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E219: Dawnita Wilkerson image

E219: Dawnita Wilkerson

E219 · Coffee and Cases Podcast
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3.6k Plays11 months ago

Dawnita Wilkerson was on the path to a new beginning-- classes for a new career, a new place to live-- but she was also afraid for her life. She had been receiving threatening messages from an ex and his family member. Then, she disappeared on Sunday, June 21st, 2020 and has not been seen or heard from since.

If you would like to give to the GoFundMe for Dawnita’s family, here is the link to do so: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-up-for-dawnita

If you are interested in bonus content for our show or in getting some Coffee and Cases swag, please consider joining Patreon. There are various levels to fit your needs, all of which can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases

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Transcript

Introduction to the Podcast

00:00:00
Speaker
As humans, we hate to wait. We hate lines. We hate waiting for the payoff of our efforts. We hate the unknown of when the waiting will finally end. That's why we crave closure. We like tidy endings. Loose ends tied up. I get it.
00:00:20
Speaker
Even though we focus on unsolved cases here on our show, it's really because we want to help move the waiting along for the families. To get them closer to the closure, we all understand that they need. We know their need on a small scale. We get impatient when standing in line for five minutes to check out at a store. The feeling rises in us. What on earth is taking so long?
00:00:48
Speaker
Now imagine that on the scale the families feel in our cases. It's not a line. It's your mom, your child, your sister. You aren't waiting for the purchase of a shirt you like. You're waiting for your whole world to be able to write itself again. This is the case of Donita Wilkerson.
00:01:48
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:01:57
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week. Okay.

Maggie's Personal Update

00:02:26
Speaker
I know you guys have been waiting for me to say this. Maggie, I am so incredibly happy that you are back. I am so happy to be back in that just a little bit of, I don't want to say normalcy, because that makes it sound bad, but you know what I mean. But I'm glad to be back. And I know you're probably not rested from your break, but at least you have had some much needed time to snuggle with baby Dameron.
00:02:55
Speaker
Yes. It's my favorite. It's my favorite. I actually texted Allison before this and I was like, listen, he's screaming right now. And I was like in the bed going, shh, shh, shh, shh, like trying to get into sleep. Then daddy took over because it wasn't working. He is the most precious thing. I'm telling you. Thank you.
00:03:16
Speaker
I think so too, you know, obviously. You know, the relationship now you know between a parent and a child, it's so incredibly strong. I mean, you just feel pain when they feel it, you feel joy when they feel it. And I can see the joy on his face, even when you're taking pictures and you're on the other side of the camera.
00:03:44
Speaker
or the phone. He is the happiest little baby for real. Like he's the only baby I've ever seen every month. You know, when you take the month pictures, he's smile, like grinning from ear to ear. Even for month one. Yeah. Yeah.
00:04:00
Speaker
And yeah, he's pretty happy and he's a pretty good sleeper and not gone well, not today, but most days, not gone well. Was actually the strong family bond that is the thread that runs through the case that I decided to cover this week.

Introduction to Donita Wilkerson's Case

00:04:13
Speaker
And it's what not only drew me to it, but it also allowed Donita's family to know very early into her being missing that something was horribly wrong because they felt that type bond.
00:04:28
Speaker
And I was actually surprised that I had not read about Donita's case before because it takes place in Evansville, Indiana. Yeah, that's like three hours from us. And so I am eternally grateful that a listener, one of our Patreon members actually suggested this case for us to cover.
00:04:53
Speaker
And we love that when you guys do that. And so if you have a case that's a newer case or an older case that you would like us to cover, we would love for you to share all of those with us. And we have a Patreon post if you've joined us over there for bonus content. If you are not on Patreon, you can always join that and fill out that form, or you can always email us suggestions at coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com, or you can send us Facebook messages, whatever floats your boat. Yes.
00:05:22
Speaker
And I am currently working on several cases that are listener suggestions. I've got some family interviews lined up, some author interviews where they've written kind of the definitive chronicle of some of the cases. And nearly all of those were listener suggestions. And of course, this case, like I said, which has gotten
00:05:44
Speaker
some coverage thanks to Crime Junkie, but still not a lot. And since I haven't seen much coverage in the past 12 to 18 months,
00:05:55
Speaker
really on any platform for this case, I really wanted to show the family support and to do our small part in keeping Donita's case out there in the public eye. But I do have to caution you with a warning, due to the content of this episode and descriptions of domestic abuse, listener discretion is advised.
00:06:19
Speaker
Our case this week takes place, like I said, in Evansville, Indiana, which is right across the river from Kentucky. Evansville is the county seat of Vanderbilt County. And in 2020, when this case took place, had a population of a little over 118,000. And I did not know this, but it is actually Indiana's third most populated city behind Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.
00:06:50
Speaker
Interesting, because I would say that's kind of a small town. That's what I would have thought too. Right. I mean, not small, but like... Not metropolis. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:07:00
Speaker
But it was also the place that Donita Wilkerson called home. Donita Wilkerson was, by all accounts, just such a fun-loving, caring, and loyal woman. And I'll tell you exactly why I chose those adjectives to describe her, Maggie. I said fun-loving because Donita was the kind of person
00:07:22
Speaker
And I get tickled every time I'm around someone who is like this. And Maggie, you were actually just describing this before we started recording.
00:07:32
Speaker
She's the kind of person who when she's about to tell a joke or a funny story, she was already cracking herself up. Yeah, before she even got the first word out. Yeah, that was Donita. And I love that. I love when that happens. And I think it's telling that when any and every source I read mentioned that just thinking about Donita would make her family and friends smile.
00:08:01
Speaker
And it could be that they were thinking about her phone calls to them at 4 a.m. to talk about anything and everything. I don't know if I'd be laughing about that bar, but maybe what she talked about was funny. Or her singing silly songs or just dancing around. So definitely fun-loving.
00:08:21
Speaker
And I use the adjective caring because Donita was the mother of six children ranging from, yeah, age 22 down to 15 year old twin daughters. Wow. You've got one. I've got one. It's rough with one. But Donita always wanted to do her best for them. And I also use that adjective of caring because Donita had a hobby that I also share.
00:08:50
Speaker
And at least for me, it's an act of love and caring. Donita liked to cook. How scary say does she cook? Especially her specialty recipes. So she had a broccoli salad that was delicious and her greens with red

Donita's Family and Domestic Abuse History

00:09:08
Speaker
pepper flakes, apparently no one could match.
00:09:12
Speaker
both sound delicious. They do. And finally, I would describe Donita as loyal. Donita had a tight knit family that whenever there was a reason to celebrate, be it a holiday, a birthday, or the like, they would get together, usually with a big cookout.
00:09:30
Speaker
And they all seem to share the kind of relationship where they could speak the honest truth to each other because they loved each other so much and knew that no matter what, they had family on their side. Donita was so close to everyone in her family, in fact, that she was almost constantly on the phone with one relative or another one, like her daily morning call to her mom or calling her kids.
00:10:00
Speaker
And, you know, when I was working at one of my previous jobs, a lady that I worked with gave me the weirdest look when this was, I was commuting for like 45 minutes. When I said that I would call my mom every morning on my way to work and I'm like, yeah, what else am I supposed to do for an hour?
00:10:20
Speaker
Like I gotta have somebody to talk to. Hello. Yeah. Well, that was Donita too. I mean, she was, she was either calling her kids or she was calling her mom or she was calling her aunt. I mean, she was just always on the phone with one of the family members. Well, all of that was not to say that Donita's life wasn't without trouble. Maggie, she had been for the last several years in and out of a violent relationship.
00:10:48
Speaker
and she had to take medication for diagnosed PTSD as well as for her kidney disease. Additionally, Crime Junkie reported that she had a warrant, though Donita had obtained a lawyer to fight it. According to Crime Junkie, it was issued for failure to appear in court related to one of her daughters who had been in and out of the hospital several times.
00:11:16
Speaker
I didn't read about the warrant or the reason for it in any of my research. I had only heard about it on that Crime Junkie podcast and they didn't really go into much more detail than that.
00:11:28
Speaker
I know. Interesting. But from several resources I read, her life was turning around. So even though Donita's mother was having some health issues, Donita was to begin helping to care for her. Donita was currently staying with her brother and had been for the last couple of weeks, but she had found an apartment to move into.
00:11:52
Speaker
And perhaps most exciting of all, she was about to start on Monday, June 22nd classes to be a medical assistant. Kudos to her because y'all know I don't do bodily fluids. Well, and, you know, to change career paths as an adult, I think that takes a lot of courage.
00:12:19
Speaker
And this was in 2020. 2020. So we're right in the midst of the pandemic. I saw a Facebook post that somebody was like, this week, four years ago was the last normal year that we had. And I was like, that's, or the last normal day we had. That's really weird. And true. Yeah.
00:12:44
Speaker
Mm hmm. Wow. Yeah. So she was doing this online. Yeah. We're crazy to me. Mm hmm. So she was about to start that on Monday, June 22. So in other words, Maggie, she was about to put those qualities of being fun, loving, caring and loyal to use with other people and not just her friends and family. And that new beginning was only one day away.
00:13:12
Speaker
So the day before, on the morning of June 21st, 2020, it was Father's Day.
00:13:19
Speaker
The day started normally. Donita had gotten into a small argument with her daughter Kiana though, but for those of us out there who have kids, especially those of us who have teenagers, we know that that too can be pretty typical to have a small argument first thing in the morning. But not long after Donita had left her brother's house and she had told family who was there that she would be right back.
00:13:50
Speaker
but she didn't return. Hours passed. And Kiana, the one she had gotten into the argument with that morning, had gone to work. But since her mom hadn't returned, like she said she was going to, Kiana started trying to call her. But according to a report made to researchers for Crime Junkie, she got no response. It was when repeated calls went unanswered.
00:14:18
Speaker
that she also called her siblings and none of them nor any other family member had received a call recently. And remember, that was not like her. No, she was, like I said earlier, always on the phone with one family member or another. So when not one of the family and especially her children had heard from her, they knew something had happened.
00:14:44
Speaker
especially when she hadn't contacted the youngest twins, Kaitlyn and Kendra. Those were her babies.
00:14:51
Speaker
And that specific detail that when they found out that the twins hadn't been contacted, that the family really knew something was wrong, that came per an article by Michael Doyle for Evansville Courier and Press. So that was the final straw. When the twins say, nope, we haven't heard from her either. Right, and they're only 15. Exactly. So she would be checking in on them. Right. As soon as family members realized that no one had heard from Donita in the last several hours,
00:15:21
Speaker
her aunt Nora Martin stepped into action. And this is so smart. According to a television news report for ABC 25 Eyewitness News, Martin told reporters that she immediately created a chart and began calling friends and family to document the last time each person had heard from Donita in order to find out whom she had spoken to last.
00:15:49
Speaker
So will we get into or I guess maybe is this related to some of the things she had potentially been through in her life but will we get into like I'm just trying to think if I hadn't heard from Anthony yes I would be freaking out but I don't know if I would go immediately to like I need to make a chart to organize who he talked to and when he talked to them. I feel like that would be
00:16:15
Speaker
you know, something that you would think of more down the road, which it is very smart, but I'm just wondering how she came to that conclusion so quickly. Like I need to document all of this. There were a couple of reasons why she did. So to get to your question, all of this, not hearing from Donita was extremely concerning to the family. Number one,
00:16:41
Speaker
because Donita had medication that she needed to take every day and that medication had been left behind at her brother's house. And she hadn't been back. And number two, for another far more worrisome reason that I will tell you about in just a moment. So family kept trying to call her and eventually their calls went straight to voicemail. Well, then I would really start freaking out.
00:17:11
Speaker
Since Donita had never gone this long before without calling family and due to the other reason of the medication, one of Donita's daughters filed a missing persons report with the Evansville, Indiana police on Tuesday, June 23rd at 6 PM. So less than two days after family had last seen her leave her brother's home, something they knew had to have happened to her.
00:17:44
Speaker
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00:19:00
Speaker
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00:19:26
Speaker
And this brings me to the more worrisome reason I mentioned just a moment ago. When thinking that something may have happened to Donita, there was a singular person on most of their minds. Donita's ex, Daniel. You see, they had an extremely violent and turbulent history.
00:19:51
Speaker
Records given to Mark Wilson of the Evansville Courier and Press by Vanderbilt County Court show no fewer than four separate reports between just 2018 and 2019 on her ex of domestic violence committed against Donita. And at least one of those incidents landed Donita in the hospital.
00:20:18
Speaker
More specifically, an article by Christina Elias for the Evansville Career and Press, published February 25th, 2021, provides details of some of those incidents. And, Sleuth Hounds, I'm telling you these details because I want you to understand the concern that her family had for her
00:20:44
Speaker
So one of the incidents was in 2018 and it involved her ex hitting Donita in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground because she wouldn't withdraw money from her account to give to him. In another, he hit her head and face with his fist and then struck her with a lamp in the back of the head. In yet another,
00:21:12
Speaker
He choked her and spit on her. And in the one which sent her to St. Vincent Hospital, she had been held captive and beaten for hours, threatened with a knife, told that if she tried to leave, he would send someone to kill her children, and she was struck in the head with a perfume bottle. Oh my goodness. I mean, these weren't, not that,
00:21:42
Speaker
Not that any domestic violence incident is slight or mild, but you can see why her family were concerned when she wasn't heard from. Yeah, now the charting of the phone calls and the contact makes sense. Yes. And despite all of the reports and the arrests that were on record, Maggie, the protective order that Donita had filed against her ex was actually dismissed
00:22:11
Speaker
because Donita had not shown up to court for the hearing. Which is interesting. I know. I mean, I understand why she needed to be there, but also it's clear he's abusive, so. I know, I know. I was curious about that too, because I almost feel like, you know, if you're threatened so much, I would understand not showing up in some cases. Yeah. So.
00:22:40
Speaker
Anyway, it ended up being dismissed. Additionally, according to an article by John Webb in the Evansville Courier and Press, no fewer than three people had come forward after Donita went missing to say that Donita was afraid for her life in the days before she had gone missing.
00:23:02
Speaker
Though the news article only goes so far as to say that she was threatened by two men, one of whom was an on-again, off-again ex,
00:23:13
Speaker
In the coverage of the case on Crime Junkie, they go a step further by naming the two men as Donita's ex-boyfriend Daniel and his nephew Cedric. Okay, so the newspaper didn't name them, but Crime Junkie somehow found out that that's who it was. Yes, and I did read afterward, after Crime Junkie's coverage, a couple of other sources that did mention names as well. Okay.
00:23:41
Speaker
An article by Kriti Marotra on June 16th, 2022 specified that those messages, that the threats that she received from the two men, that they threatened both Donita and her children saying things like, I'm going to get you and I'll kill you and they'll never find your body. Ward and like,
00:24:10
Speaker
I feel like she's already been through so much with the domestic violence, but I don't even know how one responds to that type of message. I know. And Crime Junkie further stated that they were shown additional text messages by the family that said things like that he had tried to kill a woman before, and he did have charges for attempted murder on his record.
00:24:37
Speaker
but that this time he wouldn't fail. So continual threats like these Maggie had caused Donita to change her phone number more than once recently, but it seems every time she changed her number, her ex somehow got her new number and the texts continued. Listen, that means somebody in her circle that she was talking to was giving her phone number away. And that is not a good friend.
00:25:07
Speaker
Donita was at least scared enough that she had been asking her daughter on the morning that she was last seen if her daughter would call up an ex-boyfriend to see if he could get Donita a gun. Wow. Of course, Donita's daughter did not want to contact an ex, and that was what, according to Crime Junkies reporting, had led to their argument on that morning of June 21st.
00:25:37
Speaker
because her daughter didn't want to get back in contact with that ex, but Donita was asking her to so she could get a gun. You know, and just all of the cases that we cover, we've talked about it before, just so many what ifs that family members and friends could play over and over again. I know. The February 25th, 2021 article by Christina Elias even reports that a family member told her the following about Donita, quote,
00:26:07
Speaker
she had told several people a few days before she went missing that if something happens to her, that the unnamed man and a family member did it." End quote. And of course, like we said, now we know who those two individuals referred to are, thanks to crime junkie research and a couple of the other articles that I read.

Disappearance and Initial Concerns

00:26:29
Speaker
So she even said, if something happens to me, these two people are responsible.
00:26:35
Speaker
And I wonder if she had gotten all the court stuff situated with him. Again, this is a what if, but I guess, you know, that's just a piece of paper really. So if he was going to hurt somebody, he would probably do that regardless of a court order. But, you know, it's just, I feel like another example of sometimes how the justice system can fail people. And then sadly, Maggie, various sources do indicate that
00:27:04
Speaker
After her disappearance, a friend of Donita's reported that the morning of June 21st, 2020, so the last day that we can verify Donita was alive, Donita texted that friend to tell her that she was with those two men. Of course, knowing the history, right, now you know the reason fully. Donita's family didn't hesitate to
00:27:34
Speaker
start filing missing persons reports to start nailing down timelines. They also didn't hesitate to give her ex Daniel a call.
00:27:44
Speaker
Oh, good for them. Yes, especially since they heard that Donita had been with him the last anyone knew. And while I didn't see any information about, again, in his conversations with family and my media research, it was mentioned on the Crime Junkie podcast from conversations that their researchers had with the family. They reported that the family spoke with Daniel
00:28:14
Speaker
but that he gave them conflicting information in one moment saying that he hadn't seen Donita in weeks, then saying, oh, well, the last time I saw her was the last day any of you guys did, which would have only been two days prior. And then even telling them at one point that he thought that she had run off to Illinois with another man.
00:28:40
Speaker
Which, even if that was the case, means that he would have had been talking to her. Exactly. So police went to question Donita's ex, who did cooperate in questioning, though he didn't come close to stating the truth about their abusive relationship, but he told law enforcement,
00:29:00
Speaker
one of the stories that he had told family. He told them that he had not seen Donita in weeks, that he hadn't had contact with her. And then he said, but you know, occasionally she runs off. I'm sure she'll return.
00:29:17
Speaker
And he said it just kind of nonchalantly like that. I don't believe that it is because none of her family said that. None of them were like, again, her aunt wouldn't have come up with a timeline of phone calls after, you know, 18 hours if this were a common thing. If she did that. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't think that you would have went into detail about how much she talked to her family if she would just randomly disappear. Right.
00:29:48
Speaker
I do feel like I have to tell you, though, police did over the course of the investigation search her ex's house on multiple occasions, including with search dogs and found nothing. Hmm. But that didn't ease the minds of Donita's family as far as it concerned her ex. And that's because it wasn't only the record of domestic violence against Donita that worried her family.
00:30:18
Speaker
According to the Charlie Projects entry on Danita's case, her ex also, quote, has four prior convictions for domestic violence and battery out of Illinois and four different women had filed protective orders against him in Illinois. End quote. So didn't we talk about this was so long ago before I had the baby about a case that
00:30:49
Speaker
was sort of similar to this or something. Like they went to jail for murder or something or other, and then they got out and they ended up committing a murder. And then it was like too late then. I think it was maybe on Patreon, but like, I guess I'm saying all this to get to the point of, I feel like we just give to me hand slaps. If you have four prior convictions of domestic violence,
00:31:19
Speaker
I just don't understand. Right. If four different women are saying, Hey, I need an emergency protective order. Yeah. This person needs some interventions. Yes. Yes. Then there was, remember the other name that was mentioned as someone who was threatening Donita and her children.
00:31:42
Speaker
and that was her ex's nephew, Cedric. Unlike Donita's ex, he was not cooperative and refused to allow searches of his property. Luckily, police didn't have to wait long to get a lead though, Maggie. Not long after the search into Donita's whereabouts began, on Friday, June 26th,
00:32:08
Speaker
Police gained access to Donita's phone records and announced a belief that she may have traveled from Evansville to southern Illinois.
00:32:19
Speaker
This is because her cell phone pings were tracked from a hotel in Evansville across the bottom of Indiana traveling west, pinging in Marion, Illinois, and then finally pinging several times both in and around Carbondale, Illinois. Oddly, the final ping on her phone, which was the next morning on the 22nd,
00:32:47
Speaker
was back in Evansville. And by that Monday morning, June 22nd, 2020, after that last ping, Donita's phone had been shut off and was never used again.
00:33:03
Speaker
Which if it's pinging doesn't, does that necessarily, that doesn't necessarily mean that she's using it, right? That could just mean people are calling her. Right. Yes. And the phone call could go unanswered. So, I mean, she could have potentially not been in this vehicle that was traveling or she could have been and could have been
00:33:28
Speaker
unable to answer the phone because she could have potentially been bound. She could have been deceased at this point. Yeah, because we know she wasn't answering because, again, that's the whole point. Her family couldn't get a hold of her. She wasn't answering her phone. And like you said, yeah, we don't know for sure if Donita traveled that route. We know her phone did.
00:33:48
Speaker
But right. Honestly, my inclination would be to believe, as law enforcement seemed to, that Donita did travel to around Carbondale. But I do question whether Donita were still with her phone by the time the final ping was made? Yes. Back in Evansville.
00:34:10
Speaker
In fact, I'm inclined to believe that whoever had done something to Donita brought the phone back and somehow disposed of it. The why I don't pretend to know. I mean, I don't know if there was something on it or maybe they didn't realize it was in their vehicle and then they got back and discovered it was there. And then I don't pretend to know, but I'm not convinced that she returned to Evansville.
00:34:39
Speaker
if she did indeed go to Carbondale. The one positive to have come out of the cell phone pings is that because it is believed that Donita was taken across state lines, the FBI joined in the investigation. Oh good. Yes, into Donita's disappearance because you know that's one of their criterion.
00:35:01
Speaker
right, is that it crosses state lines. And fingers still seemed to be pointed in the direction of the two men Donita had told everyone she was afraid of.
00:35:14
Speaker
Many reports note that Donita's ex and his nephew were, according to reporter Mark Wilson of the Evansville Career and Press, quote, originally from the Carbondale area, end quote. So could it be purely coincidental that Donita's phone pinged in Carbondale? I guess it could, but I... Right, like how could you say? Right.
00:35:45
Speaker
Law enforcement now also had another location in Evansville to search in relation to Donita's disappearance, and that was the hotel from which her phone had originally pinged.

Investigation Details and Challenges

00:35:58
Speaker
before it started traveling. Shockingly, Maggie, the hotel still had surveillance footage from June 21st. Good for them. Yes, that law enforcement could view. That footage turned out to be invaluable.
00:36:16
Speaker
in terms of what it revealed. Because of the hotel surveillance footage, more information about Donita's last few hours before disappearing are known. She is seen on the video arriving in a silver or pewter colored 2004 Chevy Suburban with sunroof and tinted windows.
00:36:41
Speaker
She's dressed in a black designed t-shirt and black leggings, and there is a man with her. Her arrival occurs around 3 p.m. on the 21st. And we couldn't tell who the person was that was with her. Oh, I'll get to that. Oh, okay. I'll get to that. Then, about five hours later, around 8.16 p.m., Donita is again
00:37:10
Speaker
caught on video. This time she's leaving the hotel and she's now dressed in a red St. Louis Cardinals t-shirt, jean shorts, dark socks with white polka dots,
00:37:26
Speaker
and sandals, and she is ushered back into the suburban by the same man that she had come to the hotel with. Okay. When you say ushered, what's that mean? So I say that word intentionally, because he's holding the door open for Donita to climb in.
00:37:47
Speaker
But in such a way that her family, upon seeing the footage, said that it wasn't a gentlemanly manner of holding the door open, but they believe more of an insurance that Donita doesn't try to get away. Oh. That's what they feel in their guts anyway. So he's kind of...
00:38:08
Speaker
ensuring that she's getting into the vehicle. Gotcha. But when the family saw the footage, the last grainy images of their loved one that they have to hold on to, chills ran up and down their arms because Maggie, the man who was with Donita at the hotel, was none other than Cedric, Daniel's nephew.
00:38:31
Speaker
The same one that wouldn't let police search his property? Yes. Where'd he live? Did he live in Evansville? As far as I know, he did. Interesting. Understandably, the family was, from my understanding, based on my research, upset that this information had been held from them. You see, they knew early on about the cell phone pinging at the hotel and that Donita had been there, but they had not seen the video.
00:39:00
Speaker
until this moment, the same moment that the public was seeing it. And they were likely wondering, at least I would be, how, with this video proof of him being with Donita and knowing that Donita was scared for her life, claiming that he, just like her ex, had threatened her, how he was not named a person of interest. But Maggie, he wasn't.
00:39:26
Speaker
In fact, he still isn't. Because that is weird. Yeah. He still isn't. Because I mean, from all we know, he's the last person that saw her alive. Exactly. So that's weird. So throughout the investigation, he continued to maintain that he would not speak with law enforcement without a lawyer present, which I totally get. Yeah. I understand that. Yet he never, according to most reports,
00:39:55
Speaker
procured a lawyer, or at least he never shared the name of his lawyer with law enforcement. So then, if he says, I'm not answering your questions without a lawyer present and you never hire a lawyer,
00:40:08
Speaker
then apparently you never have to answer any questions. Okay, well, now we know what to do if we ever decide to break the law. I'll just say I'm not gonna talk without my lawyer present and then just never hire one, then I guess I can just do whatever I wanna do. Can they not just say, okay, well, we've been trying to do this for forever, you haven't got a lawyer, so here we're giving you one. I mean, I would think at some point they could, but I don't know, apparently there's not enough,
00:40:36
Speaker
to really charge him with anything? Gotcha. Because all we do is we see him on this video. And we hear second hand about threats. Right. And so I get it. Because we can't just go around arresting people because we have a weird feeling about them or whatever. But still. I know. But you can see why her family was frustrated. Yes.
00:41:02
Speaker
Well, in response to the family's frustration, Detective Jeff Hands of the Evansville Police Department stated to Christina Elias from Evansville Courier and Press, quote, Unfortunately, in a case like this, we can't share everything with the family. We try to tell them that.
00:41:19
Speaker
I can't imagine what they're feeling, and I know they're frustrated, and I understand that. Sometimes we just can't discuss things the way we do things, obviously. We want to try to do things on our terms." Yeah, and we talk about that a lot. I mean, you know, we want things to go faster.
00:41:42
Speaker
because it's our loved one and we feel like things are going so slow, but we don't always know. We're not privy to everything that's going on. Exactly. Well, now knowing that they could place Donita at the hotel, law enforcement did gain further information from workers at the hotel. They were able to verify that Donita had indeed checked into the hotel
00:42:05
Speaker
June 21st and it was their belief that Donita had stayed in the room the whole time since they hadn't seen her after check-in but the man who was with her they had seen going in and out and not only that Donita had paid in cash which meant according to their policy they had kept her ID
00:42:28
Speaker
which she did not retrieve when she left later that evening. So part of me wonders if the act of not picking up the ID were strategic, like a little bread. Like she's kind of leaving a little trail. Yeah, like a little breadcrumb left so her family should at least be able to trace her there and then maybe hopefully follow a further trail that she left with phone activity or whatever.
00:42:54
Speaker
We know that trail obviously has ties to specific locations associated with the two men that Donita had continually mentioned prior to her disappearance. And with that information, I want to add one more rather odd detail, Maggie. That is that after this video surveillance footage of Donita getting into that silver pewter 2004 Chevy Suburban, that SUV with Cedric,
00:43:25
Speaker
That SUV has never been located. Okay, which is weird because Suburbans are really large vehicles, so where'd it go? So with the public release of some of the still images from the surveillance video, more information was about to come to light. You see, someone called in with an anonymous tip that led Evansville PD
00:43:53
Speaker
this is according to Crime Junkie, down to a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Which is not close to Evansville. No, it is not. It was there, though, that they found that in August 2020, a little over a month later,
00:44:14
Speaker
Cedric and a female accompanying him had gone to the police station in the suburb to report, you probably know where this is going, a stolen suburban. He said that he was driving back to a hotel where he was staying when his transmission started acting up and he pulled over to the side of the road, locked the vehicle and walked back to the hotel.
00:44:40
Speaker
He went on to say that when he returned to the place that he had left his suburban, that it was no longer there. And that's why he had come to the station to report it stolen. I don't know if my post pregnancy brain just can't compete this. So the nephew somehow ends up in Atlanta, Georgia.
00:45:04
Speaker
We don't know how. And while he's in Atlanta, this suburban supposedly gets stolen. Correct.
00:45:12
Speaker
Okay. But nearly immediately, Maggie, law enforcement questioned his story, just like you are. According to those Atlanta officers who took the report, as covered in Crime Junkies episode, they couldn't verify any of Cedric's claims. Surveillance from the hotel didn't show him arriving in a suburban, didn't show him walking back as he said he did, didn't show him walking back out toward the direction of where he said he left his suburban,
00:45:41
Speaker
And at the scene where Cedric said the vehicle was taken, there were no tire marks, no broken glass, nothing to indicate a theft. So because they didn't believe his account, the vehicle was never entered into a database of stolen vehicles, which is why Evansville police would not have known about the report without this tip coming in.
00:46:07
Speaker
Hmm, but I will say Donita's family and law enforcement as well believe that locating the SUV, the last thing that we see Donita climb into is a key to unraveling Donita's case.
00:46:26
Speaker
Oh, yeah, for sure. So if it were stolen, if it actually were stolen, where is it now? And if it were not stolen, where was it stashed or disposed of and why lie about it?
00:46:39
Speaker
Like I wonder if, I don't know why I just immediately thought this, but I wonder if they've checked storage units in and around the areas where this nephew has been, because I feel like that would be a place to store a vehicle you didn't want people to find. It would. And I will add here, I didn't have this in a
00:47:03
Speaker
the episode that I have planned to tell you, but I did hear it in my research. And again, I didn't see it in any of the news articles. I only heard about it on the crime junkie episode. But they somehow found out that Cedric had owned some rental property or had bought property that he and his wife would flip. And that police did search those properties as well for Donita and were not able to find any clues.
00:47:33
Speaker
And unfortunately, Maggie, neither family nor law enforcement could answer any of those questions about the SUV. And since then, no solid new information has come to light. It's for this reason that Donita's family, even though they have never nor will ever stop pushing for answers, now believe that Donita is deceased. And of course,
00:48:02
Speaker
They could believe that because law enforcement told family in December of 2020 that it was their belief too that Donita had been murdered. And I mean, so much trauma, so much sadness, and I feel like just such a lack of closure, not having a body or having any answers. No. And despite that vague belief that Donita likely met with foul play,
00:48:32
Speaker
There doesn't seem to have been any developments in recent months, but I will say even as recently as March 2023, this according to an article by John Webb in the Evansville Courier and Press, Detective Aaron McCormick confirmed that Donita's investigation is still an open one. So they are still continuing to pursue leads and tips that come in.
00:49:01
Speaker
The family continues to fight for justice too, just as they have through the entire process, Maggie. Throughout the investigation, they have made thousands of flyers to distribute with Donita's image and information on them. They made shirts with her face on them to raise awareness. They put signs up in car windows. They were not going to let anyone forget who Donita is and that she's still missing. But here's an even sadder fact.
00:49:31
Speaker
All while they were continuing to raise awareness, there were things happening behind the scenes that were making that continued effort more difficult. First, they were receiving threats that they needed to stop searching.
00:49:48
Speaker
Crime Junkie reported that through their search efforts, Donita's ex would contact Donita's children, saying that even if Donita were dead, that she, quote, got what she deserved, end quote.
00:50:04
Speaker
I don't understand that mentality. That's like people that play the nasty tricks on families and say, oh yeah, I have information or whatever. I just don't understand. I don't either. There was even a concerted effort by someone to make everyone believe that Donita had been found and that they didn't need to keep her flyers up. And this was a setback that caused several places to take down their flyers of Donita.

Family's Ongoing Efforts and Remembrance

00:50:34
Speaker
Family even told John Webb of the Evansville Courier and Press for his article published on November 30, 2022 that they thought it went even further. Webb wrote, quote, they claimed a truck circled an event they planned and watched them from the windows.
00:50:53
Speaker
He continues to say that Donita's aunt, Faye Cardin, quote, believes someone even paid homeless people to swipe signs from yards and shops. That shows you they want you to stop looking. Nora Martin said that someone knows something, end quote.
00:51:16
Speaker
And Nora, the woman who said that, is one of Donita's aunts, Maggie. And I happen to agree with her assessment. The only reason those things would happen is because the search is getting a little too close to home. Yeah. And it sounds like the Crystal Rogers case when they started taking down all of the fine crystal stuff, because obviously somebody's trying to hide something.
00:51:41
Speaker
Hopefully more tips will come in now that more light has been shed on her case. Right. And again, it's just any information, no matter how small, even if you think it's insignificant that you heard or that you recall, report it. While the family is still tight-knit and still enjoy their time spent with one another, one celebration in particular looks a lot different.
00:52:08
Speaker
Donita's birthday, which is on March 14th. Now, instead of making new memories, this day is filled with a lot of remembering. In the article, it's Donita Wilkerson's birthday. Here's where the missing Evansville woman's case stands by John Webb. Donita's aunt Faye Cardin recalled, quote, I miss your morning calls. And the laughter in your voice when you had something funny to say.
00:52:36
Speaker
You're somewhere, and we will keep looking for you." It's that co-mingling of joy and sadness, too, when Aunt Fay remembers Donita in other ways, like trying to emulate her broccoli salad. She said of that experience in an Evansville Courier and Press article from November 30, 2022, quote, I think I've got it down how she used to make it. But you cry when you're making it.
00:53:03
Speaker
because it makes you think of her," end quote. Time has a funny way of making some memories stronger. For example, there's a stronger appreciation for all that Donita did for her children. Daughter Kiana often tells her sister who has one child, according to that same Evansville Courier and Press article, quote, you have one? Imagine mom with six. She always had us everything we needed at Christmas, Halloween costumes, all of it, every year.
00:53:34
Speaker
As time passes, there's the recognition of all that she did for her family, and with it, the recognition of all that they've lost. That's what keeps them moving forward and pushing for answers, despite anyone who tries to hold them back. Donita's aunt, Nora Martin, best stated what this tragedy has been like for the family, telling Michael Doyle of Evansville Courier and Press, quote, one day you're crying, and the next day you're just mad.
00:54:03
Speaker
It's very hard. We've all been sad and frustrated and everything else you can imagine. But we just keep going and doing what we have to do to try and find her."
00:54:16
Speaker
but Nora also wants those hearing about Donita's case to feel the same urgency the family feels, which is obvious in her words to Aaliyah Malero of wevv.com, quote, if you want to imagine what we're going through, I've said this before, take 30 seconds and think about you not knowing where your child is.
00:54:43
Speaker
You not knowing where your husband or your sister or your aunt, just that feeling of not knowing. Then you know what we're going through. This is the hardest part for anyone." End quote.
00:55:00
Speaker
At the time of her disappearance, Donita was 44 years old, stood at five foot three inches, and weighed around 145 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. Donita has multiple tattoos, a heart on her lower back, a cross on her left shoulder, and praying hands with the name Timmy on her right shoulder. We've attached an image to our cover of this episode so you can see Donita.
00:55:28
Speaker
If you would like to and are financially able, we are listing her family's GoFundMe link that is used to raise money to care for her children and to have the funding to be able to offer a reward for information in Donita's case. If you cannot, there are plenty of other ways to support the family. Most importantly, by sharing about the case, post a link to this episode or reshare when we make a social media post, tell a friend. Keep her name out there.
00:55:58
Speaker
Anyone who has information about the whereabouts of Donita Wilkerson or information about what happened to or related to the whereabouts of the suburban, which she was last seen climbing into, please call the Evansville Police Department at 812-436-7979. The tip line at 812-435-6194
00:56:25
Speaker
or the FBI Indianapolis office at 317-595-4000. Or if you'd prefer to email, you can email tips to find Donita Wilkerson at gmail.com.
00:56:42
Speaker
Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Twitter, at casescoffee, on Instagram, at coffee cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com. Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon.
00:57:11
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.