I remember back in 2000, when the disappearance of Rilya Wilson was announced on the news. I was only 15 around that time, graduating from my high school in 2003 at 18. It was a sad story and hearing that she was in the hands of a foster parent and suddenly had gone missing, my family and I hoped that the caregiver or foster parent wasn’t involved. I remember when she was being questioned and that they would update the news with information, like the dog cage they had and it possibly being a part of Rilya’s punishments throughout her short time at the foster home. Since then, I hadn’t really thought much about it but it was sad that her body wasn’t found and no further information was given to the nation, about the progression of the investigation (at least to my knowledge).
It was only after some years, after being an avid reader of crime library, that I came across an article that spoke about the trial beginning for the accused in the Rilya Wilson disappearance. Obviously at this point, it was believed that Rilya Wilson was murdered by her said foster parent (not the legal one, but another individual in the household). I had honestly assumed when the story broke out, that this person had a foster home and that clearly she was using the child as a meal ticket, obviously only to grow up and realize that that wasn’t the case.
Finally, the trial has come to an end, or at least the first of the trials, where Geralyn Graham, has been tried. There was an initial deadlock of the jury, but eventually Geralyn Graham, the one who is believed to have been involved with the disappearance of Rilya, was found guilty of 2 of the 3 charges given to her; kidnapping and child abuse. The murder count received a deadlock and a retrial will be established for this.
I am just hoping that after the next trial, she is found guilty of first-degree murder, or probably second degree as no body was found, and no evidence to say the child was murdered but nothing says otherwise either, will be given to Geralyn Graham.
