Suspect booked; girl still missing

Duson teen last seen in late April;  no contact since

The Duson Police Department has made an arrest in a missing persons case involving a 15-year-old girl who was last seen in the Duson area in late April.

Duson Police Chief Frank Andrew confirmed the arrest was made Tuesday night in connection with the girl’s disappearance but declined to release the individual’s name or what charge he is being held on.

The suspect is being held in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and was arrested on a warrant, Andrew said, adding that he expected to release additional details Thursday.

Zachary Police Chief David McDavid said his department assisted the Duson police chief and a lieutenant with the department in the Tuesday night arrest of Leon Wilkerson Jr., 43, on a warrant for second-degree kidnapping and simple rape issued by the 15th Judicial District Court.

The girl was last seen leaving her aunt’s home in the Duson area on April 30.

The Advocate is not identifying the girl because she was the victim of an alleged sexual assault.

The teen’s disappearance initially was investigated as a juvenile runaway case, but that changed a few months later to a missing person when investigators learned family members had not spoken with the girl and did not know where she was, Andrew said.

The girl, who remains missing, is believed to have left Duson with someone she knows, the police chief said, declining to release additional details because of the department’s ongoing investigation.

The police chief said the search for the missing teen continues.