TX TX - Paula Belonga, 51, Tyler, last seen leaving her apt, may have been headed toward Chapel Hill, 7 Apr 2023 *arrest*

[PommyMommy]

Police seeking public’s help in locating missing Tyler woman​

Paula Belonga, 51, of Tyler, was last seen on Friday, April 7 at around 4 p.m. leaving her apartment complex located at 4400 Paluxy Drive in her white Chevy Impala. Her vehicle’s license plate number is SBV0432. Paula was last seen wearing a red short and dark colored pants. According to authorities, she may have been heading towards the Chapel Hill area.

If you have seen Paula or her vehicle or know where she is, please contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000. If you have information on the case please contact Detective Chamberlain at 903-531-1058.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Paula Belonga's white Chevrolet Impala was located on April 12 in Zavalla. We also have information that she may have been in the Tatum area prior to that. If anyone has any information on Belonga's whereabouts between April 7 and April 12, when her vehicle was located, please contact Det. Chamberlain at 903-531-1058.

Tyler police seeks assistance in missing woman case

The Tyler Police Department is asking for assistance in locating a missing person.

www.inforney.com

 

[PommyMommy]

April 7 was a Friday. Was she going out of town for the weekend? I'd like to know if she works, if she requested time off, if she lives alone, did she have a cell phone with her, what she may have told people about plans for the weekend, who reported her missing, who saw her leaving... Gosh, they sure aren't giving us much to work with. MOO

Chapel Hill, where LE said she may have been heading, is near where she lived in Tyler, and long before Tatum and Zavalla......

4400 Paluxy Dr to Zavalla

www.google.com

 

[NervousNellie]

This is sad. Her car has been located, bus she is nowhere to be found. Articles I've found have inconsistent information about where it was located. Social Media reveals information we can't share since it's not been released by MSM or LE, but it's out there if anyone wants to look for it. Why did LE wait so long to release her missing status to the media?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“At this point, we don’t care why, or where, or who, or any of that. We just want to find her,” Belonga’s close friend Danna Riley said.

Riley said she and Paula are best friends. She said Paula planned to visit for Easter and then head to Sulphur to pick up her son, but she never showed up at either place.

“He [Belonga’s son] is devastated. He’s actually kind of in shock because it’s just not like her,” Riley said.

Riley has known Belonga for 25 years. She believes she would never leave her life behind.

“I have no idea if someone took her. I can’t see her at all, whatsoever, leaving and just leaving her entire life - her son, her job that she loved, her friends at work, her family, all of her friends, and never coming back. I mean, no, that’s not something she would have done,” Riley said.

Information leads them to believe she was in the Tatum, Texas, area some time prior.

“Don’t have any evidence that foul play was involved at this time and we hope that’s not the case,” Erbaugh said.

“A lot of unanswered questions, which leads to a lot of frustration and heartache,” Riley said.

Texas woman goes missing while traveling to Sulphur

Friends and family of a missing woman are still looking for answers after nearly a month of searching.

www.kplctv.com

 

[Dargon335]

Chapel Hill, where LE said she may have been heading, is near where she lived in Tyler, and long before Tatum and Zavalla......

Agreed. Based on Google Maps, Chapel Hill is a few miles east of Tyler. Tatum, TX is in the same general direction, but about 40 miles east of Tyler. Sulphur, TX where MSM indicates her son lives, is about 80 miles south of Tyler, and roughly 20 miles west of Zavalla.

Apparently Paula's intent was to visit DR, a close friend, for Easter, and then drive to Sulphur to pick up her son. Media reports indicate neither of those events took place.

Per MSM, Paula was last seen leaving her apartment complex, although it's unclear who may have witnessed this. The same report indicates she may have been driving towards Chapel Hill, just a few miles east of Tyler, however there are no details regarding this.

Tyler police seeks assistance in missing woman case

[...]
She was last seen leaving her apartment complex at 4400 Paluxy Drive in her white Chevrolet Impala with Texas license plate SBV0432. At that time, she may have been heading toward the Chapel Hill area.
[...]

The same MSM source says:

[...]
The vehicle was located on April 12 in Zavalla. Tyler police said they also have information Belonga may have been in the Tatum area prior to that.
[...]

We know that five days after she left her apartment (7 April) her vehicle was found in Zavalla, about 80 miles southeast of Tyler (12 April). There's no indication how or why the Tyler LE believes she was in Tatum. Did anyone see her there? Does Paula go to Tatum frequently? Perhaps she has friends or family in that area?

There are no details provided so far about the condition of her car when it was found in Zavalla.

 

[Dargon335]

When Paula's car was found in Zavalla, were there any signs of a struggle or confrontation? Did LE find any of her personal items (purse, phone, etc.) in the car? Was Paula known to visit anyone Zavalla?

Based on what we have so far it's unknown whether Paula herself drove to Zavalla for some reason, or someone else drove her car there.

 

[PommyMommy]

When Paula's car was found in Zavalla, were there any signs of a struggle or confrontation? Did LE find any of her personal items (purse, phone, etc.) in the car? Was Paula known to visit anyone Zavalla?

Based on what we have so far it's unknown whether Paula herself drove to Zavalla for some reason, or someone else drove her car there.

"Information leads them to believe she was in the Tatum, Texas, area some time prior."

That ^ made me wonder if they found a receipt in the car. "Information" could mean so many things though; a phone ping, bank transaction, license plate reader... MOO

 

[Dargon335]

Agreed. It's difficult to assemble a clear picture of what happened in Paula's case since several of the statements are vague at best.

 

[Dargon335]

At this point there are several missing pieces in Paula's case.

As @PommyMommy posted, LE believes Paula may have been in Tatum, TX "some time prior". Unfortunately that statement from LE doesn't clarify anything. Neither does the statement "she may have been heading toward the Chapel Hill area". Both areas are in the same general direction but we have no definitive information or confirmation regarding these possible sightings. It's possible LE has information regarding these sightings that they are not able to share at this time.

I'll have to re-read the MSM reports but it seems like Paula had two destinations when she left her apartment: DR's residence, and her son's residence in Sulphur. Paula never arrived at either of those locations from what we are told.

We don't know where DR lives but it seems that may have been Paula's first destination. If so, since she didn't arrive at DR's residence, logic suggests something happened to Paula between the time she left home and arriving at DR's residence.

So far LE hasn't released information regarding possible cell phone tracking or locations.

 

[NervousNellie]

I would guess we all know the sad outcome for Paula here, but I'd like to know why LE didn't publish her missing information sooner.

 

[GraceG]

I would guess we all know the sad outcome for Paula here, but I'd like to know why LE didn't publish her missing information sooner.

If you look on Facebook there is a family member that has postings up with a bit more information including who she was with when she went missing. I can't link that information here, as it would be considered "rumor" but there is interesting info as to why LE may have kept the information from the media initially.

 

[NervousNellie]

If you look on Facebook there is a family member that has postings up with a bit more information including who she was with when she went missing. I can't link that information here, as it would be considered "rumor" but there is interesting info as to why LE may have kept the information from the media initially.

Thanks for pointing me back there. I had followed social media posts earlier but hadn't gone back.

 

[Dargon335]

Texas Family Searching for Missing Woman Who Was Headed to Calcasieu Parish

[...]
According to Belongá's loved ones, Tyler Police Department in Texas took the missing persons report on Sunday April 9, 2023. Belongá was supposed to be picking up her son in Sulphur on April 8, 2023. Family members had attempted to contact her the evening before and were unable to make contact and Belongá never arrived to pick up her son on Saturday.
[...]


[...]
According to the information provided by the family and friends, they were able to call and text her on Saturday for several hours, and although no contact was made, the contact attempts were going through. Then suddenly, the phone was turned off. Authorities were able to ping her last known location on Saturday in or near Zavalla, Tx. On Monday, April 10, 2023, authorities were able to ping the phone again in Tatum, Tx.

According to reports from authorities given to her family, Belongá left her apartment Friday, April 7, 2023 driving her white Chevrolet Impala bearing Texas license plate number SBV0432. Belongá was wearing a red shirt and dark pants and was heading towards Chapel Hill, TX. The family says they do not know why she would have been headed in that direction.
[...]


[...]
Family members claim they were told that her car, along with some other belongings were found in possession of a man in Tatum, TX on Monday, April 10, 2023. Family members say that authorities told them the man was questioned, and gave a statement to authorities.
[...]

BBM above.

So we know that LE found Paula's vehicle and some of her personal items in Tatum, TX, and an unidentified man was driving her vehicle at the time. I'm wondering what type of 'statement' was given to LE? How did he get possession of Paula's vehicle?

There's no mention of this 'man in Tatum' being a suspect/POI in her disappearance, but it is noteworthy that Paula's car was found in Zavalla, TX two days later.

 

[NervousNellie]

This case infuriates me. Not as bad as the Oklahoma case, but boy howdy.

 

[Dargon335]

I haven't found any updates in Paula's case. Hopefully LE has more information concerning this 'man from Tatum' than they are releasing to the public.

At this time we don't know how he came to be in possession of Paula's vehicle and her personal items. Again hopefully LE knows the answer to that question and is actively investigating.

 

[J-Kat]

Is the Tyler PD the primary force that is investigating Paula's case? If so, it seems they tend to keep things very close to the vest and seldom release updates. Quite frustrating for the family I am sure. There have been no articles/followups in the local paper since shortly after she disappeared.

I'm wondering why they did not confiscate Paula's car from "the man" in Tatum? I'm assuming he did not have documentation showing it was his car. If so, would that not be auto theft and an arrestable offense? Why did this same car show up in Zavalla two days later? Who drove it to Zavalla? Where was it located in Zavalla? So many unanswered questions.

 

[Dargon335]

Yes excellent points by @J-Kat. Several key questions need to be addressed.

It doesn’t seem logical that LE would discover Paula’s car and personal items in the possession of this man, especially since Paula had been reported missing, and then take no action. We must be missing some information about this.

 

[Unsolved]

Paula's FB

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

Also pointing to something she posted on April 6 (day prior) here. Hmm:

All Things Tyler | I am looking for a class A CDL driver to run 330pm - 1:00am Monday - Friday between Tyler and Dallas area | Facebook

I am looking for a class A CDL driver to run 330pm - 1:00am Monday - Friday between Tyler and Dallas area. If you know anyone that is dependable and looking ASAP. This will be an employee driver....

www.facebook.com

 

[musicaljoke]

Paula's FB

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

Also pointing to something she posted on April 6 (day prior) here. Hmm:

All Things Tyler | I am looking for a class A CDL driver to run 330pm - 1:00am Monday - Friday between Tyler and Dallas area | Facebook

I am looking for a class A CDL driver to run 330pm - 1:00am Monday - Friday between Tyler and Dallas area. If you know anyone that is dependable and looking ASAP. This will be an employee driver....

www.facebook.com

It seems she could have met someone for a job interview. But then there would have been a trail of messages exchanged.