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

[Wallendo]

We have a police report from the fire, but was a fire department also on scene before that? In general fire trucks are dispatched to wreck scenes even when there is no known fire. There should be some type of fire report on this. If SW was on scene at that time, there should be a record. If she was not on scene, why would anyone take her to a unattended fire station, or why would she ask to go there? If she was acting erratically on the scene or somewhere else and interfering with public safety, why not call EMS? If she wondered off from an attended fire station, why not issue a missing and endangered person report.

The coroners report suggests that she was alive and acting erratically for 24 hours between the fire and being dropped off at the fire station and before her death by a fall. A missing person report was filed, and yet nobody seemed to be looking for her.

It feels like there is still a lot of the story that has not been released yet.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

Thinking things:
1) Wasn’t it a couple of days between finding her car and finding her? So what is she doing for two days at the fire station after he dropped her off?
2) So you pick someone up who had been in a car accident, who is acting “erratically” so may have a head injury or something and instead of calling 911, you leave them at an unmanned fire station?
Very weird.

 

[Charlot123]

Why didn't the man that dropped her off at the fire station call authorities and tell them she was there. Was the person that dropped her off the same person that called in the car fire? Also, on the ******** page it saysa man was seen running from the car. Hmmm...I think he is a suspect.

I am shocked because she was probably, mentally, not in her best state. Even if he is not involved, how come he did not call the police and tell them that a young woman in a vulnerable state was in such-and-such place?

 

[Italia123]

Was she already dead when her car crashed, someone witnessed it, took her out of the burned car, and dropped her off at the fire station?

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I understand the delay in releasing the coroner’s report, they were waiting on the toxicology report.
I do think it odd that it was the coroner that released the other information about someone picking her up and dropping her off at the fire station. It seems like that would be something released by law enforcement.

 

[evilwise]

Okay I went back and read the articles in their entirety and having some experience with irrational people, my current thinking is something like this : She was in a manic state on the highway and it made it seem like a good idea to drive her car into a cornfield. She was surprised that it caught fire, leaving her phone and purse etc in it. Her thinking was to run back to the road and get help. She flagged someone down and in her manic state demanded that he get her help with her burning car. He maybe didn't have a phone but he knew where there was a fire station and she told him to take her there. On the way her behavior became increasingly erratic. By the time they got to the fire station and she jumped out of the car he was relieved and she seemed like she was done with him so he left her. There was maybe not even anyone at the fire station(?) so she stayed there through her serotonin crash, possibly sleeping if she had actually been up driving for the better part of the previous 24 hours. When she woke up in a clinical depression know that NG her car and her phone and her purse were probably burned up and still nobody had found her she jumped - or possibly jumped in a manic state, which can also happen

This is of course just a totally hypothetical speculation based on the current articles.

 

[j_in_c]

Okay I went back and read the articles in their entirety and having some experience with irrational people, my current thinking is something like this : She was in a manic state on the highway and it made it seem like a good idea to drive her car into a cornfield. She was surprised that it caught fire, leaving her phone and purse etc in it. Her thinking was to run back to the road and get help. She flagged someone down and in her manic state demanded that he get her help with her burning car. He maybe didn't have a phone but he knew where there was a fire station and she told him to take her there. On the way her behavior became increasingly erratic. By the time they got to the fire station and she jumped out of the car he was relieved and she seemed like she was done with him so he left her. There was maybe not even anyone at the fire station(?) so she stayed there through her serotonin crash, possibly sleeping if she had actually been up driving for the better part of the previous 24 hours. When she woke up in a clinical depression know that NG her car and her phone and her purse were probably burned up and still nobody had found her she jumped - or possibly jumped in a manic state, which can also happen

This is of course just a totally hypothetical speculation based on the current articles.

This is exactly the scenario I think is most likely based on the information we have and how quiet the family has been. The mother likely recognized the signs during her phone interaction with her daughter and was trying to get her help, but sadly unable to in time. It can be unnerving to have someone not in touch with reality in the car with you and he may not have realized there was no one at the fire station (or as suggested, she may have bolted from his car on her own).

 

[StarRemy8]

Did the man kill her, or did he just find her already dead body and decided to drop her off a high tower? Why?

The man who called to to say he had found a body was not who gave her a ride.

 

[StarRemy8]

Okay I went back and read the articles in their entirety and having some experience with irrational people, my current thinking is something like this : She was in a manic state on the highway and it made it seem like a good idea to drive her car into a cornfield. She was surprised that it caught fire, leaving her phone and purse etc in it. Her thinking was to run back to the road and get help. She flagged someone down and in her manic state demanded that he get her help with her burning car. He maybe didn't have a phone but he knew where there was a fire station and she told him to take her there. On the way her behavior became increasingly erratic. By the time they got to the fire station and she jumped out of the car he was relieved and she seemed like she was done with him so he left her. There was maybe not even anyone at the fire station(?) so she stayed there through her serotonin crash, possibly sleeping if she had actually been up driving for the better part of the previous 24 hours. When she woke up in a clinical depression know that NG her car and her phone and her purse were probably burned up and still nobody had found her she jumped - or possibly jumped in a manic state, which can also happen

This is of course just a totally hypothetical speculation based on the current articles.

Totally agree with your line of thought. This is exactly what I think happened and what some of her family members have told friends. I think she was in a manic state when she up and left to drive and see her Dad and then never did. She facetimed with mom complaining about the scooter and how she wasnt wearing any shoes and her mom knew something was wrong and told her to stay the night there, probably assuming she had stayed with her dad or would.

Again, her mom said around the closest hour she talked to her, never said an exact bc at that point she probably didnt think the exact time was so important. She tried her shortly after and couldnt get a hold of her which is when she reached out to the Dad who said he had never seen her and so him and a friend tried to look around MB for her. When they couldnt find her and no one could get ahold of her she called LE to report her missing at 11:40 after she would have had enough time to have made it from MB home.

She was having a manic episode and driving home, she saw the cornfield and thought it would be fun to drive through. After doing so then engine underneath was extremely hot and she left the car running which caught the field on fire. She jumped out of the car leaving her belongings, maybe to get help or maybe just to get away from the fire. She was spotted walking down the road and acting distraught. A person driving down the road told her they could take her to the fire station down the road a few miles, she seemed very erratic and they possibly thought she was just on drugs and dropped her off.

Unbeknownst to them, that particular station was not open during the weekend and no one was there. They thought they left her in good hands, who knows if she mentioned anything about her car to them or if she did and was saying other things that didnt make sense driver again could have not thought that was real. The car was not lit on fire, its engine caught the field on fire which eventually caught the entire car on fire. The vin was unidentifiable but not "scratched off/removed) and she might have removed the plates herself (#stolencar), could have only had one and not been very secure and came off while driving over huge cornstalks or that was miscommunicated in reporting efforts. Driver was not who called in the fire, a woman up the way was the one to see it nor did driver call LE as person thought they dropped them someone they would be helped. Driver DID talk to LE when the story came out and they recognized her as the girl they dropped off at station. Had that person done anything they would have got away scot-free and never needed to insert themselves by coming forward. They were only trying to help.

At that point we dont know what happened, if she climbed and fell or jumped on purpose. Did she wonder around and then get tired and when she woke up and had nothing she climbed it and jumped or fell but either way that is where they found her body and it took a few days as it wasnt active over the weekend. Having a manic episode too, she could have thought she could fly in all honesty and not fallen or jumped thinking it would cause her any harm, let alone death. It definitely sounds like a crazy story with so many parts but I believe this is what sadly happened.

 

[Kittybunny]

Okay I went back and read the articles in their entirety and having some experience with irrational people, my current thinking is something like this : She was in a manic state on the highway and it made it seem like a good idea to drive her car into a cornfield. She was surprised that it caught fire, leaving her phone and purse etc in it. Her thinking was to run back to the road and get help. She flagged someone down and in her manic state demanded that he get her help with her burning car. He maybe didn't have a phone but he knew where there was a fire station and she told him to take her there. On the way her behavior became increasingly erratic. By the time they got to the fire station and she jumped out of the car he was relieved and she seemed like she was done with him so he left her. There was maybe not even anyone at the fire station(?) so she stayed there through her serotonin crash, possibly sleeping if she had actually been up driving for the better part of the previous 24 hours. When she woke up in a clinical depression know that NG her car and her phone and her purse were probably burned up and still nobody had found her she jumped - or possibly jumped in a manic state, which can also happen

This is of course just a totally hypothetical speculation based on the current articles.

This is exactly along the lines of what I am thinking as well as a plausible explanation.

I think it's likely she fell very shortly after she got there - she was just not discovered for awhile.

 

[evilwise]

This is exactly along the lines of what I am thinking as well as a plausible explanation.

I think it's likely she fell very shortly after she got there - she was just not discovered for awhile.

The coroner estimated she had only been deceased 18 hours when found which leaves as many as 24 hours between when she was dropped off and when she died. That's a lot but they don't seem to be super precise about their hour counts in SC - and she might have spent a lot of it asleep, as people will often do following manic episodes. It's definitely sad to think about her there all alone for so long and then going off the tower.

 

[PezCandy]

Some random rambling:

I wonder what she told the person who drove her, surly they would have seen the car up in flames as they were driving cuz that’s the road they picked her up from. Like what would she tell them about what happened to the car??

another thing I was thinking about was the VIN and plates, maybe she bought and/or borrowed that car and she assumed it was stolen (#StolenCar) cuz of the VIN being unreadable, and I’d assume that she’d have the paper temporary plates if she had just gotten it, or needed new plates. Jmo imo

I think she was in a manic state of mind… to an extent.. I think she was paranoid as well and paranoia with manic episode would definitely make someone erratic. But i sadly do not know if this was a suicide ordeal (imo), I mean obviously it could be but she was out there for what, 24 hours? So if it was dark and no lights she could have fallen.
And yes I do know plenty about manic episodes, everyone experiences theirs differently, there’s highs and lows and large bouts of depression paranoia self doubt, it’s not always acting like you have a weird high and do things cuz it’s fun.

I think what makes this more confusing is the whole timeline, where was she those unaccounted hours before her death after getting dropped off?

Part of this feels like Emma Fillipoff’s disappearance, like even the no shoes, acting erratically. Imo jmo moo

K I’m done with my rambles thanks for bearing with me WS fam! <3

 

[Kittybunny]

The coroner estimated she had only been deceased 18 hours when found which leaves as many as 24 hours between when she was dropped off and when she died. That's a lot but they don't seem to be super precise about their hour counts in SC - and she might have spent a lot of it asleep, as people will often do following manic episodes. It's definitely sad to think about her there all alone for so long and then going off the tower.

Ah, thank you, yes I missed the extra 24 hours in there somehow.

 

[TTF14]

The most confusing thing about this is that she climbed a tower and fell to her death literally on the property of first responders. In the middle of the afternoon.

ETA: And then she laid there all day and night, right? The first responders didn't even notice her there?

 

[cujenn81]

Since it's facetime, and it's coming from her mother - who will presumably provide accurate information in the missing person report - I'm assuming that her mother could see where she was during the call. Omitting information about their last facetime communication would not be helpful.

The report says that the facetime call occurred "around" 1 PM, so perhaps it was 12:50 PM.

(I’m not yet fully caught up on the thread yet, so please disregard this post if the timeline has been cleared up already.)

I’m going to definitively state that there is absolutely NO way that her Corolla traveled from 303 S Kings Hwy to Scranton in roughly one hour. Especially on a Sunday in September at midday. And especially not this year.

I live in Myrtle Beach. Traffic on both 501 & 544 (and you one must take one or the other to reach 378) is a nightmare pretty much always, but it’s particularly nightmarish on weekends. Add to that, midday on Sunday is when EVERYONE is heading out of town because checkout is typically 11 am. I work in Conway and my commute from MB is sometimes 40-45 minutes… on a weekday. Scranton is another 40 some miles past that. So, there’s gotta be a discrepancy somewhere.

 

[scriabina]

The most confusing thing about this is that she climbed a tower and fell to her death literally on the property of first responders. In the middle of the afternoon.

ETA: And then she laid there all day and night, right? The first responders didn't even notice her there?

She probably arrived at the fire house around mid-afternoon on Sunday Sept 19. She was found on Tuesday at 8:40am. According to this article, the coroner stated “Our estimates from our initial examination at the scene was she was probably deceased somewhere between 15 and 18 hours before she was found." So *if* those estimates are correct (and it's not a perfect science), then she may have died on Monday Sept 20 between 2:40pm - 5:40pm, about 24-27 hrs after she was dropped off at the fire station.

What was she doing during that time? Did she eat? Where would she have gotten food? No one reported seeing her. That's a long time to go without eating. Surely in the autopsy they checked her stomach contents -- couldn't they tell approximately how long ago was her last meal? Seems that would offer some timeline clues.

 

[PezCandy]

She probably arrived at the fire house around mid-afternoon on Sunday Sept 19. She was found on Tuesday at 8:40am. According to this article, the coroner stated “Our estimates from our initial examination at the scene was she was probably deceased somewhere between 15 and 18 hours before she was found." So *if* those estimates are correct (and it's not a perfect science), then she may have died on Monday Sept 20 between 2:40pm - 5:40pm, about 24-27 hrs after she was dropped off at the fire station.

What was she doing during that time? Did she eat? Where would she have gotten food? No one reported seeing her. That's a long time to go without eating. Surely in the autopsy they checked her stomach contents -- couldn't they tell approximately how long ago was her last meal? Seems that would offer some timeline clues.

That whole unaccounted day… that’s what confuses me about the timeline, well actually the whole timeline in my opinion makes no sense.
What did she say to the person who drove her there?
Did she state she perhaps had a phone to call a ride?
What did she say to this person about her car?
What was she doing that was “erratic”? Sorry but just saying erratic doesn’t clarify anything, what she saying or doing that’d be more helpful.
A fall could be a slow death, some people do not die right away or there is those that have jumped and survived, so could she have fallen from the tower and taken sometime to pass so she was just laying there that whole unaccounted day till she had passed on? Is that a possibility or would they have seen that in her autopsy??
The coroner said that the timeline is what is making it “undetermined”.
Sheridans case is confusing just when you think you kind of understand what might have happened there’s other details throwing you off.

 

[branmuffin]

The coroner estimated she had only been deceased 18 hours when found which leaves as many as 24 hours between when she was dropped off and when she died. That's a lot but they don't seem to be super precise about their hour counts in SC - and she might have spent a lot of it asleep, as people will often do following manic episodes. It's definitely sad to think about her there all alone for so long and then going off the tower.

She could have also had a concussion from the car accident. Undiagnosed, it could have led to balance issues and falling. Going to sleep can be deadly if you have a concussion.

 

[Gloomy Bear]

Since the autopsy did specify that most of her injuries were internal (likely because of the fall), she probably was only minorly injured, if at all, after the car crash. So if I was someone who stopped to help her on the side of the road, honestly I would think she was fine and she just needed a ride or a call. It might have been Sheridan herself who requested to be dropped off somewhere like a fire or police dept, instead of a hospital or requesting a phone call.

We don't know exactly what Sheridan was dealing with mentally. I've known people who have manic episodes for various reasons. Some of them will do things they never would otherwise do in their normal lives that just straight up make no sense. Some of them have hallucinations. I think we will never truly know what was going on in Sheridan's mind. But this also means she could have told the driver anything, and maybe she was saying some crazy stuff that didn't make any sense. Dropping her off at the first public service dept you come across doesn't seem out of the ordinary or suspicious imo. I'd think she'd be safer there than with an average person in a car of all places. It's tragic no one was there, and I don't think either the driver or Sheridan would know that no one was there. (Like seriously, do you guys know the open/close hours of every fire dept building you pass on the streets?). I really do think the driver was trying to be a good Samaritan and was trying to do what Sheridan was asking (either to specifically drop her off at nearest fire dept, or asking to drop her off somewhere else but felt it was unsafe in the car with her and chose this fire dept to let her out).

I also think, due to her mental state, she may not even have been aware that she wasn't eating or even how much time was passing by. I definitely don't discount the theory that some people actually WERE there and they simply didn't provide Sheridan with extra resources/called to get her into a hospital, and now they are trying to cover up their mistakes. Anyways, she for some reason climbed up the tower and fell or jumped. I really don't think anything else nefarious happened.

 

[StarRemy8]

There are definitely a few surveillance/security cameras at the Hannah-Salem Fire Dept which is where LE corroborated the driver that picked her up dropped her off alone and there were no other people or cars that entered there. But the cameras are pointed towards the front and the parking lot so after she was dropped off there they could not see much as it was not caught on camera nor pointed towards the tower type of thing.

What is also interesting about the tox reports though is they don't test for all sorts of drugs that could make you act that in a manic/paranoid/psychotic manner, mentally ill or not. And these "street drugs" would also not show up on your standard tox report unless specifically asked to be tested for and many of those still wouldn't. They basically just test for the typical ones most people are familiar with. But for instance, ketamine, synthetic marijuana aka "spice", bath salts, salvia, many hallucinogens etc. would never show up on a standard autopsy tox test and would literally all make you act like that. Ketamine also looks like cocaine and you would do it the same and "spice" looks just like normal marijuana so she also could have done some of those on purpose or unknowingly and thought she was doing something more mainstream.