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Jesse Wilson update: Former neighbors say missing boy, siblings left unsupervised and hungry

Posted at 5:44 PM, Aug 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-12 20:44:00-04

Former neighbors of a missing boy say they worried about his well-being a year ago when he lived in Avondale.

Several neighbors tell ABC15 Jesse Wilson and his siblings were locked out of the house sometimes after school. Jesse would knock on the neighbors' doors asking for a snack and drinks.

“I made him some sandwiches,” recalls Judith Thomas. “Then they went back, and they came back again and knocked on the door again, and they wanted more food.”

FULL COVERAGE: The Search for Jesse Wilson

Neighbor Timothy Hicks says he fed the kids two or three times in his home. One time, he says the kids were waiting in the garage for their mom to come home.

“It was extremely hot in there when I went in and checked on them,” Hicks said. “I noticed they had been sweating quite a bit.” 

When he asked the mom, Crystal Wilson, why her kids were being left unsupervised, he said she claimed to have trouble finding daycare.

MAP: Areas searched for Jesse Wilson

Avondale police say they did respond once to the Wilsons’ home for a welfare check in 2011. Officers say the kids seemed fine at that point.

Jesse’s family moved from Avondale to Buckeye earlier this year, and he disappeared from that house July 17.

Buckeye police have set up a tip line in the search for Jesse Wilson. If you think you have any information, call the hotline: 623-349-6411.