Wilson's mother, Shirley Howell, told local news outlets that her son said he was going to the movies with a friend, but said she later learned he was with someone else.
MISSISSIPPI MAN SENTENCED TO 42 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR CROSS BURNING
Investigators located a signal from Wilson's phone in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, but searchers didn't find the body until Wednesday, off a rural road.
Arkansas police are investigating the death of an 18-year-old high school student as a homicide after his body was found in a Mississippi national forest.
Howell told WHBQ-TV that her son rarely strayed far from home.
"He was a whole momma’s boy," she said. "He joked around and liked to play. He went to school, went to work, played videos and stayed up all night."