In 2002, A Mother And Her Young Son Mysteriously Vanished Before They Could Move In Their New Florida Home, And Their Family Continues Searching For Clues Over 20 Years Later
A mother and her young son had a bright future ahead of them after she had recently been assigned a new work position near where her parents lived in Florida in 2002. Tragically, they both went missing before they could move into their new home.
Paula Wade was living with her three-year-old son, Brandon, in Valdosta, Georgia, the year they went missing. They previously lived with her husband and Brandon’s father, Lance Wade. However, they had separated, and Lance moved to South Carolina.
In 2002, Paula and Brandon lived in an apartment with her roommate and friend, Marcus. Paula was working at the local Sam’s Club and had recently decided to transfer to a Sam’s Club in Kissimmee, Florida, so that she could be closer to her parents in Orlando. She and Brandon were set to move to Florida at the end of October.
However, on October 14th, 2002, Paula didn’t show up for her shift, which was very unlikely for her to do without letting anyone know. One of Paula’s supervisors had an employee go to her apartment to check on her. While her car was parked in the building’s parking lot, Paula and Brandon were nowhere to be found.
Paula’s coworkers then called her parents, who were already concerned because she had missed their weekly phone call. They decided to report her missing to the police that day.
Paula was last seen when she left work on October 12th. Because her car was parked at her apartment, police believe she made it home that evening. Tragically, no one has seen her or Brandon since.
After searching her apartment, police found no signs of struggle or violence. Many of Paula and Brandon’s belongings were left behind, including items that would be unusual for her not to take if she had plans to leave town.
Because Brandon’s father, Lance, was in South Carolina around the time he and Paula had gone missing, he was ruled out as a suspect involved in their disappearance. Paula’s roommate, Marcus, was reportedly not very cooperative with police and hired legal counsel after Paula was reported missing and refused to take a polygraph test.
In addition to the investigation being carried out by local authorities, Paula’s family has hired private investigators to find more information on what happened to her and Brandon. Although it’s been over 20 years, neither police nor private investigators have been able to find any solid leads.
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In August, the FBI released new age-progression images of Paula and Brandon and announced they are still actively seeking information on their case.
At the time of Paula’s disappearance, she was five foot seven, weighed 150 pounds, and had brown hair and brown eyes.
She also sometimes wore corrective lenses and would have been 47 years old today. Brandon was two foot nine, weighed 33 pounds, and had brown hair and hazel eyes. He would have been 24 years old today.
If you have any information regarding their case, you are urged to contact the Valdosta Police Department at (229) 242–2606.
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