area. You don't really see teens wandering around here--especially after dark i(t's very dark on San Felipe at night). I feel so bad for the family...

 

[Claireishere]

I live in the neighborhood. Shell is located next to a dry cleaner, then a small plaza with a restaurant and a few other business. Across San Felipe are the rear yards of residential properties, most with high walls between the very narrow sidewalk and the street. Some have cameras. Across Willowick is also residential. Behind the Shell is a 1960s condo tower. If you go west from the Shell across some railroad tracks, that's where the search is being conducted. No idea as to why that area. You don't really see teens wandering around here--especially after dark i(t's very dark on San Felipe at night). I feel so bad for the family...

This isn’t to far from Montrose
correct?


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[mooliz]

No. 2.5 to 3 miles.

This isn’t to far from Montrose
correct?


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[Claireishere]

Any insights into the area where the search is being held? Is it near the gas station or a main thoroughfare? Any locals with thoughts as to ‘why that area?’

This area is outside of the first of the inner city loops but still within the second. It looks pretty close to the Montrose area. Montrose is prob the wealthiest area of Houston.

We live part time between Houston and South Alabama. My husband works for a major oil company in Downtown Houston. Houston at night in a lot of areas is scary. The homeless population is huge, you frequently see fighting etc.


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[MissMalowe]

My kid has no car because of his grades and I expect him to buy his own. It could be a number of reasons.


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That's sort of what I was leaning towards... Does he normally have a car but it was taken away by his parent and he was upset? Was he meeting a friend at the gas station to get a ride somewhere from them or stay with them? Was his car in the shop and he had been walking everywhere lately?
Was he not upset with his parents for any reason but meeting up with someone they didn't approve of hence meeting at the gas station vs having that friend pick him up at his house?

 

[Claireishere]

No. 2.5 to 3 miles.

That’s still fairly close.


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[Claireishere]

That's sort of what I was leaning towards... Does he normally have a car but it was taken away by his parent and he was upset? Was he meeting a friend at the gas station to get a ride somewhere from them or stay with them? Was his car in the shop and he had been walking everywhere lately?
Was he not upset with his parents for any reason but meeting up with someone they didn't approve of hence meeting at the gas station vs having that friend pick him up at his house?

It could be so many reasons. I know it was pointed out the brother attends an expensive school but he could have gotten a scholarship


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