Kenneth Michael Wilcox was in love. He knew the parents of his love interest wouldn’t approve of his relationship with their daughter. To him, it was sort of a Romeo and Juliet type story. He had to figure out how to be with this person. Many men in the same predicament might ask the object of their affection if they would be willing to run away and elope. For Kenneth Wilcox, this was not a viable option. Kenneth Wilcox is no Romeo. He’s a 41 year-old man. And the Juliet of his fantasies is just a child, only 11 years old. A child that resided in the same apartment complex as he did. A child he focused on with deviate eyes. Kenneth Wilcox is a pervert. A child, a little girl, was his prey. Kenneth Wilcox had to do some calculating, some premeditation, if he was ever going to have the child to himself.
Kenneth Wilcox came up with a scheme that was sure to work. He had a child of his own, a perfect foil for the unsuspecting. He could use this child as a means of gaining the trust of the little girl’s parents. It would appear as if the kids were to have fun together, as kids do. The notion that Wilcox’s might be fixated on an eleven year-old child would be well disguised. A child molester with children is the perfect trap to bring new prey into his web of deceit.
Wilcox concocted a story that a child’s parents might just buy. Every kid in Texas wants to go to Six Flags. It’s a place full of fun rides and fun food. The cartoon characters from television spring to life and become a living reality. There is so much to do that a kid’s imagination runs wild at the thought. What kind of parent would deny their child the fun of going to Six Flags? (perhaps, a cautious parent.) He would tell the parents that he’s taking his own child to Six Flags. He tells the parents that his son had been making good grades and he was going to be in the area, so a trip to Six Flags would be a perfect reward. He says he has won a pick-up truck and he has to go down that way to get it. Might as well stop off at the theme park while they are in the vicinity. Of course, it would be more fun if more kids came along. So he asks if the little girl, her little brother, and another girl might be able to come along. He would gladly pay for their tickets and lodging for the weekend. He’s a real nice guy. They would leave Friday and return Sunday. At least, that was what Wilcox told the parents.
Wilcox had known the families a couple of months. This was just long enough to gain their trust. It was also enough time for Wilcox to develop a crush on the child. He was obsessed. She was all that he could think about. He day-dreamed. He planned. He schemed. He told lies. He made up stories. He painted a perfect picture, and now… his blueprint was about to be put to the test. Everything was working out well, so far.
Wilcox packed up his car. He loaded up his son, and the three other children. At 5:00 that evening, they left town for the weekend. Only, he wasn’t headed to Arlington to pick up that truck he won. He wasn’t taking his son to Six Flags to reward him for his good grades. there weren’t going to be any fun rides or fun food. there weren’t going to be any cartoon characters come to life. There was going to be a rollercoaster ride. But it was not going to be fun. It was not going to be exciting. for the children, it was going to be a time of confusion. The daydreams of fun they imagined were not going to come true on this trip. Instead, it would be a journey into strangeness at the hands of a man that had no use for any of the kids in his car –except one, the little girl that had become his prey. The children were now in the hands of a deranged man. This conniving man had a plan and he was going to carry it out. Kenneth Wilcox did not head east for Arlington, like he told the kids’ parents he was going to. Kenneth Wilcox headed north, for Amarillo.
In Amarillo, Wilcox drove to the home of his ex-wife. He drops his son off there. So much for good grades. He also leaves the boy’s birth certificate and other personal stuff. He told the woman that "she was not going to see him for a long time." Wilcox had a plan, and he was carrying it out. He’s got one child out of his way. He has two more that he needs to lose before he can finally be alone with the object of his fantasy. Hmmm…. what to do…what to do…
The next day, Saturday, one of the parents got a phone call. The little girl on the other end said, "everything was fine and they were going to Chuck E Cheese to eat." Wilcox never called the parents to check in. He didn’t bring them back home on Sunday, like he said he would. He didn’t feed the kids. He didn’t care about them. He was not a nice guy, after all. Wilcox was up to something, That was very apparent. he was up to no good, and for Kenneth Wilcox that…was bad.
On Monday morning, the worried parents reported the children missing. Monday night, an Amber Alert was issued by Lubbock Police. the state of Texas refused to issue an amber Alert because the children were allowed to go with Wilcox. It didn’t matter that the parents hadn’t heard from him since he left, or that the kids were a day late in their return. The state had to follow the rules, even if the rules might have cost the children of that state. Lubbock police worked hard to find those kids. They worked hard to find Kenneth Wilcox and stop him from carrying out his evil plan.
The same day that the kids are reported as missing, Wilcox leaves two of the children at a camper belonging to his cousin. The cousin, Terry Keeton, comes home from work to find two strange kids watching his TV. The kids didn’t know they had been abducted. The news was frightening to them. The little boy called his family using Keeton’s cell phone. The local law enforcement in Idabel, Oklahoma finds the two kids and take them safely into custody. Keeton helps law enforcement find the kids. Wilcox has said he was going to Wal-mart with the little girl –the one he is abnormally attracted to. The Wal-Mart is placed under lockdown and police search for Wilcox and the little girl inside the store. They are nowhere to be found.
The search continues in McCurtain County. The Sheriff notices that a pasture has been accessed very recently. A road block was set up. Wilcox and the litte girl are located on Tuesday morning in the man’s 1988 blue Ford Focus. The little girl, hungry from not being fed, is taken safely into custody by law enforcement –and so is Kenneth Michael Wilcox.
Wilcox has been charged with three counts of aggravated kidnapping. He sits in the McCurtain County Jail on $750,000 bond. Lubbock is working on having him extradited. He may even have to face federal charges, since he took the children across state lines.
Can anyone seriously say that this person’s intentions were anything but evil? This was not a father/daughter type relationship. Father’s don’t let their kids go hungry. To Kenneth Wilcox, this was about an obsession. He had a plan. The plan was to escape with an eleven year-old girl. I don’t think he thought much beyond that point. One thing is for sure, he didn’t think he’d ever see Lubbock again. I commend law enforcement on their excellent work in apprehending this guy. I hope the justice system deals with him as efficiently as the authorities responsible for his capture.
Abducted Lubbock children found safe
Cousin of accused kidnapper leads police to missing kids
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