NewsNational

Actions

Jenise Wright: Body of child found near mobile home park where 6-year-old disappeared Sunday

Posted at 3:02 PM, Aug 07, 2014
and last updated 2014-08-07 16:10:05-04

What appears to be the body of a child has been found in the vicinity of the Steele Creek Mobile Home Park, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office investigators said Thursday.

The body has not yet been identified, but it was found near where Jenise Wright, 6, went missing on Sunday. Wright's family has been notified.

The remains have been turned over to the Kitsap County Coroner's Office, which will determine cause and manner of death.

No arrests have been made.

More information is due to be released this afternoon.

Jenise was last seen when she went to bed Saturday night at her home near Bremerton. 

Her family said they didn't become worried and call for help until Sunday night because the child had left the home on previous occasions and wandered around the neighborhood, authorities have said. They felt it was relatively safe because the mobile home park is fenced.

 

App users click here for video

The parents took FBI lie-detector tests Monday night, but the results have not been disclosed. Their home was also searched twice by different sets of authorities, Wilson said Wednesday.

Court records show the father, James Wright, was charged more than a decade ago with molesting two girls, ages 8 and 15. He pleaded guilty in Whatcom County Superior Court in December 2001 to a misdemeanor assault charge related to the older girl. It was not immediately clear why the molestation charges were dropped. Prosecutors there did not immediately return a call.

Kitsap County sheriff's Deputy Scott Wilson said Wednesday that the parents have been extremely cooperative.

A vigil is scheduled for 6:30 p..m Friday at Crossroads Neighborhood Church in Bremerton, according to organizers, who are asking people to bring ice and candles. At least 150 people already have confirmed attendance.

Carrie Jones, of Port Orchard, and Amanda Hurst, of Seabeck, are spearheading the event. They do not know the Wright family. The two attend Christian Worship Center in Seabeck and have been working with other local churches in hopes that a strong group will come out to prayerfully support the family.

Jones said she and Hurst decided to organize the event out of love.

“We want to let the family know we love them and support them, and regardless of the outcome we will be there for them,” she said. “That’s what the church and the love of God is.”

The pair have been in contact with one of Wright’s older sisters, who gave her blessing to the event. It’s not known whether Jenise’s family members will attend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.