Bride-To-Be Faked Abduction

A Georgia bride-to-be who vanished days before her wedding turned up in New Mexico, claiming at first that she had been abducted, then admitting she had gotten cold feet and "needed some time alone," police said Saturday.

Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, was in police custody more than 1,420 miles from her home on what was supposed to be her wedding day.

"It turns out that Miss Wilbanks basically felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it," said Randy Belcher, the police chief in Duluth, Ga., the Atlanta suburb where Wilbanks lives with her fiance. He said there would be no criminal charges.

Wilbanks, whose disappearance set off a nationwide hunt, called her fiance, John Mason, from a pay phone late Friday and told him that she had been kidnapped while jogging three days before, authorities said.

Mason says she told him she'd been kidnapped by a couple in a van who then drove her to Albuquerque for some unknown reason and let her go, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston.

Her family rejoiced that she was safe, telling reporters that the media coverage apparently got to the kidnappers.

But after being picked up by Albuquerque police outside a 7-Eleven and questioned for hours, she recanted.

Ray Schultz, chief of police in Albuquerque, said Wilbanks "had become scared and concerned about her impending marriage and decided she needed some time alone."

"She's obviously very concerned about the stress that she's been through, the stress that's been placed on her family," he said. "She is very upset."

Schultz said she traveled to Las Vegas by bus before going to Albuquerque, where she found herself broke. Bill Elwell, an FBI spokesman in Albuquerque, said that is probably why she called home when she did.

Wilbanks had cut her hair so no one would recognize her, but she gave no indication that she had watched news reports of the search or realized the magnitude of the situation, Elwell said.

The mood outside Wilbanks' home went from jubilant to somber after Wilbanks changed her story. Family members ducked inside and the blinds were drawn.

Hours later, they expressed relief that Wilbanks was safe.

"If you remember all the interviews yesterday we were praying, 'At this point let her be a runaway bride,"' said the Rev. Alan Jones, who was to perform the wedding. "Jennifer's alive and we're all thankful for that."

Jones said Mason had no hostility toward his fiancee.

"I have never met such a strong person in all my life," Jones said. "He's an incredible man."

The wedding was to have been a huge bash. The couple had mailed 600 invitations, and the ceremony was to feature 14 bridesmaids and 14 groomsmen.

Elwell said Wilbanks, who is a nurse, apparently decided shortly after purportedly leaving for her jog Tuesday night that she was going to run away.

"Based on the information we received, it was a spur of the moment situation," Elwell told The Associated Press.

Wilbanks was disheveled, tired and thirsty, but was not complaining of any injuries, officials said. Authorities will "get her showered, get her something to eat and then reunite her with her family," Albuquerque police spokeswoman Trish Ahrensfield said.

Elwell said Wilbanks' relatives were en route to New Mexico and were expected to pick her up in the afternoon and head back to Atlanta.

Just hours before Wilbanks called her fiance, police in Duluth said they had no solid leads in the case and began dismantling a search center. Relatives offered a $100,000 reward for information and were planning a prayer vigil.

The hunt for Wilbanks had consumed Duluth, a tight-knit town. Her picture and newspaper articles about her disappearance were on telephone poles and shop windows. Police had also seized three computers from the home she shared with Mason.

Mason had become a target of suspicion and agreed to a private polygraph test. He had been negotiating with authorities for another test.

"That's been the hardest part for me," Mason said after Wilbanks called. "It gives you a feeling like you can't walk outside your home."

Mason did not speak publicly after Wilbanks said she lied about being abducted. Her uncle, Mike Satterfield, thanked people who had helped in the search.

"Jennifer had some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her and talking to her about these issues," he said.

Ryan Kelly, owner of the Park Cafe a few blocks from Wilbanks' house, which gave out coffee and sandwiches to searchers, said he was glad Wilbanks was alive and healthy.

"But that being said, this is one of the most selfish and self-centered acts I've ever seen. We saw her parents, and you could see the anguish in their eyes. It was terrible," he said.

"I don't care where you are — unless you're in the Amazon rain forest, you'd know everybody was out looking for you."