SC SC - Paula Merchant, 25, Forest Acres, 3 Jan 1999
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imamaze
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Case originally posted by:s finch, moved here for discussion
Paula Merchant
SC-Paula Louise Merchant
MPCCN Case File: 929F90
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: January 3, 1999 from Forest Acres, South Carolina
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: August 3, 1973
Age: 25 years old
Height and Weight: 5'6; 120 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Blonde hair, brown eyes. Merchant often wears her hair in ponytails or braids. She has dimples.
Paula Merchant
SC-Paula Louise Merchant
MPCCN Case File: 929F90
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: January 3, 1999 from Forest Acres, South Carolina
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: August 3, 1973
Age: 25 years old
Height and Weight: 5'6; 120 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Blonde hair, brown eyes. Merchant often wears her hair in ponytails or braids. She has dimples.
Paula Merchant:
In 1999, Paula Merchant had the world by the tail: smart, pretty, and part of a loving family. Then one January night she vanished, her car burned. Tips poured in, but Paula hasn't been seen since. Investigators says someone has to know who set fire to Paula's car. Could you help solve this case? She has been missing since January 3, 1999 from Columbia.
If you have any information about Paula Merchant's disappearance, please call Forest Acres Police at 782-9444, ask to speak with Lt. Hinson.
Age: 25
White Female, Light Complexion
Hair: Medium Blonde (often in ponytails or braids);
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'6 1/2"
Weight: 120 pounds
$25,000 REWARD Missing Person "At Risk"
(This family-oriented young woman is considered "at risk" by her family and law enforcement.)
http://www.wach.com/news/content.aspx?id=40034
In 1999, Paula Merchant had the world by the tail: smart, pretty, and part of a loving family. Then one January night she vanished, her car burned. Tips poured in, but Paula hasn't been seen since. Investigators says someone has to know who set fire to Paula's car. Could you help solve this case? She has been missing since January 3, 1999 from Columbia.
If you have any information about Paula Merchant's disappearance, please call Forest Acres Police at 782-9444, ask to speak with Lt. Hinson.
Age: 25
White Female, Light Complexion
Hair: Medium Blonde (often in ponytails or braids);
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'6 1/2"
Weight: 120 pounds
$25,000 REWARD Missing Person "At Risk"
(This family-oriented young woman is considered "at risk" by her family and law enforcement.)
http://www.wach.com/news/content.aspx?id=40034
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/10190..._merchant.shtml
Missing woman's parents seek answers
Web posted October 19, 2000
Have a thought? Go to the @ugusta Forums.
By Johnny Edwards
Staff Writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paula Merchant: 25-year-old resembled four women who Reinaldo J. Rivera is charged with having killed.
SPECIAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They heard Reinaldo J. Rivera had stopped talking, but Darrell and Irma Merchant made the drive to Augusta anyway.
For nearly two years, the couple from Forest Acres, S.C., has been doing everything they can to bring home their daughter, Paula. The 25-year-old Georgia State University graduate and aspiring anthropologist vanished from the city outside Columbia the night of Jan. 3, 1999, while en route to a meeting with friends.
They came here Wednesday bearing a thick stack of fliers showing their daughter and her Nissan Sentra, found charred the night of her disappearance. They spoke with Richmond County Sheriff's Department's lead investigator in the Rivera case, but he couldn't tell them what they wanted to hear.
They say they hope they can get that from a face-to-face meeting with the man accused of killing four women in the metro area. All were light-haired, attractive and thin, as was Paula.
``I want to see his expression if I showed him a picture of my daughter,'' Mrs. Merchant said. ``I would really like to see that.''
That's not likely to happen soon. Although Mr. Rivera reportedly spent last weekend giving police an earful about his alleged crimes, he was told by an attorney appointed Monday to keep quiet.
Veteran Augusta defense attorney Peter Johnson said more than a dozen agencies throughout the country have contacted him, trying to ``get my client to say he killed someone in their area.''
Until he learns more about Mr. Rivera, Mr. Johnson said, he ``will not allow him to speak to police or families in outside areas seeking closure.''
``At this point in time, it will not happen,'' Mr. Johnson said. ``I'm not in a hurry to offer my guy up.''
State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Hugh Munn said investigators are used to suspects remaining silent after lawyers become involved. SLED agents interrogated Mr. Rivera and are following leads from that, but so far, nothing concrete has emerged.
Columbia police Investigator Harold Chambers has spent the past eight years almost exclusively trying to find out what happened to Dail Boxley Dinwiddie on Sept. 24, 1992. Mr. Rivera was a student at the University of South Carolina when Ms. Dinwiddie disappeared. She was last seen at the Jungle Jim's nightclub near the five points area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darrell and Irma Merchant of Columbia post a sign on the window of the Subway restaurant on Broad Street in Augusta asking for information on their daughter, Paula Merchant. The 25-year-old Georgia State University graduate disappeared Jan. 3, 1999.
SPECIAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faded bumper stickers left from the massive search effort can still be spotted on cars in the city.
``The lawyer's got to do his job, and we've got to do ours,'' said Investigator Chambers, who is eager to speak with Mr. Rivera. ``Hopefully, we can meet somewhere in between.''
Paula Merchant resembles Mr. Rivera's alleged victims, but the circumstances surrounding her disappearance don't fit, her parents acknowledge. But Columbia is within an hour of Aiken County. Mr. Rivera had lived in the state capital a few years before and knew the area.
And what can peppering another city with reward posters hurt?
``We've waited 19 months without her,'' Mrs. Merchant said. ``If we have to wait until he says something, we will.''
Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or jedwards92@hotmail.com.
Missing woman's parents seek answers
Web posted October 19, 2000
Have a thought? Go to the @ugusta Forums.
By Johnny Edwards
Staff Writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paula Merchant: 25-year-old resembled four women who Reinaldo J. Rivera is charged with having killed.
SPECIAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They heard Reinaldo J. Rivera had stopped talking, but Darrell and Irma Merchant made the drive to Augusta anyway.
For nearly two years, the couple from Forest Acres, S.C., has been doing everything they can to bring home their daughter, Paula. The 25-year-old Georgia State University graduate and aspiring anthropologist vanished from the city outside Columbia the night of Jan. 3, 1999, while en route to a meeting with friends.
They came here Wednesday bearing a thick stack of fliers showing their daughter and her Nissan Sentra, found charred the night of her disappearance. They spoke with Richmond County Sheriff's Department's lead investigator in the Rivera case, but he couldn't tell them what they wanted to hear.
They say they hope they can get that from a face-to-face meeting with the man accused of killing four women in the metro area. All were light-haired, attractive and thin, as was Paula.
``I want to see his expression if I showed him a picture of my daughter,'' Mrs. Merchant said. ``I would really like to see that.''
That's not likely to happen soon. Although Mr. Rivera reportedly spent last weekend giving police an earful about his alleged crimes, he was told by an attorney appointed Monday to keep quiet.
Veteran Augusta defense attorney Peter Johnson said more than a dozen agencies throughout the country have contacted him, trying to ``get my client to say he killed someone in their area.''
Until he learns more about Mr. Rivera, Mr. Johnson said, he ``will not allow him to speak to police or families in outside areas seeking closure.''
``At this point in time, it will not happen,'' Mr. Johnson said. ``I'm not in a hurry to offer my guy up.''
State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Hugh Munn said investigators are used to suspects remaining silent after lawyers become involved. SLED agents interrogated Mr. Rivera and are following leads from that, but so far, nothing concrete has emerged.
Columbia police Investigator Harold Chambers has spent the past eight years almost exclusively trying to find out what happened to Dail Boxley Dinwiddie on Sept. 24, 1992. Mr. Rivera was a student at the University of South Carolina when Ms. Dinwiddie disappeared. She was last seen at the Jungle Jim's nightclub near the five points area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darrell and Irma Merchant of Columbia post a sign on the window of the Subway restaurant on Broad Street in Augusta asking for information on their daughter, Paula Merchant. The 25-year-old Georgia State University graduate disappeared Jan. 3, 1999.
SPECIAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faded bumper stickers left from the massive search effort can still be spotted on cars in the city.
``The lawyer's got to do his job, and we've got to do ours,'' said Investigator Chambers, who is eager to speak with Mr. Rivera. ``Hopefully, we can meet somewhere in between.''
Paula Merchant resembles Mr. Rivera's alleged victims, but the circumstances surrounding her disappearance don't fit, her parents acknowledge. But Columbia is within an hour of Aiken County. Mr. Rivera had lived in the state capital a few years before and knew the area.
And what can peppering another city with reward posters hurt?
``We've waited 19 months without her,'' Mrs. Merchant said. ``If we have to wait until he says something, we will.''
Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or jedwards92@hotmail.com.
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/...php?A200300363W
Endangered Missing Adult
If you believe you have any information regarding this case that will be helpful in this investigation please contact:
Forest Acres Police Department at (803) 782-9444
Name: Paula Louise Merchant
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Date of Birth: 1973-08-03
Date Missing: 1999-01-03
From City/State: Forest Acres, SC
Age at Time of Disappearance: 25
Gender: Female
Race: White
Height: 66 inches
Weight: 120 pounds
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Light
Clothing: Dark pink knitted hat, navy coat, green sweater, gray pants, black shoes.
Jewelry: Large silver ring.
Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Paula left her residence at approximately 6:30pm to attend a meeting at a local church. Her vehicle was located on January 4, 1999 at 2230 Commerce Dr. in Columbia, SC at approximately 12:00am. The car had been burned.
Investigative Agency: Forest Acres Police Department
Phone: (803) 782-9444
Investigative Case #: 01-99-0017
NCIC #: M180861855
Endangered Missing Adult
If you believe you have any information regarding this case that will be helpful in this investigation please contact:
Forest Acres Police Department at (803) 782-9444
Name: Paula Louise Merchant
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Date of Birth: 1973-08-03
Date Missing: 1999-01-03
From City/State: Forest Acres, SC
Age at Time of Disappearance: 25
Gender: Female
Race: White
Height: 66 inches
Weight: 120 pounds
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Light
Clothing: Dark pink knitted hat, navy coat, green sweater, gray pants, black shoes.
Jewelry: Large silver ring.
Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Paula left her residence at approximately 6:30pm to attend a meeting at a local church. Her vehicle was located on January 4, 1999 at 2230 Commerce Dr. in Columbia, SC at approximately 12:00am. The car had been burned.
Investigative Agency: Forest Acres Police Department
Phone: (803) 782-9444
Investigative Case #: 01-99-0017
NCIC #: M180861855
I concur. I sure wish we could get some answers in either case.
Spacemonkey1975
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I had just moved to Cola a few months before Paula went missing. I remember at the time there was talk of her being a recovering addict of some sorts. I google mapped where her car was found and at the time there used to be some housing projects past that airport. If she decided to score instead of going to her meeting there is a good chance she would've went in that area "looking" based on where her parents lived.
Shamrocker99
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Wish there was a little more information about that possible drug activity--it would make such a difference in so many cases if they were just upfront about these missing people. I know most have that fear, though, that if they mention anything about past drug use, that no one will care that they are missing or look for them! It would just help to have all the facts when sleuthing their cases! Such a beautiful girl-hope her parents get some answers soon!
TedMac
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Murkywaters
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19 years later, Investigators still looking for Forest Acres lost girl
This news report contains some more information about Paula, her brother was interviewed and stated he believes drugs played a part in his sisters disappearance. He stated that Paula struggled with severe migraines for years to the point she had to be hospitalized, the doctors told her they couldn't help her so she started to self medicate. The detective stated shortly before she disappeared Paula called her boyfriend and he said stated she was really struggling with her addiction. LE found her vehicle in an area known for heroin dealing. The day Paula disappeared she was supposed to go to a narcotics anonymous meeting at a local church but never showed up.
This news report contains some more information about Paula, her brother was interviewed and stated he believes drugs played a part in his sisters disappearance. He stated that Paula struggled with severe migraines for years to the point she had to be hospitalized, the doctors told her they couldn't help her so she started to self medicate. The detective stated shortly before she disappeared Paula called her boyfriend and he said stated she was really struggling with her addiction. LE found her vehicle in an area known for heroin dealing. The day Paula disappeared she was supposed to go to a narcotics anonymous meeting at a local church but never showed up.
MimosaMornings
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“However, investigators have always said drugs played a part, something the Merchant family has a hard time dealing with.
Paula's older brother, Darrell, told WACH FOX News that while it's difficult to talk about, he thinks narcotics did play a part.”
So sad it took 19 years for someone to talk about drugs/addiction and the connection to this case.
Paula's older brother, Darrell, told WACH FOX News that while it's difficult to talk about, he thinks narcotics did play a part.”
So sad it took 19 years for someone to talk about drugs/addiction and the connection to this case.
ADKGemini
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NamUs: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Circumstances
Date of Last ContactJanuary 3, 1999
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 12, 2008
Last Known Location Map
LocationForest Acres, South Carolina
CountyRichland County
Missing From Tribal Land--
Primary Residence on Tribal Land--
Circumstances of DisappearancePaula left her residence at approximately 6:30pm to attend a meeting at a local church. Her vehicle was located on January 4, 1999 at 2230 Commerce Dr. in Columbia, SC at approximately 12:00am. The car had been burned.
Physical Description
Hair ColorBlond/Strawberry
Head Hair DescriptionBlonde
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBrown
Right Eye ColorBrown
Eye DescriptionBrown
Distinctive Physical Features
No Information Entered
Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Clothing
Dark pink knitted hat, navy coat, green sweater, gray pants, black shoes.
Jewelry
Large silver ring.
Circumstances
Date of Last ContactJanuary 3, 1999
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 12, 2008
Last Known Location Map
LocationForest Acres, South Carolina
CountyRichland County
Missing From Tribal Land--
Primary Residence on Tribal Land--
Circumstances of DisappearancePaula left her residence at approximately 6:30pm to attend a meeting at a local church. Her vehicle was located on January 4, 1999 at 2230 Commerce Dr. in Columbia, SC at approximately 12:00am. The car had been burned.
Physical Description
Hair ColorBlond/Strawberry
Head Hair DescriptionBlonde
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBrown
Right Eye ColorBrown
Eye DescriptionBrown
Distinctive Physical Features
No Information Entered
Clothing and Accessories
Item
Description
Clothing
Dark pink knitted hat, navy coat, green sweater, gray pants, black shoes.
Jewelry
Large silver ring.
FindingClosure1144
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Is anyone working on this case? I am currently gathering details on another case and came upon Paula’s which is sad because once again I never heard of her even though I have lived in SC for sometime and work downtown close where she went missing. I’m unsure if narcotic use played a role in her becoming missing but either way that does not justify her being killed. She has a lot of similarities on another case I’m working on and there was no narcotic activity. Anyways if anyone is currently looking into this case, I’d love to hear more. Thanks
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