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What Happened to Wilda Mae Benoit?
The teenager vanished without trace after having surgery in 1992.
There are thousands of open missing persons cases in the US at any given time, and many have files full of clues that their loved ones hope could one day lead to them being found.
However, others are notable for their shocking lack of evidence and even presence in the news media — cases like that of Wilda Mae Benoit.
Wilda was just 14 when she vanished from her family’s residence in the Louisiana community of Creole. Not only has she never been found, but there seems to have been little interest in tracking her down since 1992 when she was last seen.
According to the scant details online, Wilda had been in hospital due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. She was released on July 23rd 1992, heavily sedated and still in her hospital gown.
Although she was apparently taken back to the family home after being discharged, the teenager disappeared without taking any of her belongings and was never heard from again.
The authorities seem to have treated Wilda’s case as a runaway, but her family do not believe she left of her own accord. There have been suggestions Wilda might have travelled to Florida, although it is not known why this would be and whether or not she has links to anyone there.
She was one of the missing persons cases selected to appear in the video for Soul Asylum’s Runaway Train in a bid to raise awareness, but the publicity did not generate any leads.
The case raises a number of questions and possibilities. For instance, Wilda’s medication may have left her disoriented post-surgery and this could have led to her wandering outside the house, where she may have fallen victim to foul play.
Creole also looks to be a very rural area with several bodies of water and nature reserves, which might suggest Wilda could have been involved in an accident such as falling into a lake and drowning. It is not clear if nearby waterways were searched and dredged at the time.
However, there is one other intriguing bit of information concerning this case, which is contained in a post on an old website ostensibly written by Wilda’s…
