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CNN Live Saturday

Missing Bride-to-Be Staged Own Disappearance

Aired April 30, 2005 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome back to CNN's coverage of the missing bride-to-be from Georgia. She resurfaced alive, earlier today, in Mexico, ending a three-day national search for her. Up until early this morning, police, family and friends looking for Jennifer Wilbanks had feared the worst. While there is great relief the 32-year-old is alive and well there is also expressed disappointment and embarrassment surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance. This is how it all unfolded over the last few hours.
Early this morning, the bride-to-be called both 911 and her fiance from New Mexico, informing them she had been kidnapped and that her abductors let her go. But then, during interviews with police, she changed her story, admitting that instead of leaving her home for a jog last Tuesday night, Wilbanks took a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas, ending up in Albuquerque on her way back. She admitted to police she lied about being kidnapped, was stressed out over the wedding, planned for today in Georgia, and just need to get away. Wilbanks' wedding was going to be big: 600 guests with a wedding party of 28 attendants. Today, her pastor declared that Jennifer needs help. New Mexico police don't plan to file charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY SCHULTZ, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE CHIEF: Approximately 4:00 a.m. this morning, Miss Wilbanks informed agents and detectives that she had not been abducted as she had originally claimed. Agent and detectives learned that Miss Wilbanks had become scared and concerned about her pending marriage and decided that she need some time alone. Miss Wilbanks had traveled from the Georgia area to Las Vegas, Nevada, via bus. Earlier today, she traveled from Las Vegas back to the Albuquerque area, again via bus, arriving this evening. She remained in the Albuquerque area, traveling around the southeast area heights, until approximately 22:38 hours when she called 911.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That was from New Mexico earlier this morning. Let's go now to Duluth, Georgia, where the investigation began there, with the three-day search, when it was a missing person's case. Charles Molineaux has been following the story all morning -- Charles.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Fredricka, how many ways and how many times can you say "emotional roller coaster?" Because that is very much what this community has been on, since Jennifer first disappeared on Tuesday night. The desperate search went on for days. There was a vigil going on at the home of her -- her -- well, the fellow we thought was going to be her husband, John Mason, and his family. But if you look at the way the scene erupted there this morning on the news that she was OK, that everything was all right, that she was safe, that she turned up in New Mexico with this amazing story about having survived a kidnapping, it was a scene of cheers and spontaneous applause, lots of hugs and crying. And then came the news that actually things were not quite what they appeared to be and that apparently -- well, Jennifer may have been what some people had, for a while, prayed what she was -- because the alternative was worse -- a runaway bride. And of course now, a very concerned situation at the Mason home and the family is talking forgiveness. Listen to what their pastor had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ALAN JONES, PEACHTREE CORNERS BAPTIST CHURCH: Jennifer needs help, We know that. And we want to help the family and we want to get her help. You know this -- this is something that no one's experienced on this magnitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: that pastor, Alan Jones, is the fellow who was actually going to marry Jennifer and John today in this huge wedding ceremony, then suddenly he was anointed into the role of counselor for the family in its desperate vigil waiting to see what was happening to Jennifer and if she would turn up alive. Then again, enlisted in the role as counselor for a troubled couple and a very troubled family. This is a situation which happens to, well, quite a number of couples, somebody gets left in the altar, but in the public spotlight, like this, this is something pretty extraordinary and some tough days for John Mason and some tough days for this family.

Jennifer Wilbanks' family, her relatives, are now headed to New Mexico for a reunion with her and a period of -- well, probably healing. Last we heard, John Mason is not talking very much and is staying home and some tough days ahead for this family. But, the word is that yesterday, 24 hours ago, friends, relatives, alike were praying that Jennifer Wilbanks would turn out to be a runaway bride, fortunately, and unfortunately, that is what happened.

WHITFIELD: All right, Charles, well, certainly, it happens, but not of this scale. Folks aren't used to this of this scale taking place. Let's talk a little bit more about the family members and friends who have gathered, some 600 guest. You said John Mason, himself, is not necessarily willing to talk at this point. But what about other friends or family members, outside of the representative and the reverend we saw earlier?

MOLINEAUX: Very few of them have and it was a dramatic blast of silence when the news abruptly changed. You saw the joyous scene outside the Mason home. Once the news came out that Jennifer was, in fact, OK and there were -- it was a party. It was a party on the lawn, there were cars parked everywhere, people hugging and applauding and then all of a sudden we got the news from Albuquerque that, in fact, well, perhaps Jennifer may have made up the part about being kidnapped and -- dead silence fell over the entire compound and only a few people talked. One person I did talk to, Melinda Larson who's actually is going through marriage preparations with Jennifer because she herself is going to have her own wedding in a few weeks. She said she had no idea. It was just stunning that this happened. She was asking for a lot of love for Jennifer and a lot of support because that does, indeed, seem to be what she needs at this point. There are requests for understanding and promises of love. There's, doubtless, some anger, resentment, and utter befuddlement over what happened, so some tough days ahead. The good news and bad news tied in. We're looking at a story that was just unequivocally joyous and relieved occasion, this morning, a little more equivocal this afternoon -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, lots of mixed emotions. Thanks so much, Charles Molineaux in Duluth, Georgia.

Well, New Mexico, so far, says they don't plan to file any charges against Jennifer Wilbanks, but Georgia is still unclear. Let's bring in former FBI special agent in charge, Don Clark. He joins us from Houston to give us a sense whether this woman could be potentially facing any kind of federal charges for at least telling authorities that she had been kidnapped. Hello to you, Don.

DON CLARK, FMR. FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Hey, Fredricka. I'm good, how are you?

WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good. Well, is that a real possibility that because she did report to New Mexico authorities that she had been kidnapped and crossing state lines, it become a federal crime, that potentially there might be federal charges she could be facing?

CLARK: Well, you know, Fredricka, it's a possibility, but I don't think we're going to see that happen. I think, right now, the law enforcement community, and especially the federal government, they just want to get this thing behind them now and move on to something else. And you know, we got to look at one thing, though. I want to say something about that community up there, because for the last seven, eight years, we've had such a rash of these missing and disappearances and we've asked the citizens to come out and help and try to locate these people and they've done that, and I think this community did the same thing and it deserve applause and hands for this. But, on the same token, with there being misstatements and so forth I don't think they're going to go forward with that at all, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. Now, had this case begun to unravel, in your view, as you were, you know, listening and reading the headlines, there seemed to be a lot of inconsistencies that only revealed themselves toward the end, particularly when Duluth police then said, you know what, the trail is cold and we're going to discontinue the search? Was that a red flag, in your view?

CLARK: Well, I wondered when they said they would discontinue the search, is that, if they had a piece of information that sort of led them in the direction. And they also said that, well, we think the runaway bride theory is really something we're going to put at the bottom of our list, basically and I started to wonder there, that maybe they've got a piece of information we don't know about and maybe we should -- and we probably shouldn't have known about it, but obviously, that was not the case, so I don't know what triggered them to say that, but I have to tell you, you still have to keep going back, Fredricka -- we talked about before -- to the beginning and to the start point.

WHITFIELD: And the state point meaning when she decided to go out for a jog. I understand, you thought it was rather strange that she left her wedding ring, her engagement ring behind while going out for that jog, whereas for me, I didn't think that was too unusual. Before I go exercise, I make sure I take all the jewelry off. Why was that kind of a red flag in your view?

CLARK: Well, it wasn't so much just the wedding ring, it was specifically items lined up: Set of keys, cell phone, wedding ring, and yes, you're right, I think a lot women, perhaps, do take off the wedding rings, some just turn it around backwards, but just that whole sequence of little items that happened to be left there. And I wondered if this is a process that she followed all the time or, you know, could somebody say, yeah this is what she did every time she went out to run. Those are the kinds of questions that I think that investigators have to ask to see if there's a little bit of difference here in what we see now and what she had done previously.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. Now, when she did talk to New Mexico police, she maintained the story of being kidnapped and then she cracked under pressure. In fact, New Mexico police call called it an interrogation this morning when they were talk to her and during that interrogation, she cracked, she changed her story, and then she said, you know what, I made the whole thing up. Was there -- was that kind of a choice word, "interrogation," or did you think that New Mexico police knew exactly where they were going with this investigation, by saying, "we're going to interrogate her?"

CLARK: Well, I kind of think that they would have had to sit down and develop a strategy on how to go about talking to this young lady. And whether they call it an interrogation or whatever, they had to really do a lot of homework and background to get all of the questions in order as to what they wanted to ask and know the answer to those questions. And it doesn't take long. You know, a lie is hard to be consistent with, Fredricka. And a good investigators, who knows how to watch body language and who know how to pick up those tidbits will break it every time.

WHITFIELD: There was even a moment, reportedly, when they wanted to investigate whether she had been potentially sexually assaulted after reporting that she had been abducted. It seemed like this really went far, before she did crack under pressure.

CLARK: Well, yeah, and, you know, obviously there must have been some thought there as to what she was going to say to them to try to get them to believe the story. After a while, you know, people who are not habitual criminals, if you will, don't tend to do these things very well. They come up with stories and invariably, there will be loopholes in the stories and that's where hard work and determination on these investigators to pursue that and figure it out has to pay off.

WHITFIELD: Now, let's talk about the resources devoted to carry out this search, whether it be in Georgia or even across county and state lines, making it a national search. An awful lot of money was spent, an awful lot of manpower exhausted. This has to be really frustrating for law enforcement when they get put in a situation like this.

CLARK: Well, you know, yeah, for a short period of time, Fredricka, it is a bit frustrated -- frustrated -- frustration for the law enforcement community, but they have to get on with it, because sometimes you don't have a choice. You can't walk away from it and say "well, we don't think we should doing this." So you really do have to do these types of things, and this is the rare occasion. I mean, more than likely it would have been something to the other side of the spectrum, but this is the rare occasion, so I think they have to get on with it, put this one behind us and move on and look forward to doing as good a job as we can for the next one.

WHITFIELD: All right, Don Clark, former FBI special agent in charge, thanks so much for joining us from Houston.

CLARK: Thank you, Fredricka, good to be with you again.

WHITFIELD: Well, getting married, certainly stressful, perhaps even more so if you're talking about a wedding of this grand scale, expected to be that of 600 guests. Well, let's try to examine some of the emotions that a couple might be encountering, leading up to their big wedding day. For that we turn to Dr. Judy Kuriansky, and she's on the phone with us from New York.

All right, Dr. Kuriansky, thanks so much for joining us.

DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHER'S COLLEGE: Oh, you're welcome, Fredricka. Indeed being over the years, of counseling couples, there's no question that before a wedding, anyone, no matter who they are, how rich they are, whether there's 600 guests or 10 guests, there's still a lot of anxiety. But to have pulled off such an event as she did, there's deeper issues, then in a sense, it's a cry for help. There's something...

WHITFIELD: Yeah, we're not talking about just butterflies, we're talking about going 1,400 miles away, just days leading up to the wedding. We heard the pastor earlier this morning and a family member, spokesperson who said "clearly, Jennifer had issues that we didn't even know about."

KURIANSKY: Yes, and those issues should have really have been noticed a bit before, because such a dramatic act to add to this would have small clues along the way. This, in a sense, is a cry for help, really. And a very -- there are clues even to what she did. To go to Las Vegas, was that not where she first went?

WHITFIELD: Yeah, and that's some strange irony, given that a lot of people go to Las Vegas to get married. KURIANSKY: Exactly. So the psychology of this is very deep, the psycho dynamics. They go there to get married or they go there on their honeymoon. Think about also what that means, it's a quickie sort of marriage. It's also one of the -- it's a very gambling place and it's a place where people are, you know, playing fast lives. So, this has some deep psycho dynamics for her in terms of her confusion and her conflicts over getting married, and being even a drama queen, because that is a dramatic kind of statement. She didn't go quietly off to Mexico, she went to New Mexico. There's a reason to go from Las Vegas to Albuquerque, even. All this will come out. But the point is that...

WHITFIELD: A reason beyond, perhaps, just running out of money or...

KURIANSKY: Well, it's like a -- there's something inside her that I would suspect has some kind of an addictive-type of personality that is in a psycho-analytic, psycho-dynamic way. Just even from seeing some brief pictures of her, she's very thin, isn't she?

WHITFIELD: Yes, she appears to be very thin in the photographs. You know, earlier we heard from...

KURIANSKY: Well, you put that together -- when put that together with potentially, I'm just speculating here because I don't know...

WHITFIELD: WE'LL that's a tough one because we are jumping to conclusions because we haven't had a chance to speak with her...

KURIANSKY: Oh, yes, but...

WHITFIELD: Nor anyone else who is willing to speak publicly about what's going on through her mind.

KURIANSKY: Exactly. But if you make a profile, like the FBI -- you just spoke to an FBI agent, psychologists, you know, make profiles of people and try to figure out what's going on. The fears and everything could come from some kind of eating disorder and then that puts together with going to Las Vegas as a -- you know, as a gambling addiction, fears of -- and not to say that she had those things, but those are personality traits of people who do unpredictable things who are very frightened of others really seeing their deep self. Clearly, she couldn't communicate with anyone because people did not know what was going on inside of her. Thank goodness she didn't do something rash that would endanger her life.

WHITFIELD: Now apparently, according to the pastor, the couple did get some premarital counseling. You think there should have been some inkling of a problem that she had with the wedding or the anxiety or stress she was feeling leading up to it and that perhaps it may have been overlooked?

KURIANSKY: Well, there's no question a lot of her behavior was overlooked. Because I would say, seriously, Fredricka, that this kind of reaction...

WHITFIELD: Couldn't she just be really good at masking her feeling, perhaps?

KURIANSKY: Yes, excellent, you're a good psychologist there, because there would have been some clues though, because when you behave in this way it shows that there's a pattern for not being able to face extreme stress. Basically, you run away from stress and you can't cope with it. So in her childhood or along the way -- she's now, you know, she's a woman, not a little girl -- there were some clues to how she would handle stress. So this was a big one. And what she showed is she couldn't handle stress. So everybody did -- wasn't noticing that, which may be, in fact, the way the rest of the people around her cope with it. But, you know, that premarital counseling, there is a system where some couples are required to go to some premarital counseling, from -- in a religious mode and it's very superficial, it's certainly a wonderful thing to do, but unless you're going to be real open, you don't get to the deep issues. You talk about things that are simple; you don't get to the deep fears that would lead to this, because this husband and wife were seen together. It's more a happy kind of "let's make everything work out well" as opposed to "let's dig deep into what these worse than butterflies would be."

WHITFIELD: And clearly, in this case perhaps, or in the case of Jennifer, that perhaps she wasn't thinking about the consequences of when you finally do have to fess up and tell the truth, how much more embarrassing and humiliating this is all turning out to be.

KURIANSKY: Well absolutely, and we've seen in the bridegroom-to- be's behavior. It would be -- he comes from a well-to-do family, from what we know, they have visibility and some prominence. It would be extremely embarrassing and humiliating for him and everybody in the family. I think the lesson here, for everyone, certainly might not be as dramatic as this particular young woman would be, is to really think before the wedding what every single nervous anxiety would be and to share that, to pick someone, a very good friend or a therapist even on your own, not with the husband-to-be, because that becomes something that you can't really be totally honest about. You would frighten him and he might pull out. So those two things would be really essential to be really deep, digging into your fears and feelings about it and to share them with somebody, if it's not your family member, because that's too anxiety-provoking, then someone else.

WHITFIELD: It's both a sad and a happy ending. Glad that she is safe and sound. So sad, I think everyone agrees, that it came to this. Dr. Judy Kuriansky of the Colombia University Teacher's College, thanks so much for joining us on the phone, there.

KURIANSKY: Oh, you're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Well, more of the coverage of the bride-to-be, no longer missing, but very much alive and well, just a bad case of cold feet. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: More on our developing story, this morning. The Georgia bride-to-be who went missing Tuesday evening surfaced in New Mexico, today. At first, Jennifer Wilbanks told police she was kidnapped, but a few hours later, she admitted to having a case of cold feet, adding that her huge wedding set for tonight in Georgia was too much stress for her to handle. So, instead of going jogging Tuesday night, Wilbanks told police she took a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas. But her unexplained disappearance led the family and police to launch an intense three-day search for her. While they continued to work, Wilbanks hopped a second bus to Albuquerque. She finally telephoned her family with the kidnapping tale this morning, then later told police the truth, she left Georgia willingly on her own. Police say Wilbanks will not face any criminal charges.

Jennifer Wilbanks' pastor spoke to reporters an few hours ago. He said that the family understands she needs help, but reverend Alan Jones says there's no anger just relief that she's alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Your first question, obviously, is how's John Mason? John Mason is experiencing something right now that probably nobody in this country has experienced in such a great way, with the media attention and the things that have been brought forth. John is a man of faith, as I've been saying all the way through, and I want to quote something that John said to both families about an hour ago. John said "everybody has a right to make a mistake." He said "the bible calls that 'sin.'" He said "the bible also says every time we sin, we crucify Christ anew. And Christ forgives us and that's what grace is all about."

I've never met such a strong person in all my life. John has spoken with Jennifer. There's no hostility. Obviously, there's all kinds of emotions and I can't speak for John, but he's an incredible man. I like to speak for the family. This human drama that has unfolded this week has been amazing. They have been running off of every emotion from every tidbit of information they've been given. Last night, hope was looking very, very small. And emotions were at an all-time low. And this morning, they were given a tidbit of information -- or we were given a tight bid of information. And I know myself it's the highest adrenaline I've ever had. There were 150 people in this yard just having a party.

An hour or so later, we all found out that we've been given the wrong information and that Jennifer was a runaway bride. Sure, we were all disappointed, maybe a little embarrassed, but you know what, if you remember all the interviews yesterday, we were praying, at this point, let her be a runaway bride. So, god was faithful, Jennifer's alive and we're all thankful for that. So beyond all the other emotions, there's a spirit of celebration that we have Jennifer.

The churches, the community, have been incredible to support families during this time. Churches come out to support them, even these guys that are with me right now, have been here just helping the family. And we'll continue to do that. We'll continue to encourage John. And we need to ask the country to continue praying for this family, because there's a lot of pain. Nobody in this house had one idea of what had happened. Nobody. I've been asked many times. You've been in counseling for them for three months. I counseled them Sunday night and I had no idea. I had no idea.

I don't know about future wedding plans. I can't speak for that. I will speak for John. He's probably not going to be talking to the media for a couple days, since he's had no sleep and John's inside now, resting. But, again, thank you. Keep us in your prayers. Keep Jennifer in your prayers. Jennifer needs help. Jennifer needs help, We know that. And we want to help the family and we want to get her help. You know this -- this is something that no one's experienced on this magnitude.

Jennifer had no idea what was going on in the media. From what we understand, the buses that she was on, the bus station, that she was in, had no and probably had no clue how it had been blown out of proportion. But again, thank you for your help. God bless you and have a great day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Again, that was Reverend Alan Jones, the pastor of the Duluth -- of the church where the Duluth couple was to have married later on this evening. And we'll have more on this developing story, and our other top story, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our stop stories of the day. Police say a missing Georgia woman is safe at this hour. They also say Jennifer Wilbanks, reported missing last Tuesday, had taken a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas, then headed to New Mexico on another bus, on a return back.

When she first talked to police in New Mexico, Wilbanks claimed she had been abducted. Hundreds of people had been searching for Wilbanks after her fiance reported her missing on Tuesday. The couple was going to be married today. In her absence, a prayer vigil was to be held tonight. Her uncle says that it's been determined that Wilbanks has some issues the family wasn't aware of.

More violence in Iraq. Four American soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device, detonated in Tal Afar. The U.S. military made the announcement today. Two other U.S. troops were injured in that same blast, west of Mosul.

The lawyer for Army Private First Class Lynndie England says she will plead guilty to seven charges connected to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. England was seen in notorious photographs depicting abuses that were taken in the Baghdad prison. Her plea is set for Monday in a military court. Her trial was to begin Tuesday.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator says that country plans to make a decision to resume its uranium enrichment program next week. Experts say that highly-enriched uranium can be used as material for nuclear weapons. The European Union and Iran have been unsuccessful in reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

Jennifer Wilbanks' disappearance at first was an intense missing person's case. Now, it's a tale of a runaway bride. Here's how it all unfolded over the last few days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it's cold feet, she left her car, her money, her phone, her keys, her diamond ring. Something's happened and I don't know what.

MAJ. DON WOODRUFF, DULUTH POLICE DEPT.: Based on the fact that, according to the family members, this is totally uncharacteristic of her behavior and, such being the case, we would have to classify it as a criminal investigation at this time.

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): And the Wilbanks family has declined to speak to the media this morning. However, they did issue a statement saying in part, quote, "We beg anyone who has any knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Jennifer's disappearance to contact the police."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We probably searched approximately five square miles, with over 250 volunteers, law enforcement and civilian. We were unable to locate much of anything at that point in time.

DORSEY (voice-over) Police have confirmed to CNN that a clump of hair was found during the search Wednesday. However, they say the hair has not been linked to Wilbanks and could belong to anyone.

HARRIS WILBANKS, JENNIFER'S FATHER: It's been a difficult two days. Really difficult.

MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS FAMILY SPOKESMAN: The family has established an initial reward of $100,000. We love Jennifer very much. We would give our life and everything that we own to have her returned.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We also learned in that afternoon press conference with the family that John Mason, Jennifer's fiance, had taken and passed a polygraph examination. An hour later, we learned from the police chief here in Duluth that that privately-administered polygraph test meant absolutely nothing to authorities here.

CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH: At this point, we have searched what we can search. We've exhausted our manpower. We turned over probably every leaf in this city. So I have suspended all future searches, as of this moment.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CENTER ATLANTA (on phone): Can you give us any more detail on how Jennifer Wilbanks was discovered in Albuquerque, New Mexico?

ALAN JONES, ASSOCIATE PASTOR (on phone): Well, her abductors let her go. They got scared and let her go and she made it to a pay phone and actually called the home.

(CHEERS FROM CROWD)

JOHN MASON, JENNIFER WILBANKS' FIANCE: You kind of have to keep yourself composed, because she didn't know where she was and she was scared to death and I had to try to keep her on the phone until we got somebody to her.

TRISH AHRENSFIELD, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE SPOKESWOMAN: She is here, she is with police. She is -- doesn't appear to be any life- threatening injuries.

JOYCE PARRISH, JENNIFER WILBANKS' MOTHER (on phone): I just felt like -- I even told the FBI this afternoon, I said I feel like that someone has taken my daughter and that that she's not anywhere around here, that you won't find her here. They've taken her somewhere. It was just -- and I know, for moms out there, there's just times, with your children, you just feel it in your heart.

CHIEF RAY SCHULTZ, ALBBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPT.: At approximately 4:00 a.m. this morning, Miss Wilbanks informed agents and detectives that she had not been abducted as she had originally claimed.

SATTERFIELD: Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her and talking with her concerning these issues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: More on the case of Jennifer Wilbanks. At first, a case of a missing person, now a case of a bride-to-be with cold feet. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Jennifer Wilbanks, a Georgia bride-to-be, missing for days. Now, apparently, alive and well, in New Mexico, after staging her own disappearance.

Our Charles Molineaux is in Duluth, Georgia, where the investigation began. And Charles, tonight, was to be the wedding, and then, at the place of that scheduled wedding was to be a vigil for this woman who was missing. Now what, for this family?

MOLINEAUX: We're looking at a community, Duluth and these two families, really, Fredricka, who are going through an incredible case of emotional whiplash. If you look around town, actually, you'll still see some of the flyers that have been put up, asking for help to find this missing woman. As recently as 12 hours ago, members of her family admit that they were giving up hope that Jennifer Wilbanks would ever be seen alive again.

Then came word that she had, in fact, turned up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at a 7-11 story, with a story about having been kidnapped by two people in a van. Well, that caused applause and a huge party broke out in the lawn around the home of her fiance, John Mason. An exciting period that lasted -- well, not more than a few hours, until word came out that she had, in fact, made the whole story up and had fled from Duluth in a case of wedding jitters.

Apparently having a case of cold feet. And as some family representatives put it, some issues that the family was apparently not aware of, regarding this huge wedding, which was to be a major undertaking. 600 guests were expected to be here. Now, John Mason, her fiance, is not speaking publicly. He's apparently resting and pretty much hiding out in his home.

Jennifer Wilbanks' family, her mother, her stepfather, her father and her stepmother, have headed out to Albuquerque for a reunion with her, a reunion that was originally expected to be a tremendously joyous one, now infused with a whole lot of other issues, as people ponder what it was that drove her to this point to take off like this and well, make up a story about being kidnapped.

A lot of concern. And also a lot of talk already of forgiveness coming from, for one thing, as you heard a little earlier, Alan Jones, the associate pastor, who was supposed to be marrying this couple this evening, now talking about counseling her, counseling her fiance, and forgiveness for someone who may have made a big mistake. A lot of embarrassment, a lot of disappointment here. But then again, there is also simply the relief that she has turned up alive. Real mixed feelings -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Now Charles, quite a bit of activity behind you. Is that the church where the wedding was to have taken place? Are folks there converging for another event or for something related to Jennifer Wilbanks?

MOLINEAUX: This is just the -- this is the center of town, Duluth, where things are getting back to normal after the weather has actually improved quite a bit. It was miserable this morning, as the miserable news about this hoax got out. The community is pretty much getting back to normal. But this wedding, which was to be a huge affair between two very well-known families this evening, is not going to be happening tonight. And the minister who was supposed to be presiding over it says at this point, he doesn't know when, or if, that wedding is going to come off.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. All right. Charles Molineaux, thank so much. From Duluth, Georgia.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A recap now of the Jennifer Wilbanks' case. Nearly four days after her disappearance and on the day she was supposed to get married, that woman from Georgia has turned up alive and safe in New Mexico. Jennifer Wilbanks first told police in Albuquerque she had been kidnapped, but then she changed her story. Wilbanks admitted she was lying and left Georgia after getting stressed out over her approaching wedding.

Her family is trying to sort out the ordeal now. A friend of the young woman calls the case shocking, overwhelming and baffling. Police say they don't plan to file criminal charges against Wilbanks. Well, this case involved resources all over the country and FBI spokesperson from the Albuquerque, New Mexico, field office is on the telephone with us. Special Agent Bill Elwell. Thanks so much, Mr. Elwell, for joining us.

BILL ELWELL, FBI SPOKESMAN, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: No problem.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, New Mexico, or at least the Albuquerque police, say they don't plan to file charges. Might there be any sort of federal charges that would, indeed, be pursued against Jennifer Wilbanks?

ELWELL: Well, here in the Albuquerque area and the New Mexico area, we do not plan to file any charges with regard to this situation. I can't speak for the Atlanta and Georgia area, but here in New Mexico, we do not plan to do so.

WHITFIELD: All right. Take us back, then, to overnight, when all of this seemed to unfold, in terms of it taking a real turn. This -- what was a missing persons case became a case of a kidnapping, perhaps, when Jennifer Wilbanks called 911 and reported she had been kidnapped but then released. Take it from there.

ELWELL: Well, what had happened is, she had contacted her family first, before she dialed the 911 number, assured them that she was safe and where she was located and then she decided to call 911 and was able to reach the Albuquerque Police Department substation. She identified herself, told them that she had been the victim of an abduction and the Albuquerque Police Department sent their patrol officers out to the location.

WHITFIELD: And did any of the officers express that they thought it was strange that she would call her family first and not 911 first?

ELWELL: Well, no, not really. People do different things in stressful situations. So maybe she felt a need to contact her family, just to let them know that she was fine. But she instantly, after she had gotten off the line with them, she called 911 and reported, you know, that she was in the area and -- where she was located.

WHITFIELD: And then they came and picked her up? What happened?

ELWELL: Well, basically what they did is they picked her up, they took her to the Albuquerque Police Department, southeast substation, and at that point, identified her further, contacted the Albuquerque division of the FBI and advised us they had this missing person from Georgia, and that, you know, they wanted our assistance, or that we should be involved in the investigation.

WHITFIELD: And what kind of questioning typically would take place in a case like this so that officers feel like they're getting the full, complete, truthful story?

ELWELL: Well, what we were trying to determine at the time was, first of all, if there was an abduction and if there was such a thing, we were looking for the -- we were looking for the people that were -- the offenders in this violent act.

WHITFIELD: So automatically, there's initially some doubt?

ELWELL: Oh, no, I mean, we're going to listen to the story. We had to figure out what had transpired over the last three days. And we had somebody here who had been under a stressful situation for the last three days and we want to make sure the information she's providing us is correct.

WHITFIELD: And through that questioning, then, somehow she decided, I think I'd better tell the truth and so she fessed up?

ELWELL: Well, what had happened is we had some very astute violent crime police officers, as well as special agents at the FBI, that were listening to the story and realized that a few -- there were various inconsistencies in the nature of the description of the act, as well as her appearance, things like that. And they got rather pointed with regards to what had actually transpired over the last three days.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. And so in the end, Jennifer Wilbanks admits that she made the whole thing up because she was getting stressed out over the wedding that was to take place this evening in Duluth, Georgia, some 1,400 miles away from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Special agent with the FBI in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, field office, Bill Elwell. Thanks so much for joining us.

ELWELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And more on this developing story right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A moment ago, you heard from the New Mexico FBI special agent in charge about the case of Jennifer Wilbanks, the Georgia bride-to-be who was first missing and now is found alive and well, just with cold feet.

Well, now the point of view from the New Mexico -- Albuquerque, rather, police department spokesperson, Trish Ahrensfield. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRISH AHRENSFIELD, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPT: We received the phone call about 11:38 p.m. last night that a woman was at Salano (ph) and Central in reference to possibly being abducted from Georgia. When officers arrived there, we contacted her and actually an officer actually recognized her because he'd been following the news story. And she stated who she was. We confirmed that. We took her back to our substation here when the FBI, as well as our detectives started interviewing her.

At that time she still stated that she been abducted and that she was brought here to Albuquerque and then released and that actually went on for quite some time and I think with the experience of the detectives as well as the FBI detectives, they kind of all thought that there was something more to the story. And that's when, I think, that she finally stated that she need to tell the truth and then stated that with the stress of the upcoming wedding, that she needed some time and that's how the rest of the story played out.

NGUYEN: What did she appear -- what was her -- I guess her demeanor at the time? Was she nervous? Was she upset? Was she hysterical? Because we heard many different descriptions on the phone with her parents this morning when she made that call to tell them that she was OK and told them about this whole abduction story. Was she calm? Was she collected? What did she seem like during that interrogation?

AHRENSFIELD: You know, when I actually -- when I first came to the substation, I contacted her and I think we were all shocked at the fact that we were so glad that she was safe and she did seem upset. She looked tired and she seemed worried and seemed upset, genuinely upset.

NGUYEN: Can you hear us?

AHRENSFIELD: Yes. Anyway, she did seem very upset, and then the interviews continued after that.

NGUYEN: OK. So she seemed very upset, and she continued on with this story about being abducted. When in there did the agents learn that -- or decided or determine, that indeed this was not the case? Was she not telling the story the same every time she was being asked it? Was she not being consistent about her answers?

AHRENSFIELD: There were some inconsistencies in her story and I think her body language, I'm sure, with again the experience of the detectives and what they see when they talk to victims. And it was finally several hours later, she finally said that they asked her, do we need to look for the blue van anymore and she said, no. And there was a turning point there when I think she finally stated she needed to tell the truth and then said of the stress of everything and she needed some time again. And so it took several hours, but she did the right thing by finally telling the truth.

NGUYEN: So what happens to her now? Where is she?

AHRENSFIELD: She is no longer at the substation. She is with the FBI Victim Assistance, as well as our victim advocates and they've taken her to another location to get her showered and cleaned up. She's tired. She's had a long couple days and she will be reunited with her family later today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that was Trish Ahrensfield of the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police Department, where Jennifer Wilbanks ended up telling police officers there that she made up the whole story of being kidnapped, and that she is responsible for her disappearance from Georgia, because she was stressed out over her planned big wedding scheduled for tonight in Duluth, Georgia. And I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters. Thanks for joining us this past few hours in our continuing coverage of that case. We hope you'll stay tuned to CNN throughout the day for updates on Jennifer Wilbanks and other top stories.

We'll have more news at 2:00 Eastern on CNN LIVE SATURDAY. After a quick break, we'll look at some of the other top stories of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. "IN THE MONEY" begins in a moment, but first, a check of the headlines.

Family members are headed to New Mexico today to retrieve runaway bride-to-be Jennifer Wilbanks. The Georgia woman surfaced in Albuquerque today. She first told police there that she had been kidnapped, but Wilbanks' story crumbled, then later admitting that she simply got cold feet over her wedding, which was scheduled for tonight. And then she just ran away.

It all started Tuesday when Wilbanks told her fiance she was going for a job. Instead, unbeknownst to anyone, she boarded a bus from suburban Atlanta to Las Vegas, then onto Albuquerque. Her unexplained disappearance prompted a three-day national search and generated national headlines. The pastor who had counseled Wilbanks and her fiance earlier says the family had no idea that she was on the emotional brink.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ALAN JONES, PEACHTREE CORNERS BAPTIST CHURCH: Jennifer needs help. We know that. And we want to help the family and we want to get her help. You know, this is something that no one's experienced on this magnitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, Wilbanks' wedding was supposed to be tonight and it was expected to be pretty big. 600 invitations had gone out and she had 28 attendants.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. More news at the bottom of the hour. Now, "IN THE MONEY."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 30, 2005 - 12:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome back to CNN's coverage of the missing bride-to-be from Georgia. She resurfaced alive, earlier today, in Mexico, ending a three-day national search for her. Up until early this morning, police, family and friends looking for Jennifer Wilbanks had feared the worst. While there is great relief the 32-year-old is alive and well there is also expressed disappointment and embarrassment surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance. This is how it all unfolded over the last few hours.
Early this morning, the bride-to-be called both 911 and her fiance from New Mexico, informing them she had been kidnapped and that her abductors let her go. But then, during interviews with police, she changed her story, admitting that instead of leaving her home for a jog last Tuesday night, Wilbanks took a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas, ending up in Albuquerque on her way back. She admitted to police she lied about being kidnapped, was stressed out over the wedding, planned for today in Georgia, and just need to get away. Wilbanks' wedding was going to be big: 600 guests with a wedding party of 28 attendants. Today, her pastor declared that Jennifer needs help. New Mexico police don't plan to file charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY SCHULTZ, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE CHIEF: Approximately 4:00 a.m. this morning, Miss Wilbanks informed agents and detectives that she had not been abducted as she had originally claimed. Agent and detectives learned that Miss Wilbanks had become scared and concerned about her pending marriage and decided that she need some time alone. Miss Wilbanks had traveled from the Georgia area to Las Vegas, Nevada, via bus. Earlier today, she traveled from Las Vegas back to the Albuquerque area, again via bus, arriving this evening. She remained in the Albuquerque area, traveling around the southeast area heights, until approximately 22:38 hours when she called 911.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That was from New Mexico earlier this morning. Let's go now to Duluth, Georgia, where the investigation began there, with the three-day search, when it was a missing person's case. Charles Molineaux has been following the story all morning -- Charles.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Fredricka, how many ways and how many times can you say "emotional roller coaster?" Because that is very much what this community has been on, since Jennifer first disappeared on Tuesday night. The desperate search went on for days. There was a vigil going on at the home of her -- her -- well, the fellow we thought was going to be her husband, John Mason, and his family. But if you look at the way the scene erupted there this morning on the news that she was OK, that everything was all right, that she was safe, that she turned up in New Mexico with this amazing story about having survived a kidnapping, it was a scene of cheers and spontaneous applause, lots of hugs and crying. And then came the news that actually things were not quite what they appeared to be and that apparently -- well, Jennifer may have been what some people had, for a while, prayed what she was -- because the alternative was worse -- a runaway bride. And of course now, a very concerned situation at the Mason home and the family is talking forgiveness. Listen to what their pastor had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ALAN JONES, PEACHTREE CORNERS BAPTIST CHURCH: Jennifer needs help, We know that. And we want to help the family and we want to get her help. You know this -- this is something that no one's experienced on this magnitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: that pastor, Alan Jones, is the fellow who was actually going to marry Jennifer and John today in this huge wedding ceremony, then suddenly he was anointed into the role of counselor for the family in its desperate vigil waiting to see what was happening to Jennifer and if she would turn up alive. Then again, enlisted in the role as counselor for a troubled couple and a very troubled family. This is a situation which happens to, well, quite a number of couples, somebody gets left in the altar, but in the public spotlight, like this, this is something pretty extraordinary and some tough days for John Mason and some tough days for this family.

Jennifer Wilbanks' family, her relatives, are now headed to New Mexico for a reunion with her and a period of -- well, probably healing. Last we heard, John Mason is not talking very much and is staying home and some tough days ahead for this family. But, the word is that yesterday, 24 hours ago, friends, relatives, alike were praying that Jennifer Wilbanks would turn out to be a runaway bride, fortunately, and unfortunately, that is what happened.

WHITFIELD: All right, Charles, well, certainly, it happens, but not of this scale. Folks aren't used to this of this scale taking place. Let's talk a little bit more about the family members and friends who have gathered, some 600 guest. You said John Mason, himself, is not necessarily willing to talk at this point. But what about other friends or family members, outside of the representative and the reverend we saw earlier?

MOLINEAUX: Very few of them have and it was a dramatic blast of silence when the news abruptly changed. You saw the joyous scene outside the Mason home. Once the news came out that Jennifer was, in fact, OK and there were -- it was a party. It was a party on the lawn, there were cars parked everywhere, people hugging and applauding and then all of a sudden we got the news from Albuquerque that, in fact, well, perhaps Jennifer may have made up the part about being kidnapped and -- dead silence fell over the entire compound and only a few people talked. One person I did talk to, Melinda Larson who's actually is going through marriage preparations with Jennifer because she herself is going to have her own wedding in a few weeks. She said she had no idea. It was just stunning that this happened. She was asking for a lot of love for Jennifer and a lot of support because that does, indeed, seem to be what she needs at this point. There are requests for understanding and promises of love. There's, doubtless, some anger, resentment, and utter befuddlement over what happened, so some tough days ahead. The good news and bad news tied in. We're looking at a story that was just unequivocally joyous and relieved occasion, this morning, a little more equivocal this afternoon -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, lots of mixed emotions. Thanks so much, Charles Molineaux in Duluth, Georgia.

Well, New Mexico, so far, says they don't plan to file any charges against Jennifer Wilbanks, but Georgia is still unclear. Let's bring in former FBI special agent in charge, Don Clark. He joins us from Houston to give us a sense whether this woman could be potentially facing any kind of federal charges for at least telling authorities that she had been kidnapped. Hello to you, Don.

DON CLARK, FMR. FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Hey, Fredricka. I'm good, how are you?

WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good. Well, is that a real possibility that because she did report to New Mexico authorities that she had been kidnapped and crossing state lines, it become a federal crime, that potentially there might be federal charges she could be facing?

CLARK: Well, you know, Fredricka, it's a possibility, but I don't think we're going to see that happen. I think, right now, the law enforcement community, and especially the federal government, they just want to get this thing behind them now and move on to something else. And you know, we got to look at one thing, though. I want to say something about that community up there, because for the last seven, eight years, we've had such a rash of these missing and disappearances and we've asked the citizens to come out and help and try to locate these people and they've done that, and I think this community did the same thing and it deserve applause and hands for this. But, on the same token, with there being misstatements and so forth I don't think they're going to go forward with that at all, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. Now, had this case begun to unravel, in your view, as you were, you know, listening and reading the headlines, there seemed to be a lot of inconsistencies that only revealed themselves toward the end, particularly when Duluth police then said, you know what, the trail is cold and we're going to discontinue the search? Was that a red flag, in your view?

CLARK: Well, I wondered when they said they would discontinue the search, is that, if they had a piece of information that sort of led them in the direction. And they also said that, well, we think the runaway bride theory is really something we're going to put at the bottom of our list, basically and I started to wonder there, that maybe they've got a piece of information we don't know about and maybe we should -- and we probably shouldn't have known about it, but obviously, that was not the case, so I don't know what triggered them to say that, but I have to tell you, you still have to keep going back, Fredricka -- we talked about before -- to the beginning and to the start point.

WHITFIELD: And the state point meaning when she decided to go out for a jog. I understand, you thought it was rather strange that she left her wedding ring, her engagement ring behind while going out for that jog, whereas for me, I didn't think that was too unusual. Before I go exercise, I make sure I take all the jewelry off. Why was that kind of a red flag in your view?

CLARK: Well, it wasn't so much just the wedding ring, it was specifically items lined up: Set of keys, cell phone, wedding ring, and yes, you're right, I think a lot women, perhaps, do take off the wedding rings, some just turn it around backwards, but just that whole sequence of little items that happened to be left there. And I wondered if this is a process that she followed all the time or, you know, could somebody say, yeah this is what she did every time she went out to run. Those are the kinds of questions that I think that investigators have to ask to see if there's a little bit of difference here in what we see now and what she had done previously.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. Now, when she did talk to New Mexico police, she maintained the story of being kidnapped and then she cracked under pressure. In fact, New Mexico police call called it an interrogation this morning when they were talk to her and during that interrogation, she cracked, she changed her story, and then she said, you know what, I made the whole thing up. Was there -- was that kind of a choice word, "interrogation," or did you think that New Mexico police knew exactly where they were going with this investigation, by saying, "we're going to interrogate her?"

CLARK: Well, I kind of think that they would have had to sit down and develop a strategy on how to go about talking to this young lady. And whether they call it an interrogation or whatever, they had to really do a lot of homework and background to get all of the questions in order as to what they wanted to ask and know the answer to those questions. And it doesn't take long. You know, a lie is hard to be consistent with, Fredricka. And a good investigators, who knows how to watch body language and who know how to pick up those tidbits will break it every time.

WHITFIELD: There was even a moment, reportedly, when they wanted to investigate whether she had been potentially sexually assaulted after reporting that she had been abducted. It seemed like this really went far, before she did crack under pressure.

CLARK: Well, yeah, and, you know, obviously there must have been some thought there as to what she was going to say to them to try to get them to believe the story. After a while, you know, people who are not habitual criminals, if you will, don't tend to do these things very well. They come up with stories and invariably, there will be loopholes in the stories and that's where hard work and determination on these investigators to pursue that and figure it out has to pay off.

WHITFIELD: Now, let's talk about the resources devoted to carry out this search, whether it be in Georgia or even across county and state lines, making it a national search. An awful lot of money was spent, an awful lot of manpower exhausted. This has to be really frustrating for law enforcement when they get put in a situation like this.

CLARK: Well, you know, yeah, for a short period of time, Fredricka, it is a bit frustrated -- frustrated -- frustration for the law enforcement community, but they have to get on with it, because sometimes you don't have a choice. You can't walk away from it and say "well, we don't think we should doing this." So you really do have to do these types of things, and this is the rare occasion. I mean, more than likely it would have been something to the other side of the spectrum, but this is the rare occasion, so I think they have to get on with it, put this one behind us and move on and look forward to doing as good a job as we can for the next one.

WHITFIELD: All right, Don Clark, former FBI special agent in charge, thanks so much for joining us from Houston.

CLARK: Thank you, Fredricka, good to be with you again.

WHITFIELD: Well, getting married, certainly stressful, perhaps even more so if you're talking about a wedding of this grand scale, expected to be that of 600 guests. Well, let's try to examine some of the emotions that a couple might be encountering, leading up to their big wedding day. For that we turn to Dr. Judy Kuriansky, and she's on the phone with us from New York.

All right, Dr. Kuriansky, thanks so much for joining us.

DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHER'S COLLEGE: Oh, you're welcome, Fredricka. Indeed being over the years, of counseling couples, there's no question that before a wedding, anyone, no matter who they are, how rich they are, whether there's 600 guests or 10 guests, there's still a lot of anxiety. But to have pulled off such an event as she did, there's deeper issues, then in a sense, it's a cry for help. There's something...

WHITFIELD: Yeah, we're not talking about just butterflies, we're talking about going 1,400 miles away, just days leading up to the wedding. We heard the pastor earlier this morning and a family member, spokesperson who said "clearly, Jennifer had issues that we didn't even know about."

KURIANSKY: Yes, and those issues should have really have been noticed a bit before, because such a dramatic act to add to this would have small clues along the way. This, in a sense, is a cry for help, really. And a very -- there are clues even to what she did. To go to Las Vegas, was that not where she first went?

WHITFIELD: Yeah, and that's some strange irony, given that a lot of people go to Las Vegas to get married. KURIANSKY: Exactly. So the psychology of this is very deep, the psycho dynamics. They go there to get married or they go there on their honeymoon. Think about also what that means, it's a quickie sort of marriage. It's also one of the -- it's a very gambling place and it's a place where people are, you know, playing fast lives. So, this has some deep psycho dynamics for her in terms of her confusion and her conflicts over getting married, and being even a drama queen, because that is a dramatic kind of statement. She didn't go quietly off to Mexico, she went to New Mexico. There's a reason to go from Las Vegas to Albuquerque, even. All this will come out. But the point is that...

WHITFIELD: A reason beyond, perhaps, just running out of money or...

KURIANSKY: Well, it's like a -- there's something inside her that I would suspect has some kind of an addictive-type of personality that is in a psycho-analytic, psycho-dynamic way. Just even from seeing some brief pictures of her, she's very thin, isn't she?

WHITFIELD: Yes, she appears to be very thin in the photographs. You know, earlier we heard from...

KURIANSKY: Well, you put that together -- when put that together with potentially, I'm just speculating here because I don't know...

WHITFIELD: WE'LL that's a tough one because we are jumping to conclusions because we haven't had a chance to speak with her...

KURIANSKY: Oh, yes, but...

WHITFIELD: Nor anyone else who is willing to speak publicly about what's going on through her mind.

KURIANSKY: Exactly. But if you make a profile, like the FBI -- you just spoke to an FBI agent, psychologists, you know, make profiles of people and try to figure out what's going on. The fears and everything could come from some kind of eating disorder and then that puts together with going to Las Vegas as a -- you know, as a gambling addiction, fears of -- and not to say that she had those things, but those are personality traits of people who do unpredictable things who are very frightened of others really seeing their deep self. Clearly, she couldn't communicate with anyone because people did not know what was going on inside of her. Thank goodness she didn't do something rash that would endanger her life.

WHITFIELD: Now apparently, according to the pastor, the couple did get some premarital counseling. You think there should have been some inkling of a problem that she had with the wedding or the anxiety or stress she was feeling leading up to it and that perhaps it may have been overlooked?

KURIANSKY: Well, there's no question a lot of her behavior was overlooked. Because I would say, seriously, Fredricka, that this kind of reaction...

WHITFIELD: Couldn't she just be really good at masking her feeling, perhaps?

KURIANSKY: Yes, excellent, you're a good psychologist there, because there would have been some clues though, because when you behave in this way it shows that there's a pattern for not being able to face extreme stress. Basically, you run away from stress and you can't cope with it. So in her childhood or along the way -- she's now, you know, she's a woman, not a little girl -- there were some clues to how she would handle stress. So this was a big one. And what she showed is she couldn't handle stress. So everybody did -- wasn't noticing that, which may be, in fact, the way the rest of the people around her cope with it. But, you know, that premarital counseling, there is a system where some couples are required to go to some premarital counseling, from -- in a religious mode and it's very superficial, it's certainly a wonderful thing to do, but unless you're going to be real open, you don't get to the deep issues. You talk about things that are simple; you don't get to the deep fears that would lead to this, because this husband and wife were seen together. It's more a happy kind of "let's make everything work out well" as opposed to "let's dig deep into what these worse than butterflies would be."

WHITFIELD: And clearly, in this case perhaps, or in the case of Jennifer, that perhaps she wasn't thinking about the consequences of when you finally do have to fess up and tell the truth, how much more embarrassing and humiliating this is all turning out to be.

KURIANSKY: Well absolutely, and we've seen in the bridegroom-to- be's behavior. It would be -- he comes from a well-to-do family, from what we know, they have visibility and some prominence. It would be extremely embarrassing and humiliating for him and everybody in the family. I think the lesson here, for everyone, certainly might not be as dramatic as this particular young woman would be, is to really think before the wedding what every single nervous anxiety would be and to share that, to pick someone, a very good friend or a therapist even on your own, not with the husband-to-be, because that becomes something that you can't really be totally honest about. You would frighten him and he might pull out. So those two things would be really essential to be really deep, digging into your fears and feelings about it and to share them with somebody, if it's not your family member, because that's too anxiety-provoking, then someone else.

WHITFIELD: It's both a sad and a happy ending. Glad that she is safe and sound. So sad, I think everyone agrees, that it came to this. Dr. Judy Kuriansky of the Colombia University Teacher's College, thanks so much for joining us on the phone, there.

KURIANSKY: Oh, you're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Well, more of the coverage of the bride-to-be, no longer missing, but very much alive and well, just a bad case of cold feet. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: More on our developing story, this morning. The Georgia bride-to-be who went missing Tuesday evening surfaced in New Mexico, today. At first, Jennifer Wilbanks told police she was kidnapped, but a few hours later, she admitted to having a case of cold feet, adding that her huge wedding set for tonight in Georgia was too much stress for her to handle. So, instead of going jogging Tuesday night, Wilbanks told police she took a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas. But her unexplained disappearance led the family and police to launch an intense three-day search for her. While they continued to work, Wilbanks hopped a second bus to Albuquerque. She finally telephoned her family with the kidnapping tale this morning, then later told police the truth, she left Georgia willingly on her own. Police say Wilbanks will not face any criminal charges.

Jennifer Wilbanks' pastor spoke to reporters an few hours ago. He said that the family understands she needs help, but reverend Alan Jones says there's no anger just relief that she's alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Your first question, obviously, is how's John Mason? John Mason is experiencing something right now that probably nobody in this country has experienced in such a great way, with the media attention and the things that have been brought forth. John is a man of faith, as I've been saying all the way through, and I want to quote something that John said to both families about an hour ago. John said "everybody has a right to make a mistake." He said "the bible calls that 'sin.'" He said "the bible also says every time we sin, we crucify Christ anew. And Christ forgives us and that's what grace is all about."

I've never met such a strong person in all my life. John has spoken with Jennifer. There's no hostility. Obviously, there's all kinds of emotions and I can't speak for John, but he's an incredible man. I like to speak for the family. This human drama that has unfolded this week has been amazing. They have been running off of every emotion from every tidbit of information they've been given. Last night, hope was looking very, very small. And emotions were at an all-time low. And this morning, they were given a tidbit of information -- or we were given a tight bid of information. And I know myself it's the highest adrenaline I've ever had. There were 150 people in this yard just having a party.

An hour or so later, we all found out that we've been given the wrong information and that Jennifer was a runaway bride. Sure, we were all disappointed, maybe a little embarrassed, but you know what, if you remember all the interviews yesterday, we were praying, at this point, let her be a runaway bride. So, god was faithful, Jennifer's alive and we're all thankful for that. So beyond all the other emotions, there's a spirit of celebration that we have Jennifer.

The churches, the community, have been incredible to support families during this time. Churches come out to support them, even these guys that are with me right now, have been here just helping the family. And we'll continue to do that. We'll continue to encourage John. And we need to ask the country to continue praying for this family, because there's a lot of pain. Nobody in this house had one idea of what had happened. Nobody. I've been asked many times. You've been in counseling for them for three months. I counseled them Sunday night and I had no idea. I had no idea.

I don't know about future wedding plans. I can't speak for that. I will speak for John. He's probably not going to be talking to the media for a couple days, since he's had no sleep and John's inside now, resting. But, again, thank you. Keep us in your prayers. Keep Jennifer in your prayers. Jennifer needs help. Jennifer needs help, We know that. And we want to help the family and we want to get her help. You know this -- this is something that no one's experienced on this magnitude.

Jennifer had no idea what was going on in the media. From what we understand, the buses that she was on, the bus station, that she was in, had no and probably had no clue how it had been blown out of proportion. But again, thank you for your help. God bless you and have a great day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Again, that was Reverend Alan Jones, the pastor of the Duluth -- of the church where the Duluth couple was to have married later on this evening. And we'll have more on this developing story, and our other top story, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our stop stories of the day. Police say a missing Georgia woman is safe at this hour. They also say Jennifer Wilbanks, reported missing last Tuesday, had taken a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas, then headed to New Mexico on another bus, on a return back.

When she first talked to police in New Mexico, Wilbanks claimed she had been abducted. Hundreds of people had been searching for Wilbanks after her fiance reported her missing on Tuesday. The couple was going to be married today. In her absence, a prayer vigil was to be held tonight. Her uncle says that it's been determined that Wilbanks has some issues the family wasn't aware of.

More violence in Iraq. Four American soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device, detonated in Tal Afar. The U.S. military made the announcement today. Two other U.S. troops were injured in that same blast, west of Mosul.

The lawyer for Army Private First Class Lynndie England says she will plead guilty to seven charges connected to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. England was seen in notorious photographs depicting abuses that were taken in the Baghdad prison. Her plea is set for Monday in a military court. Her trial was to begin Tuesday.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator says that country plans to make a decision to resume its uranium enrichment program next week. Experts say that highly-enriched uranium can be used as material for nuclear weapons. The European Union and Iran have been unsuccessful in reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

Jennifer Wilbanks' disappearance at first was an intense missing person's case. Now, it's a tale of a runaway bride. Here's how it all unfolded over the last few days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it's cold feet, she left her car, her money, her phone, her keys, her diamond ring. Something's happened and I don't know what.

MAJ. DON WOODRUFF, DULUTH POLICE DEPT.: Based on the fact that, according to the family members, this is totally uncharacteristic of her behavior and, such being the case, we would have to classify it as a criminal investigation at this time.

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): And the Wilbanks family has declined to speak to the media this morning. However, they did issue a statement saying in part, quote, "We beg anyone who has any knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Jennifer's disappearance to contact the police."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We probably searched approximately five square miles, with over 250 volunteers, law enforcement and civilian. We were unable to locate much of anything at that point in time.

DORSEY (voice-over) Police have confirmed to CNN that a clump of hair was found during the search Wednesday. However, they say the hair has not been linked to Wilbanks and could belong to anyone.

HARRIS WILBANKS, JENNIFER'S FATHER: It's been a difficult two days. Really difficult.

MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS FAMILY SPOKESMAN: The family has established an initial reward of $100,000. We love Jennifer very much. We would give our life and everything that we own to have her returned.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We also learned in that afternoon press conference with the family that John Mason, Jennifer's fiance, had taken and passed a polygraph examination. An hour later, we learned from the police chief here in Duluth that that privately-administered polygraph test meant absolutely nothing to authorities here.

CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH: At this point, we have searched what we can search. We've exhausted our manpower. We turned over probably every leaf in this city. So I have suspended all future searches, as of this moment.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CENTER ATLANTA (on phone): Can you give us any more detail on how Jennifer Wilbanks was discovered in Albuquerque, New Mexico?

ALAN JONES, ASSOCIATE PASTOR (on phone): Well, her abductors let her go. They got scared and let her go and she made it to a pay phone and actually called the home.

(CHEERS FROM CROWD)

JOHN MASON, JENNIFER WILBANKS' FIANCE: You kind of have to keep yourself composed, because she didn't know where she was and she was scared to death and I had to try to keep her on the phone until we got somebody to her.

TRISH AHRENSFIELD, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE SPOKESWOMAN: She is here, she is with police. She is -- doesn't appear to be any life- threatening injuries.

JOYCE PARRISH, JENNIFER WILBANKS' MOTHER (on phone): I just felt like -- I even told the FBI this afternoon, I said I feel like that someone has taken my daughter and that that she's not anywhere around here, that you won't find her here. They've taken her somewhere. It was just -- and I know, for moms out there, there's just times, with your children, you just feel it in your heart.

CHIEF RAY SCHULTZ, ALBBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPT.: At approximately 4:00 a.m. this morning, Miss Wilbanks informed agents and detectives that she had not been abducted as she had originally claimed.

SATTERFIELD: Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her and talking with her concerning these issues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: More on the case of Jennifer Wilbanks. At first, a case of a missing person, now a case of a bride-to-be with cold feet. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Jennifer Wilbanks, a Georgia bride-to-be, missing for days. Now, apparently, alive and well, in New Mexico, after staging her own disappearance.

Our Charles Molineaux is in Duluth, Georgia, where the investigation began. And Charles, tonight, was to be the wedding, and then, at the place of that scheduled wedding was to be a vigil for this woman who was missing. Now what, for this family?

MOLINEAUX: We're looking at a community, Duluth and these two families, really, Fredricka, who are going through an incredible case of emotional whiplash. If you look around town, actually, you'll still see some of the flyers that have been put up, asking for help to find this missing woman. As recently as 12 hours ago, members of her family admit that they were giving up hope that Jennifer Wilbanks would ever be seen alive again.

Then came word that she had, in fact, turned up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at a 7-11 story, with a story about having been kidnapped by two people in a van. Well, that caused applause and a huge party broke out in the lawn around the home of her fiance, John Mason. An exciting period that lasted -- well, not more than a few hours, until word came out that she had, in fact, made the whole story up and had fled from Duluth in a case of wedding jitters.

Apparently having a case of cold feet. And as some family representatives put it, some issues that the family was apparently not aware of, regarding this huge wedding, which was to be a major undertaking. 600 guests were expected to be here. Now, John Mason, her fiance, is not speaking publicly. He's apparently resting and pretty much hiding out in his home.

Jennifer Wilbanks' family, her mother, her stepfather, her father and her stepmother, have headed out to Albuquerque for a reunion with her, a reunion that was originally expected to be a tremendously joyous one, now infused with a whole lot of other issues, as people ponder what it was that drove her to this point to take off like this and well, make up a story about being kidnapped.

A lot of concern. And also a lot of talk already of forgiveness coming from, for one thing, as you heard a little earlier, Alan Jones, the associate pastor, who was supposed to be marrying this couple this evening, now talking about counseling her, counseling her fiance, and forgiveness for someone who may have made a big mistake. A lot of embarrassment, a lot of disappointment here. But then again, there is also simply the relief that she has turned up alive. Real mixed feelings -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Now Charles, quite a bit of activity behind you. Is that the church where the wedding was to have taken place? Are folks there converging for another event or for something related to Jennifer Wilbanks?

MOLINEAUX: This is just the -- this is the center of town, Duluth, where things are getting back to normal after the weather has actually improved quite a bit. It was miserable this morning, as the miserable news about this hoax got out. The community is pretty much getting back to normal. But this wedding, which was to be a huge affair between two very well-known families this evening, is not going to be happening tonight. And the minister who was supposed to be presiding over it says at this point, he doesn't know when, or if, that wedding is going to come off.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. All right. Charles Molineaux, thank so much. From Duluth, Georgia.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A recap now of the Jennifer Wilbanks' case. Nearly four days after her disappearance and on the day she was supposed to get married, that woman from Georgia has turned up alive and safe in New Mexico. Jennifer Wilbanks first told police in Albuquerque she had been kidnapped, but then she changed her story. Wilbanks admitted she was lying and left Georgia after getting stressed out over her approaching wedding.

Her family is trying to sort out the ordeal now. A friend of the young woman calls the case shocking, overwhelming and baffling. Police say they don't plan to file criminal charges against Wilbanks. Well, this case involved resources all over the country and FBI spokesperson from the Albuquerque, New Mexico, field office is on the telephone with us. Special Agent Bill Elwell. Thanks so much, Mr. Elwell, for joining us.

BILL ELWELL, FBI SPOKESMAN, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: No problem.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, New Mexico, or at least the Albuquerque police, say they don't plan to file charges. Might there be any sort of federal charges that would, indeed, be pursued against Jennifer Wilbanks?

ELWELL: Well, here in the Albuquerque area and the New Mexico area, we do not plan to file any charges with regard to this situation. I can't speak for the Atlanta and Georgia area, but here in New Mexico, we do not plan to do so.

WHITFIELD: All right. Take us back, then, to overnight, when all of this seemed to unfold, in terms of it taking a real turn. This -- what was a missing persons case became a case of a kidnapping, perhaps, when Jennifer Wilbanks called 911 and reported she had been kidnapped but then released. Take it from there.

ELWELL: Well, what had happened is, she had contacted her family first, before she dialed the 911 number, assured them that she was safe and where she was located and then she decided to call 911 and was able to reach the Albuquerque Police Department substation. She identified herself, told them that she had been the victim of an abduction and the Albuquerque Police Department sent their patrol officers out to the location.

WHITFIELD: And did any of the officers express that they thought it was strange that she would call her family first and not 911 first?

ELWELL: Well, no, not really. People do different things in stressful situations. So maybe she felt a need to contact her family, just to let them know that she was fine. But she instantly, after she had gotten off the line with them, she called 911 and reported, you know, that she was in the area and -- where she was located.

WHITFIELD: And then they came and picked her up? What happened?

ELWELL: Well, basically what they did is they picked her up, they took her to the Albuquerque Police Department, southeast substation, and at that point, identified her further, contacted the Albuquerque division of the FBI and advised us they had this missing person from Georgia, and that, you know, they wanted our assistance, or that we should be involved in the investigation.

WHITFIELD: And what kind of questioning typically would take place in a case like this so that officers feel like they're getting the full, complete, truthful story?

ELWELL: Well, what we were trying to determine at the time was, first of all, if there was an abduction and if there was such a thing, we were looking for the -- we were looking for the people that were -- the offenders in this violent act.

WHITFIELD: So automatically, there's initially some doubt?

ELWELL: Oh, no, I mean, we're going to listen to the story. We had to figure out what had transpired over the last three days. And we had somebody here who had been under a stressful situation for the last three days and we want to make sure the information she's providing us is correct.

WHITFIELD: And through that questioning, then, somehow she decided, I think I'd better tell the truth and so she fessed up?

ELWELL: Well, what had happened is we had some very astute violent crime police officers, as well as special agents at the FBI, that were listening to the story and realized that a few -- there were various inconsistencies in the nature of the description of the act, as well as her appearance, things like that. And they got rather pointed with regards to what had actually transpired over the last three days.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. And so in the end, Jennifer Wilbanks admits that she made the whole thing up because she was getting stressed out over the wedding that was to take place this evening in Duluth, Georgia, some 1,400 miles away from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Special agent with the FBI in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, field office, Bill Elwell. Thanks so much for joining us.

ELWELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And more on this developing story right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A moment ago, you heard from the New Mexico FBI special agent in charge about the case of Jennifer Wilbanks, the Georgia bride-to-be who was first missing and now is found alive and well, just with cold feet.

Well, now the point of view from the New Mexico -- Albuquerque, rather, police department spokesperson, Trish Ahrensfield. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRISH AHRENSFIELD, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPT: We received the phone call about 11:38 p.m. last night that a woman was at Salano (ph) and Central in reference to possibly being abducted from Georgia. When officers arrived there, we contacted her and actually an officer actually recognized her because he'd been following the news story. And she stated who she was. We confirmed that. We took her back to our substation here when the FBI, as well as our detectives started interviewing her.

At that time she still stated that she been abducted and that she was brought here to Albuquerque and then released and that actually went on for quite some time and I think with the experience of the detectives as well as the FBI detectives, they kind of all thought that there was something more to the story. And that's when, I think, that she finally stated that she need to tell the truth and then stated that with the stress of the upcoming wedding, that she needed some time and that's how the rest of the story played out.

NGUYEN: What did she appear -- what was her -- I guess her demeanor at the time? Was she nervous? Was she upset? Was she hysterical? Because we heard many different descriptions on the phone with her parents this morning when she made that call to tell them that she was OK and told them about this whole abduction story. Was she calm? Was she collected? What did she seem like during that interrogation?

AHRENSFIELD: You know, when I actually -- when I first came to the substation, I contacted her and I think we were all shocked at the fact that we were so glad that she was safe and she did seem upset. She looked tired and she seemed worried and seemed upset, genuinely upset.

NGUYEN: Can you hear us?

AHRENSFIELD: Yes. Anyway, she did seem very upset, and then the interviews continued after that.

NGUYEN: OK. So she seemed very upset, and she continued on with this story about being abducted. When in there did the agents learn that -- or decided or determine, that indeed this was not the case? Was she not telling the story the same every time she was being asked it? Was she not being consistent about her answers?

AHRENSFIELD: There were some inconsistencies in her story and I think her body language, I'm sure, with again the experience of the detectives and what they see when they talk to victims. And it was finally several hours later, she finally said that they asked her, do we need to look for the blue van anymore and she said, no. And there was a turning point there when I think she finally stated she needed to tell the truth and then said of the stress of everything and she needed some time again. And so it took several hours, but she did the right thing by finally telling the truth.

NGUYEN: So what happens to her now? Where is she?

AHRENSFIELD: She is no longer at the substation. She is with the FBI Victim Assistance, as well as our victim advocates and they've taken her to another location to get her showered and cleaned up. She's tired. She's had a long couple days and she will be reunited with her family later today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that was Trish Ahrensfield of the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police Department, where Jennifer Wilbanks ended up telling police officers there that she made up the whole story of being kidnapped, and that she is responsible for her disappearance from Georgia, because she was stressed out over her planned big wedding scheduled for tonight in Duluth, Georgia. And I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters. Thanks for joining us this past few hours in our continuing coverage of that case. We hope you'll stay tuned to CNN throughout the day for updates on Jennifer Wilbanks and other top stories.

We'll have more news at 2:00 Eastern on CNN LIVE SATURDAY. After a quick break, we'll look at some of the other top stories of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. "IN THE MONEY" begins in a moment, but first, a check of the headlines.

Family members are headed to New Mexico today to retrieve runaway bride-to-be Jennifer Wilbanks. The Georgia woman surfaced in Albuquerque today. She first told police there that she had been kidnapped, but Wilbanks' story crumbled, then later admitting that she simply got cold feet over her wedding, which was scheduled for tonight. And then she just ran away.

It all started Tuesday when Wilbanks told her fiance she was going for a job. Instead, unbeknownst to anyone, she boarded a bus from suburban Atlanta to Las Vegas, then onto Albuquerque. Her unexplained disappearance prompted a three-day national search and generated national headlines. The pastor who had counseled Wilbanks and her fiance earlier says the family had no idea that she was on the emotional brink.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ALAN JONES, PEACHTREE CORNERS BAPTIST CHURCH: Jennifer needs help. We know that. And we want to help the family and we want to get her help. You know, this is something that no one's experienced on this magnitude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, Wilbanks' wedding was supposed to be tonight and it was expected to be pretty big. 600 invitations had gone out and she had 28 attendants.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. More news at the bottom of the hour. Now, "IN THE MONEY."

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