Deceased/Not Found FL - Robert Wiles, 26, Lakeland, 1 April 2008 *T. Holt guilty*

dottierainbow

Former Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
1,408
Reaction score
8
Website
www.myspace.com
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/25/fbi-announces-its-looking-kidnapped-polk-man/?news-breaking
TAMPA – Two days after their 26-year-old son was kidnapped in Lakeland, Thomas and Pamela Wiles received a ransom note.
They followed the instructions to get their son back, but something went wrong.
Today, three weeks after the April 1 abduction of Robert Arthur Wiles, his parents have had no word of his whereabouts and don't know whether the kidnappers received their response.
They and the FBI appealed to the public for help and to the kidnappers to contact the Wiles' again.
Robert Wiles is business development manager for National Flight Services, the family's Toledo, Ohio-based aircraft service and maintenance company. It has a branch at 3480 Airfield Drive West at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, from where he was kidnapped.
 
Wait. So the parents have paid a ransom to someone already?

This could be a situation where the son was kidnapped OR something he set up himself. If he had assistance, maybe they turned on him! Or maybe he's out enjoying the high life on whatever Mom and Dad paid as ransom.

Well, I hope he's ok. I hate to think suspiciously of the son, but I do.
 
CNN:
Story Highlights
- Robert Arthur Wiles, 26, of Lakeland, Florida, was reported missing April 1, said FBI
- Wiles' parents "were sent a ransom note," FBI said; "A threat was made"
- Note was signed in a "unique" way, the motive remains a mystery, investigator said

Link HERE
 
I don't know what the situaton is but it looks as if the parents had their own business so they may have lots of cash.
I am with you, I hope whatever the case is that Robert turns up alive.
 
I hate to say it, but this doesn't look good. It's been 25 days and his parents did not receive a follow up to the ransom note.
 
His family is on Fox right now. They are giving a large reward for his safe return or reward for conviction of perpertrators. The family says he is not the type of person that would fake his disappearance.
 
This case is extremely bizarre and upsetting. Those poor parents. I have to wonder if it is someone rather familiar with him and his family who planned this. It really doesn't sound random, of course, and choosing an able-bodied male to kidnap and hold for ransom is very unusual IN THIS COUNTRY but other countries have quite a bit of this disgusting behavior by their criminal elements. I wonder if organized crime is involved, but it seems very strange and my best guess is it is someone known to him. I have been reading about a Cuban-American mafia in Florida that is behind the use of marijuana grow-houses but perhaps they are branching out in their evil ways.
 
I began reading the first article linked but could not get past this
Describing his son, Thomas Wiles said, "Robert was …"
"Is," his wife interjected, reinforcing a hope that he is still alive.
"Is," Thomas Wiles said.

I hate to sound over-suspicious, but isn't this usually one of the tell-tell signs that something is amuck?
 
do we know if ransom money was already given out the first time...they say "something went wrong" but I don't know what that means. did the perps collect the money then not deliver Robert? sounds like the parents tried to connect to pay the ransom but never heard back.

this does sound very strange to me too...plus $10K reward isn't very much for your son when you are quite well off.
 
interesting....says the Wiles family complied with the note's demands. I take that to mean they dropped off money somewhere...so LE must know by now if it was picked up or not but they don't confirm it.

Or maybe they just got the call from the kidnappers saying call us back at a certain time and then the family got no response.

It's important to know whether money was dropped off and picked up or not...like they said, kidnappings are so very rare in the US. I think Frank Sinatra's son was kidnapped back in the day but he was released.
 
I'm surprised I can't find anymore on this case.

I think it is because his last name is Wiles, not Wilder. When I plugged Wiles into the search engine I got alot more!
Maybe the thread title can be corrected, but I don't know how to go about doing that!

Another possible reason for so little information:
"The bureau won't elaborate on exactly what the note said or how much money was demanded -- only that the note was signed in a "unique" way, Couvertier said. It is not clear why Wiles would have been targeted, he said."
"Agents believe that revealing specifics might compromise the investigation, he said."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/25/florida.kidnapping/index.html
 
http://www.theledger.com/article/20080515/NEWS/805150439/1039

The search for missing Lakeland man Robert Wiles continues without any significant leads, said FBI spokesman Dave Couvertier.

Wiles' parents have offered $50,000 for any information leading to his return, and $200,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

"We figured that's a pretty good motivator," Couvertier said.

But since April 25, when the FBI went public with the case, investigators have received only a couple of leads and are still hoping for new information, Couvertier said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 866-838-1153.

Wiles was last seen about 6:30 p.m. April 1 working at National Flight Services, his family's business, at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Couvertier has said.

much more at link
 
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29506679/

“In this particular case, somebody knows this family. They know that the business this young man was involved in made $8.5 million last year. They know the intricacies of the victim, of his family, of the business,” Van Zandt said. “This looks like an inside job, where somebody who works or worked for the company or had some contact with the family was responsible. So that really narrows down the pool of suspects that the FBI has to look at.”
 
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090303/NEWS01/903030343/1006/news01

"If there were individuals who were involved and feel it was a mistake or it's bothersome, we want them to know that we are willing to help them out," said Wiles' mother, Pamela, on Monday. "So, if they need to start a new life or if it's $250,000 they need to be able to move on, we'd like to help them out."
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
78
Guests online
2,447
Total visitors
2,525

Forum statistics

Threads
590,013
Messages
17,928,991
Members
228,038
Latest member
shmoozie
Back
Top