Wilson accused of murdering his mother with garden shears

Wilson/ Vigo County Jail

By Lucy Perry 
Indiana Central News

A local woman is dead after detectives say she was stabbed to death with garden shears by her adult son at their southern Vigo County residence.

Gayle Wilson, 72, of Terre Haute, was found dead, lying on her bedroom floor, Thursday morning. She appeared to have been stabbed in her head and throat .  Blood had pooled around her fatal wounds.

Michael L. Wilson, 40, was booked into the Vigo County Jail several hours later --  around 10 p.m. He is charged with level 1 felony murder and level 6 felony auto theft.  

According to the probable cause affidavit, filed by Detective Josh Cary, of the Vigo County Sheriff's Office, the victim was found dead in her upstairs bedroom. It was a brutal killing. Blood was around her neck -- with the weapon,  garden shears, left just beside her body. Blood was on the shears and had been tracked throughout the house.

The victim's sister called 911 after discovering the body at the residence, located at 7755 Carlisle St., around 9:45 a.m. ​

She stated she had tried to contact the victim and had gotten no response since the previous afternoon, prompting her to go to the home.  She said she believed the victim's son, Michael, murdered the woman and fled in the victim's SUV prior to her arrival that morning. Ultimately, Michael and the vehicle were located by Indiana DNR officers and Owen County Sheriff’s Office deputies, after they received tips he was seen at the the Owen-Putnam State Forest around 5 p.m. 

Further investigation revealed that the suspect suffers from mental illness and reportedly was not taking his prescribed medications, according to the court documents. Those familiar with Michael noted that his behavior was progressively becoming more erratic. In fact, he had suddenly taken off in early May to visit another state. The victim had filed a missing persons report at that time. He was gone for about two weeks, with no word to his mother, before returning home.

Officials note that the suspect had been arrested in 2012 for arson, when they say he had set  a fire at the family home. His father died from medical complications at that time.
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