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

[Lux et Veritas]

snipped for focus

My impression is that the car wasn't driven up Keith Lane. Based on the image of the trail that the car plowed through the cornfield, it seems that the car drove into the field directly from Hwy 378, further west of Keith Lane by about 100 yards.

Google Maps

Mmm ... looking at both the Google map and cornfield photo much more closely, including the placement of the various power lines, you appear to be correct, Snoopster! Excellent observation!

I guess I was too stuck on "Keith Lane". LOL

 

[Beans]

That's a great question. At first I thought it was intentionally obscured, but now I wonder if it was simply obscured as a result of the fire.
If it was intentionally obscured, I just don't think that Sheridan's mindset would have been a factor and the case is likely foul play (or, at a minimum, the result of someone else being involved in an escapade that accidentally led to death).
If it was due to fire, then I am more open to believing that SW was the driver and had a mental break.

That’s why I’m asking I guess. If the VIN is difficult to obscure and they think it was done deliberately that would suggest planning and time, neither of which fit with a quick incident and impulsive cover up on that very tight timeline between 13:00 and just after 14:00 when the fire was reported.

Was the vehicle perhaps used in the act of committing another separate crime? Did someone else have her car while she was in MB? She was found too close to the car for the incidents not to be connected IMO, so did something happen to her when she tried to collect her car from a certain place or from a certain person?

 

[RIPRM]

When they say the VIN had been obscured what does this mean? I’m clueless about cars. Where is the VIN and what would it take to obscure it?

IMO "obscured" is a word that started on WS. The original report only says that the VIN cannot be read. This may have been due to the fire.

source: https://www.scribd.com/document/527140944/FCSO-Initial-Report-on-Sheridan-Wahl#from_embed

 

[Lux et Veritas]

When they say the VIN had been obscured what does this mean? I’m clueless about cars. Where is the VIN and what would it take to obscure it?

The VIN is marked in multiple locations; normally in the lower corner of the windshield on the driver's side, under the bonnet [hood] next to latch, at the front end of the vehicle frame, and inside the door pillar on the driver's side.[10]
Vehicle identification number - Wikipedia

A car fully engulfed in flames would sure melt/burn VINs if it burned long enough and hot enough. I guess one could also scratch out the VIN with a metal tool or maybe remove the VIN plate.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Her shoes must have been in her vehicle. I am assuming that she didn't leave on her trip with no shoes whatsoever. Why didn't she just put her shoes on and go back into the scooter rental place and try to rent a scooter again?

This may have already been mentioned as I'm just catching up on this sad case. Maybe she was trying to rent a scooter because her vehicle had already been stolen and she didn't have shoes because she left them in her car. ??

 

[LaborDayRN]

Her father posted on his Facebook page a tribute to Sheridan and asked for donations to a mental health help group.

also, a friend of mine who works at SLED in the forensic science division explained to me about the condition of bodies found and decomp. It had been raining and cooler than normal that Sunday and Monday in our area, so it’s possible decomp was slowed and that is why the firefighters did not immediately recognize that she was deceased until they got closer.

As I've been reading along and catching up, I've not been able to shake the feeling that perhaps Sheridan was having some type of mental health crisis. This would make her easier prey for an attacker. It also makes me worry about the possibility of self harm.

 

[branmuffin]

This may have already been mentioned as I'm just catching up on this sad case. Maybe she was trying to rent a scooter because her vehicle had already been stolen and didn't have shoes because she left them in her car. ??

That's a possibility. Did you read the comments she made on IG, with the hashtags, detetive (sic), 911, the 9, etc? I think she was still in her vehicle. I know it's on the thread somewhere.

There is so much conflicting information out. Deleted comments on the incident reports, a news outlet changing a story without posting a correction, the narrow time line between the call to her mother and the car being found on fire just over an hour later about 45 miles away. Her body found 10 miles away from the car. I wish the father would verify whether he knew she was coming to visit rather than posting a ****me campaign making cryptic comments about mental health. I wish the mother provided details when SW left Florida. However, if Sheridan was going to school she could have been living on campus not at home.

I wish LE would clarify why they say she left the area safely.

I wonder if the fire investigators were able to salvage the car's black box data recorder. They can provide a lot of information as evident in the Suzanne Morphew case. It could tell us about hard breaking, airbag deployment, speed, seat belt use, throttle position, etc.

 

[Parmalade]

I agree, definitely more to this tragic story than we’re being told so far.

The cryptic, yet otherwise ‘pleasant’/non-panicked, post on IG on the Fri 17th Sep gnaws at me. Just going to throw a few options out there, though they all have their drawbacks and so this case, on the info we have to go on so far, has me stumped. Apologies in advance for a long post.

Scenario 1: The IG post might suggest a playful indication that she was tripping that weekend with an acquaintance (who had “stolen” her car in as much as they were accompanying her and/or driving it themselves with her as passenger - she does appear to be in the driver’s seat if IG reverses selfies but I’m also struggling to see a steering wheel in her sunglasses’ reflection).

This acquaintance could then be responsible for her death, whether accidental (supplied her with drugs, etc.) or otherwise (homicide), and for a possible abandonment of the car (ie after leaving SW 10 miles before the field).

It’s possible SW could have been killed or fatally injured in the crash if this happened before (ie the driver or both were intoxicated) and the acquaintance leaves her body somewhere ‘far enough’ but within a short enough timeframe so as not to be caught with her body. They may have called in an accomplice in a second car to do this, as walking 10 miles with an injured or deceased SW seems unlikely. However, if this were true, then an easier ‘out’ would have been to place SW in the driver’s seat and leave her in there, fire or otherwise.

This acquaintance could also be the male seen leaving the scene (of the car crash?), according to an unverified account from somebody close to SW. The difficulty in reading the VIN and the removal of the number plate(s) may be deliberate in this scenario, to further distance themselves from SW, particularly if the CoD was homicide rather than accidental.

Scenario 2: The IG post hints at an idea SW later formed to stage a robbery (and later joy ride/crash) of her own car (what was her financial situation like? Was she visiting her father for help? Did she need money from an insurance payout?), and the number plate(s) being removed and difficulty in reading the VIN are purely consequences of the crash and the subsequent fire respectively.

In this scenario, SW may have injured herself and tried to reach help but succumbed to her injuries. She may also have been uninjured but dismayed enough by life situations that led to her needing to stage something like this in this hypothetical scenario that she killed herself. Getting 10 miles away from the car is a stretch though.

In either scenario, SW may have been intoxicated on drugs - this might be why her mother recommended finding somewhere to stay for the night, and (if the possible substance abuse was as a result of poor mental health) could be why her father has subsequently campaigned for aligned charities.

Or, she may have simply been unravelling from poor mental health (ie no substance abuse involved at all), and her mother recognised this and suggested she stay the night. There may have been an argument between her and her mother, which may have been the reason for her trip to see her father, and possibly why SW could have been in an upset frame of mind in a hypothetical scenario where she takes her own life (of course, this scenario may also have nothing to do with her relationship with her mother).

More so than ever, toxicology and CoD are the keys here IMO.

Final word: the above is purely musings on a very mysterious case; they are in no way allegations or to be perceived as fact - no victim blaming (neither SW or her parents) is to be inferred from here. Rest in peace, Sheridan.

 

[raja]

If she had paper plates on her car she may have been stopped for that and this could have been what the cryptic hashtags were referring to. She continues on to MB. She then starts home and crashes her car. It catches fire and the paper plates burn up as does her phone. She is frightened, maybe impaired and tried to return to MB climbs the fire tower to see where she is and falls to her death. MOO

 

[DocBrew]

I think LE said the plates were removed, but I could be wrong about that. An article posted back a few pages said the hood and other parts of the front of the car did not burn, so that would likely include legible VINs by the windshield, the shock tower, and/or the radiator support if they weren't filed down or manually obscured somehow.

If the trip to MB was impulsive and ill-advised, and her behavior was as erratic as it appears to have been, it could have the markers of a manic episode. I say this to offer that there are (bizarre) behavior scenarios here where no substance use would (have to) be present. And, although it would be atypical and a few years early of the mean onset in females, an initial schizophrenic 'break' could've also occurred, which would've taken her reality to a whole other place.

JMO.

 

[LaborDayRN]

That's a possibility. Did you read the comments she made on IG, with the hashtags, detetive (sic), 911, the 9, etc? I think she was still in her vehicle. I know it's on the thread somewhere.

There is so much conflicting information out. Deleted comments on the incident reports, a news outlet changing a story without posting a correction, the narrow time line between the call to her mother and the car being found on fire just over an hour later about 45 miles away. Her body found 10 miles away from the car. I wish the father would verify whether he knew she was coming to visit rather than posting a ****me campaign making cryptic comments about mental health. I wish the mother provided details when SW left Florida. However, if Sheridan was going to school she could have been living on campus not at home.

I wish LE would clarify why they say she left the area safely.

I wonder if the fire investigators were able to salvage the car's black box data recorder. They can provide a lot of information as evident in the Suzanne Morphew case. It could tell us about hard breaking, airbag deployment, speed, seat belt use, throttle position, etc.

Yes, I read them and I agree they are very strange. I'm curious why you think she was still in the car when she posted them. ETA: I looked at the picture again and see that she appears to be in a vehicle.
As for the deleted comments on the incident reports I must have missed that! That makes me feel rather uncomfortable.

 

[ericasf]

Yes, I read them and I agree they are very strange. I'm curious why you think she was still in the car when she posted them. ETA: I looked at the picture again and see that she appears to be in a vehicle.
As for the deleted comments on the incident reports I must have missed that! That makes me feel rather uncomfortable.

As for the picture on her IG, that picture was posted on the 17th. However, someone had mentioned the possibility of her post being edited. I haven't found a way to tell if a post has been edited though.

Going to check out the incidents reports though. That's definitely concerning......

 

[EDGE1124]

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

I could see "#the9" being a gun reference but would she not have said...a9 or his9, their9, 9s, 9 etc? But by saying THE9, she could have been referring to a group or place? Depending on her state of mind at the time a since she was throwing hashtags around, maybe she was reflecting and thinking about 2015 and the 9 people shot at that church in Charleston or 2007 and the 9 firefighters who died at furniture store fire in Charleston....both approx 100 miles away though?? Is it a coincidence she was found by a Fire Department House and she earlier could have been referring to those firefighters who died? Longshot I know.

 

[Charlot123]

Login • Instagram

Her Instagram (I think I’m allowed to link that, right?)

interesting hashtags on the last picture posted…

Am I the only one who feels angry? A young, vibrant girl, who sings so well (at least it feels so to me), ends up dead in a god-forsaken place. It seems that it is super dangerous for women to travel alone. What a shameful situation. I hope they will find whoever was involved.

 

[LaborDayRN]

As for the picture on her IG, that picture was posted on the 17th. However, someone had mentioned the possibility of her post being edited. I haven't found a way to tell if a post has been edited though.

Going to check out the incidents reports though. That's definitely concerning......

Was the incident report hand written in the field or was it computer documentation? Back in the "old days" before computer charting in nursing, we were instructed never to erase an entry in charting. We were taught to draw a single line through the erroneous entry and write the time, date, and your name. Then enter the correct documentation.

 

[Charlot123]

So she drives to MB to visit her Father but ends up at a scooter rental store...she is refused bc she is not wearing shoes(where are her shoes?), and then decides since she cant ride a scooter she is going to drive to back Tampa? So confused.

You know, she might have gone back to her car to get the shoes, and abducted there?

 

[Charlot123]

Deputies found Wahl’s burgundy 2018 Toyota Corolla burned in a corn field at 1:56 p.m. Sunday off of Keith Lane in Scranton, S.C., a town with a population of about 900, according to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office report.
That was just an hour after anyone last heard from Wahl.
The car did not have a license tag and the vehicle identification number was illegible, the report states.
Wahl’s burned car was left about nine miles from where her body would be found less than 48 hours later.
Car of woman last seen in Myrtle Beach found set on fire nine miles away from her body

What if the car was already stolen and hence she needed to rent a scooter? The store might have merely not let her in because she had no shoes on.

 

[Amster]

Am I the only one who feels angry? A young, vibrant girl, who sings so well (at least it feels so to me), ends up dead in a god-forsaken place. It seems that it is super dangerous for women to travel alone. What a shameful situation. I hope they will find whoever was involved.

Curious to know what is “God-forsaken” about about where she was found?

 

[Charlot123]

Actually, completely off memory, while researching child kidnapping/ rape/ murder/ abductions, it seems that most victims are deceased within the hour, before anyone even knows they're missing. Mollie Tibbetts was murdered in less than an hour, and the suspect was on his way.

If the car was found first, and the body was found two days later, I'm curious about the condition of the body.

Does that mean she died two days later, or no one was at the Volunteer Fire Station for 2 days?

At least there should have been cameras around the Fire Station, no?

If the cause of death is unknown,

1) it is well-known, but the police don’t want to advertise it
2) the body is so decomposed that it is hard to determine - which would mean, the car burning and the murder happened at the same day
3) really unclear - there might be a clot, or an arrhythmia. It does happen to young people, too, but it is not too common, and the whole story preceding it would indicate otherwise

One wonders if the place where her body and the car were left is well-known to the killer

Question: since Sheridan crossed the state line, isn’t it the case where FBI should be involved?

I also wonder if someone in the scooter store that didn’t rent her the scooter alerted friends of a pretty woman roaming around, and this is how it started?

 

[Charlot123]

Curious to know what is “God-forsaken” about about where she was found?

This is how it looks like to me. The car found in the field. The body, behind some fire station 10 miles away. (Probably no cameras on the station otherwise someone would be seen on them.) People posting that it is dangerous for a young woman to go to downtown Myrtle Beach at any time of the day, alone? Yes, Myrtle Beach seems to be part of nice beaches, but if the area where she tried to rent a scooter was considered dangerous, and it probably is, if she disappeared and was later found dead, what is it?