Buckeye residents await answers on whether bones found are those of Jesse Wilson

BUCKEYE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - Buckeye Police officials stress that they simply do not know the identity of the bones found in the far West Valley last Thursday.

The bones are at the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office, and DPS lab will take over and start DNA testing, once they are released to them.

Meanwhile, a family, a community, a city waits for the answer to the question: do the bones belong to Jesse Wilson.

When Wilson disappeared in July 2016, strangers from across the City of Buckeye and from across the Valley came to  search for the 10-year-old. Now that bones have been found less than 6 miles from his home, Buckeye residents are anxiously waiting word.

"We hope that its not the little boy, that he will found alive somewhere, but the community will be there to support," said Candy Younts, who helps run her family's restaurant in Downtown Buckeye. She says Buckeye residents cared so much about Jesse when he first disappeared, and have never forgotten that him.

"I don't want to get emotional," said Younts. "When something happens to the community, it happens to you. It's in your own backyard, it's your own piece of a family, even through I didn't know him personally."

Buckeye Police detective Tamela Skaggs  says the community is anxious for answers, but they can't rush the identification process, and they can't afford to jump to the conclusions, even though Jesse is always at top of mind.

"That's the first thing that comes to everybody's mind, and the first thing that comes to our mind," said Det. Skaggs. "We're not going to deny that, but we have to make sure were conducting investigations thoroughly, and making sure the identity I get. The community is vested in this, so are we, and if it comes to be Jesse, we want to give Jesse some justice and make sure hes put at rest."

Det. Skaggs says they are still taking tips in the Jesse Wilson case. Anyone with information can call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS. Spanish speakers can call Testigo Silencioso at 480-TESTIGO.

Si tiene alguna información sobre este caso, llame a la línea de Testigo Silencioso (480-TESTIGO, 480-837-8446).