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New Clue Surfaces In Search For Missing Teen

Okla. Authorities Find Car Abandoned That Missing Teen Was Last Seen In

POSTED: Monday, November 15, 2004
UPDATED: 10:04 am CST November 15, 2004

A car believed to have been used by a man suspected of kidnapping a teenage Texas girl was found Sunday in western Oklahoma, according to the FBI.

Margaret Katy Wilkerson

The girl and her suspected abductor were still missing.

Authorities have been searching for 14-year-old Margaret Catherine Wilkerson, who goes by the name Katy, since Oct. 25 when she disappeared from her home in League City, Texas.

"The investigation found she was enticed via the Internet to run away by a 22-year-old male, Paul Cameron Bennett," said FBI Special Agent Gary Johnson.

A federal kidnapping warrant has been issued for the arrest of Bennett, who may be trying to reach Washington state, Johnson said.

A red, 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier with Texas license plates believed to have been driven by Bennett was found abandoned at a Love's Country Store on Interstate 40, about 5 miles east of Clinton.

"The girl was seen at the truck stop, inside the store, last Wednesday about 3 a.m.," Johnson said.

"The car is believed to have been abandoned since last Wednesday."

The two are now believed to have been in the Clinton area from Oct. 27 until Wednesday, Johnson said.

Bennett and Wilkerson have been seen in Oklahoma since the girl's disappearance, Johnson said, adding that Bennett is believed to have made at least three telephone calls from Oklahoma on Oct. 27.

Paul Bennet

The first was made from an Edmond convenience store, the second from a pay phone on Interstate 40 between Yukon and El Reno and the third from the Hinton Travel Plaza on I-40 at Hinton, where both Bennett and Wilkerson were reportedly seen.

"He went inside the store and she was identified as being in the car at that time," Johnson said.

"He parked the car a ways away from the store, but she was seen inside it."

Johnson said authorities are looking for people who may have helped the two, thinking that they were assisting a young couple in trouble.

There is no reason to believe Wilkerson has met with foul play, Johnson said, but authorities are very concerned for her safety.

"Our No. 1 goal right now is simply to bring Katy back to safety, we're very concerned about that at this time," Johnson said.

"Any time a child is in the hands of a predator, we're very concerned."

Wilkerson is white, 5-feet-4 with shoulder length hair that is believed to be dyed black. She has blue eyes and a light complexion.

Bennett is white, 5-feet-7, 150 pounds and has a tattoo of a happy face on his left arm.

Anyone with information on Wilkerson's whereabouts is asked to call the League City Police Department at (281) 332-2566, Texas Equusearch at (877) 270-9500 or the FBI at (866) 602-4453.

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