Found Deceased SC - Sheridan Wahl, 21, Myrtle Beach, 19 Sep 2021

[tlneedham]

Looking at my traffic cam app, there are 15 cameras on HWY 501 before she could have turned onto 378, and then no cameras until I95. The app only lets you see current cam streams though.

But most of them seem to be pointed at people heading north, the direction she would have been going. So if police have those archived files, they could have easily tracked her car all the way to Conway.

 

[leonm]

Tiny bits of new information (or at least to me).

No cameras at the Firehouse where the body was found
"There appear to be no security cameras on the property, which Fire Chief Monty Tedder confirmed."

Car went straight to the cornfield
"The path Wahl’s car cut through the cornfield is inexplicably straight. The quarter-mile line is so clean it could have been cut by a combine. The stalks of corn stand as tall as people, obscuring the view into the field from the highway."

Spoiler: Photo of the cornfield where the car was found

Car completely burnt
Robert Parker (Towing service) said the car looked like it had taken a nosedive into the ditch. Parker, a former volunteer firefighter, said the car was so “completely burned” that the only indicator of its color was a small section of the hood.

Source

[edited to update correct image url]

 

[ericasf]

Tiny bits of new information (or at least to me).

No cameras at the Firehouse where the body was found
"There appear to be no security cameras on the property, which Fire Chief Monty Tedder confirmed."

Car went straight to the cornfield
"The path Wahl’s car cut through the cornfield is inexplicably straight. The quarter-mile line is so clean it could have been cut by a combine. The stalks of corn stand as tall as people, obscuring the view into the field from the highway."

Spoiler: Photo of the cornfield where the car was found

Car completely burnt
Robert Parker (Towing service) said the car looked like it had taken a nosedive into the ditch. Parker, a former volunteer firefighter, said the car was so “completely burned” that the only indicator of its color was a small section of the hood.

Source

[edited to update correct image url]

This case is so perplexing. Such a tight timeline. No witnesses. Car burned and license plate and VIN missing. She ends up 10 miles from where the car is torched and found at the bottom of a training tower. The police report of when she was found says they said her body was discolored but didn't say it was burned. I would think there would be a camera at a training tower to record trainings? But maybe not. Maybe it's just for informal trainings? IDK. She went to MB to visit her father but never went to see him. And we don't even know where she came from to get to MB and when she arrived.

Also, SLED has not released even a news release to accounce they have taken over the case. And then the absolute blackout of any SM or MSM details. I don't know if it's because GP is dominating the news and speaking for missing people and not enough bandwidth or the MSM and her circle know what happened and it needs to remain private. MB does not have a good reputation as far as missing young girls go and so that leads me to think there is more. I lived down there for a few years and have friends who have daughters down there and it is scary to think this keeps happening there.

She was a beautiful and talented girl. Just like GP.

 

[ericasf]

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/south-carolina/article254527387.html

 

[DocBrew]

BBM
I've been leaning towards a random abductor since the beginning.

I don't believe that she was out of the Myrtle Beach jurisdiction before she was in trouble. The mileage doesn't work for an out-of-town hook-up - especially since the body was ditched 45 miles from town and the car was torched 55 miles from town. How long was she alive until she was found two days later?

Someone posted webcam links for Myrtle Beach upthread. Where I live, I can also access webcam images from earlier dates. Is that possible in SC? Can someone in the area check to see whether earlier dates are accessible? Sept 19, all cameras, 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Especially webcams at jurisdiction line between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM Sept 19.

Have police verified the location of the 1:00 pm facetime with mom? Sheridan told her mother that she was near the Scooter Rental. Is there confirmation from police?

BBM. That is absolutely possible, especially with Myrtle Beach's penchant for diversion and scapegoating due to their lucrative tourism industry. I have been giving them the benefit of the doubt on this because they seemed confident enough to release an emphatic statement, but that doesn't necessarily mean much I suppose.

What is interesting to me is that there are unconfirmed reports that a white male was seen running from the burning car, yet nothing mentioned of it in any media outlets (not even as a report of a report). And there is NO WAY she facilitated all of this herself. None. Not possible.

JMO.

 

[evilwise]

The timeline seems to be very tight, with her being in MB at 1, and her car torched right before 2, 45 miles away. I’ve gone through all of the posts again and more of the media, I really think she may have gone up with someone. Perhaps it is all the time I have been on WS, but it is not safe for a young female to be driving 8 hours to MB by herself. Her body being dumped at the fire station, while a dump is never the right thing, almost makes me think the person who did it somewhat cared, like they wanted her to be found. There are plenty of areas where he could have left her, where she would not be be found, but instead, a fire station, where one could even leave an infant, and not be in trouble. The rural area, versus her being found in MB, did something happen quickly in MB and they take off? I will be interested as to what MBPD has to say when they can be certain that she left MB and was fine.

I hate to agree with you but I do. One plausible hypothetical that would fit all the evidence is that she might have actually made the trip to party with a "party friend", called her mom at the very beginning of an overdose, rapidly declined as her friend tried to drive her somewhere to get help without getting in trouble, declined past whatever tipping point where the friend decided to abandon the situation and the best choice they could think of at that point was to leave her at a public service (maybe thinking of how babies can be left at fire stations) and destroy what evidence they believed might tie them to the situation.

I hate that this sort of thing happens so much that constructing a parallel situation might be the best way to get away with murder these days and, assuming this or something similar was the case, I expect that forensic technology will pretty firmly establish who this party friend would have been.

I really hate the continued terror over drug laws that buries deep into people's hearts and makes them think stuff like this, as if she was Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, are reasonable courses of action when they could have just driven her in her own car up to the emergency room entrance of the hospital and run away.

 

[lowes123]

I hate to agree with you but I do. One plausible hypothetical that would fit all the evidence is that she might have actually made the trip to party with a "party friend", called her mom at the very beginning of an overdose, rapidly declined as her friend tried to drive her somewhere to get help without getting in trouble, declined past whatever tipping point where the friend decided to abandon the situation and the best choice they could think of at that point was to leave her at a public service (maybe thinking of how babies can be left at fire stations) and destroy what evidence they believed might tie them to the situation.

I hate that this sort of thing happens so much that constructing a parallel situation might be the best way to get away with murder these days and, assuming this or something similar was the case, I expect that forensic technology will pretty firmly establish who this party friend would have been.

I really hate the continued terror over drug laws that buries deep into people's hearts and makes them think stuff like this, as if she was Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, are reasonable courses of action when they could have just driven her in her own car up to the emergency room entrance of the hospital and run away.

I agree. I don’t know if all states have it yet, but some do and it says that is it safe to call, meaning if a friend overdoses, you can call the police and won’t be charged, taking away the fear of arrest. I don’t know if that was what happened or not, but the timeline being so tight, no mention of rape or sexual assault, inconclusive autopsy results, it certainly is possible. I wonder what her demeanor was in the rental shop, or if she was with someone. That is a long drive to make to just turn around and go back.

 

[wvredhead]

This case is so perplexing. Such a tight timeline. No witnesses. Car burned and license plate and VIN missing. She ends up 10 miles from where the car is torched and found at the bottom of a training tower. The police report of when she was found says they said her body was discolored but didn't say it was burned. I would think there would be a camera at a training tower to record trainings? But maybe not. Maybe it's just for informal trainings? IDK. She went to MB to visit her father but never went to see him. And we don't even know where she came from to get to MB and when she arrived.

Also, SLED has not released even a news release to accounce they have taken over the case. And then the absolute blackout of any SM or MSM details. I don't know if it's because GP is dominating the news and speaking for missing people and not enough bandwidth or the MSM and her circle know what happened and it needs to remain private. MB does not have a good reputation as far as missing young girls go and so that leads me to think there is more. I lived down there for a few years and have friends who have daughters down there and it is scary to think this keeps happening there.

She was a beautiful and talented girl. Just like GP.

You got that right re: the crime in MB. This case sorta reminds me of the Amber Berbiglia murder just across the Intracoastal from North Myrtle Beach. Another one that is still unsolved.

 

[otto]

I suppose there are two possible scenarios.

First, perhaps Sheridan had a mental health problem, drove her car into a cornfield, torched the vehicle, ran 10 miles back towards Myrtle Beach, and jumped off the fire tower to her death.

Second, she was carjacked, removed from the car, the carjacker torched the car, she was murdered and left at the fire tower. It does seem like this requires a second vehicle.

Neither possibility makes much sense.

 

[DocBrew]

I suppose there are two possible scenarios.

First, perhaps Sheridan had a mental health problem, drove her car into a cornfield, torched the vehicle, ran 10 miles back towards Myrtle Beach, and jumped off the fire tower to her death.

Second, she was carjacked, removed from the car, the carjacker torched the car, she was murdered and left at the fire tower. It does seem like this requires a second vehicle.

Neither possibility makes much sense.

Since all of this occurred where it did, which is a random podunk rural locale halfway between MB and I95, it is also possible that the perp lives (or squats) quite nearby.

JMO.

 

[Snoopster]

I suppose there are two possible scenarios.

First, perhaps Sheridan had a mental health problem, drove her car into a cornfield, torched the vehicle, ran 10 miles back towards Myrtle Beach, and jumped off the fire tower to her death.

Second, she was carjacked, removed from the car, the carjacker torched the car, she was murdered and left at the fire tower. It does seem like this requires a second vehicle.

Neither possibility makes much sense.

This is clearly why we are all stumped. <sigh>

That her car was torched so shortly after talking with her mother, and that her body was found 10 miles back toward MB. Confusing.

 

[leonm]

Found some additional photo's of the place where the car was found in the article that I've shared earlier.

Spoiler: photos

Source

 

[PoppyJune]

I’m all over the place with this case. Part of me thinks this could be of Wahl’s own doing. However, that also means in that very tight timeline, she would have had to have access to or purchased the items to set her car ablaze. That seems off. So then I go back to thinking that someone did this to her. All around very sad. I hope the family has answers or that they will very soon.

 

[Lux et Veritas]

It's just weird that the mom suggested she stay at a hotel. If she was going to visit her dad, why wouldn't she stay at his place? Or was her visit just a perfunctory one where she was going to stay somewhere else and pop in to see her dad while she was there? Did he even know she was coming?

I was looking at one of her last messages where she hashtagged 911, detetive (sic), and stolencar. She also hashtagged the9. In urban dictionary that refers to a handgun, a 9mm pistol. Is she telling us she got carjacked by someone with a gun? Could that have happened the last time she filled up the gas tank? Is there any records of her either paying with a card at the pump or did she go into the store and pay and when she came back someone was in her vehicle. Why wouldn't she relate that info to her mom? Did she start the trip with someone who was not who she thought they were? If she was with someone did they get into a fight?

If she was alone, why would she try to hire a scooter while she had the car? How far from her dad's place was the scooter rental place? Where was she going to park the car? Was she planning on tooling around MB on a scooter.

EXCELLENT questions, Branmuffin. And thank you for sleuthing out the meaning of "the9" - that was driving me crazy!

 

[WellThen]

I suppose there are two possible scenarios.

First, perhaps Sheridan had a mental health problem, drove her car into a cornfield, torched the vehicle, ran 10 miles back towards Myrtle Beach, and jumped off the fire tower to her death.

Second, she was carjacked, removed from the car, the carjacker torched the car, she was murdered and left at the fire tower. It does seem like this requires a second vehicle.

Neither possibility makes much sense.

Such a weird case and so many unknowns. Could be the above or a combination of those and/or something else. I'm still leaning toward possibility that she was with someone (a man) who was LE or maybe first responder/fire dept/ems type of person. Maybe there was some type of accident resulting in her death (fall from the tower? overdose?) Then the hasty but methodical cover up began...torching the car and removing its identifiers, and taking the time to do this in a location separate from the body. Deliberately leaving/placing the body at a fire station where it was certain to be found. This kind of feels like a person with expert knowledge and the wherewithal to do all this in a short period of time. The lack of new information is itself interesting...

just my opinion

 

[Lux et Veritas]

All the extra effort to carefully obfuscate and impede the identification of the car gives me so much pause...it demonstrates the kind of knowledge and planning that maybe someone who is in law enforcement would have. Wondering if any LE had any contact, for any reason, with her prior to her death. We know her last instagram post possibly alluded to her calling 911 and reporting her stolen car to LE. For a moment, this case made me think of Sarah Everard, the British woman who was kidnapped and killed by a police officer while walking home in London.

Pure speculation and just my opinion.

Additional tests needed to determine how Sheridan Wahl died

... Wahl had last been seen on Sept. 19, when she was detained by police in Myrtle Beach after being denied service at a rental store for not wearing shoes. ...

Well, this puts a potential new spin on the case. I hadn't heard she had been detained. Detained for what? However, the Myrtle Beach Police FB page doesn't mention anything about her being detained (or much of anything about her), only that she "left their jurisdiction safely". The city of Myrtle Beach covers 24.5 sq miles (as per MBPD website). HOW would they know she left "safely" - were they following her out of the city limits?

 

[lowes123]

Wow, that certainly puts a new spin on things. I had not heard that she was detained. MB has gotten a lot seedier than it used to be. Maybe it is my heightened awareness after what happened to Brittanee, but I have always been a bit more observant about everything. I was staying at one of the better hotels, nothing 5 star, but Broadway at the Beach Marriott and there was a pimp orchestrating business in the parking lot! No attempt to even hide it. I know that tourism is a big focus, could something have happened to Sheridon, mental health, OD, and LE got her out of MB to avoid something in MB? Maybe that is pushing it, but again, this timeline is so small, if she had talked to her mom at 1 and the car was burned at 3, or not recovered, but she had FaceTime with her mom at 1 and her car was found burned at 1:56, 55 miles away. I really want to see the camera video from the rental shop!

 

[evilwise]

Since all of this occurred where it did, which is a random podunk rural locale halfway between MB and I95, it is also possible that the perp lives (or squats) quite nearby.

JMO.

Yes I had the same thought. I expect it is very likely the person who torched the car lives very near to where it was found.

Additional tests needed to determine how Sheridan Wahl died

... Wahl had last been seen on Sept. 19, when she was detained by police in Myrtle Beach after being denied service at a rental store for not wearing shoes. ...

Well, this puts a potential new spin on the case. I hadn't heard she had been detained. Detained for what? However, the Myrtle Beach Police FB page doesn't mention anything about her being detained (or much of anything about her), only that she "left their jurisdiction safely". The city of Myrtle Beach covers 24.5 sq miles (as per MBPD website). HOW would they know she left "safely" - were they following her out of the city limits?

Wow, if accurate that certainly is something. If they escorted her to the city limits (ie ran her out of town) that would explain their statement as they would both know exactly when she left town and would have a vested interest in stressing that she was fine when they released her, even if she wasn't. Also I don't think attempting to rent a scooter without shoes is something you're likely to be detained by police for so there's definitely more to the story that her mom and the police know but we don't.

 

[DocBrew]

Wow, if accurate that certainly is something. If they escorted her to the city limits (ie ran her out of town) that would explain their statement as they would both know exactly when she left town and would have a vested interest in stressing that she was fine when they released her, even if she wasn't. Also I don't think attempting to rent a scooter without shoes is something you're likely to be detained by police for so there's definitely more to the story that her mom and the police know but we don't.

It's Myrtle Beach. Half of the city's infrastructure is paid for by cops detaining kids for jaywalking and/or loud music.

JMO.

 

[raja]

If she was impaired would the police just let her drive out of town? This definitely is strange and should be getting a lot more attention than it has. Where is NG.