Wendy Wilson -- Last Seen in Oak Harbour, Washington in May 2002

Details from NamUs**: 

Wendy was last seen on 05/13/2002. This was a witnessed jump from Deception Pass Bridge. 

Missing Person: Wendy B. Wilson 

Last-contact date: May 13th, 2002 (assumed to be her death date at Ancestry)

The area where the MP was last seen: Oak Harbor, Washington

Link to government source: NamUs MP#77935

VITAL DETAILS 

Ethnicity: Asian 

Sex: Female 

Age at time of disappearance: 23 years old

Birthdate: February 17th, 1979

Hair: Black 

Eyes: Brown 

Scar: None listed at NamUs 

Height/weight: 5-foot-1 and 110 pounds 

BMI*: Wendy Wilson was in the normal range for BMI.

• BMI is body mass index. It relates to an individual's height and weight. I include it believing it can help picture a missing person or describe one. 

Possible photo found: Photos are best to have but when they can't be found you can try to rely on BMI, height, weight, ethnicity, and other physical features to describe or picture the person. I think I did find a picture of this individual in the 1997 Lakewood High School yearbook, however, I hesitate to post it because I can't be sure it's one and the same Wendy Wilson.

Distinctive: please note that she had the following: a tattoo on her neck of Chinese symbols. 

Wendy Wilson has not been seen since May 13th, 2002, when she was 23 years old. This individual has now been missing for 19 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

When people are missing for several years as this person has been, some of their distinctive characteristics may no longer be relevant as identifiers. For instance, she was thought to have a tattoo, however, if this individual is deceased and/or among the Jane Does of the Pacific Northwest, her tattoo might not be an identifier due to putrefaction. 

What stands out with this case, is the NamUs description that says she was witnessed jumping from a bridge. That does sound like a suicide attempt.

The bridge that she jumped from was Deception Pass Bridge. This is a bridge that is still used as of the time of writing. It connects Whidbey Island with Fidalgo Island over a strait known as Deception Pass. Pass Island is an in-between point on the bridge.

I did not find any newspaper article associated with the bridge and the common name of Wendy Wilson. I wonder if this is an uncovered disappearance. However, I did a find letter in a newspaper that suggested that Deception Pass Bridge was a problem spot for suicides. Also, I found a photo from a newspaper source which I include below. Note the height of the bridge that Wendy was jumping from.

Thu, Dec 17, 2015 – Page C1 · The Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, Missouri) · Newspapers.com

Nearly 20 years have passed. The NamUs description says that her "jump from Deception Pass Bridge" was "witnessed." Accordingly, this isn't the most mysterious missing person case. The fall seems likely to have killed her. I'm not going to say that her body can't be found but the bridge is over saltwater and human remains don't last indefinitely in saltwater environments to my knowledge. 

I don't think this is a case Websleuths or amateurs should work on that much. The individual may not be lost for all time but any remains could be in impossible-to-reach places if they've survived the elements this long. If any remains are found, then it's not likely to be due to Websleuths. However, any human remains that have washed ashore near Deception Pass that have never been identified as having an owner might be those of Wendy Wilson's.

This is an area where the currents are very strange and difficult to predict. If you are interested in this case, then check the Jane Doe databases for unidentified individual bones that have been found on the shores in the area.

It may be possible that Wendy Wilson is a part of the human feet mysteries that confused investigators earlier this century. There was a foot in a shoe found on Whidbey Island in 2010. It was thought that this foot was that of a woman or child but it was also thought to be of a person who was dead for two months. That latter point does cast ample doubt on it being Wendy Wilson's remains, however, you can see how her remains may have washed ashore somewhere.

Lastly, when this individual disappeared, it was thought that the following articles of clothing were in her possession: a dark brown coat and light-colored pants. These can be important because clothing and articles/items that a missing person was last associated with might show up in relation to a Jane Doe. 

Thank you for reading. If have any information about this case, consider contacting the authorities. 

Author: Shane Lambert (Vancouver, Canada) All articles are subject to editing after the original posting. Shane Lambert (Vancouver, Canada) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021. Website hashtag: #MPCSL 

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.

**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources. Disclaimer: To determine whether a person is missing or not, this site relies heavily on government sources. If you are described as missing when you are not, I recommend simply having your missing person report updated or removed. When that happens, updates at this site can follow.