News

Actions

Wesley Hadsell’s sister doubting brother’s innocence in AJ’s disappearance: “I had blinders on.”

Posted at 5:30 PM, Apr 09, 2015
and last updated 2015-04-09 20:15:09-04

Norfolk, Va. - Just hours after police find human remains during a search for missing teen Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell, her aunt speaks to NewsChannel 3.

Wendy Stokes says she's losing faith in her brother, Wesley Hadsell -- AJ's adoptive father.

"I'm not a judge. I'm not a jury. I'm not saying he's guilty. I'm not saying he's innocent, but it's really hard to have faith in someone when he can't be honest," Stokes said.

Hadsell, who already has a long history of felonies, is in jail right now facing several more charges, including breaking and entering and obstruction. Those charges are all in connection with his adoptive daughter's disappearance.

Since his arrest, Stokes says she's had her brothers back and believed him when he says he was just trying to find AJ. At least, that was the case until remains were discovered Thursday during a search.

"I have always had faith in my brother no matter what. Every time he has gone to jail, every time he has gone to prison, every time he has gotten into trouble, I have always had faith in him," she said. "But with everything that has already come out and the charges they got on him I just don't know. It's hard to keep that faith."

When asked if Stokes believes her brother is involved in AJ's disappearance she said, "I don't know anymore. At one time, I didn't think he was, but now I don't know. In my heart I don't want to believe he did, but there are things that when you start seeing on TV, places they are looking. I'm his sister you never want to think that anybody in your family could ever do anything like this."

From jail, Wesley Hadsell has been calling Wendy almost every day and she says in those conversations, red flags popped up. She says his story kept changing and that he asked her to put up a GoFundMe page for him, wanting money for his support rather than to find AJ.

"It's a support page. He was wanting more people on the support page than the AJ page. I don't understand it." Stokes added.

Stokes says she doesn't want to convict her brother, but as of right now, all faith in him is gone.

 RELATED: 

Human remains found in Southampton County during search for missing Norfolk teen

Tip leads Norfolk police to Isle of Wight in search for AJ Hadsell

Mother of missing Norfolk teen: ‘Leave us alone’

Judge denies bond for father of missing Norfolk teen

Father of missing Norfolk teen comments on violent criminal history: ‘My past is my past’

Tip leads to new search for missing teen Anjelica Hadsell in Chesapeake

Search for missing Norfolk girl enters second week