EVANGELINE PARISH — No mother should have to face the holidays without knowing where her child is. But for Quanda Wilson, the agonizing uncertainty continues as her 16-year-old son, Dajavon Wilson, has been missing for nearly two weeks.
Wilson, the mother of three boys, described her emotions as the holidays approach. "My thoughts are everywhere," she said. "I can't eat or sleep."
The holiday season, typically a time for families to come together, has been a nightmare for Quanda Wilson. "As you can see, I'm not in the Christmas mood," she said.
It all began on the evening of Dec. 7, when Dajavon asked his mother if he could attend a basketball game in Ville Platte.
"He kept asking, 'Mom, can I go to the game?' and I said, 'What game?'" Wilson recalled. "He told me it was a basketball game at Sacred Heart."
Wilson agreed to drop her son off at the game, but insisted on seeing him safely inside before leaving. Later that evening, Dajavon called to ask for some money, but Wilson was unable to help.
"He said, 'Okay, Mom, I love you.' And I said, 'I love you, too,'" she remembered. That would be the last time she heard from him.
"It's normal for him to go spend a night at a friend's house for a couple of days, but I just knew something wasn't right," Wilson said, her voice shaking.
After waiting days without hearing from Dajavon, Wilson called authorities. On Dec. 9, three days after reporting him missing, a search was launched. Family and friends, scoured the area along Tate Cove Road in Ville Platte looking for the missing teen.
"It didn’t go as planned. We thought we had a lead, but we didn’t," Wilson said.
With the search now at a standstill, Wilson has returned to square one, still holding onto the hope that her son will come home.
"I know I have to stay strong for these two," she said, gesturing to her younger children, a 6-year-old and a 6-month-old. "But he is my first baby."
Despite the ongoing uncertainty, Wilson continues to rely on the support of her community and prays for Dajavon’s safe return.
"Come home. We miss you. Your brothers miss you. Your grandfathers, your grandmothers, your aunts… please, come home. Let us know you're okay," she said.
Quanda tells KATC that Dajavon was last seen at the Dollar General store on Tate Cove Road. I reached out to the Ville Platte Police Department for an update, and they tell me that, as of now, there are no new developments, but they will continue to keep us informed on any progress in the case.
