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Paula Merchant Missing Person Case

Last seen in Forest Acres, South Carolina on Jan 03, 1999

Victim Details

Dec 12, 2008

Jan 12, 2024

Paula

Merchant

52

25

66 inches

120 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

Jan 03, 1999

Forest Acres

South Carolina

Richland County

6294

Forest Acres Police Department

Forest Acres

South Carolina

Richland County

29206

5205 N. Trenholm Road, South Carolina

8037829444

Local

Law Enforcement

Forest Acres Police Department

5007

Blond/Strawberry

Brown

Brown

No

09/25/2026


Area Last Seen:

Case Description

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On a Sunday evening, January 3, 1999, twenty-five-year-old Paula Louise Merchant left her parents' home in Forest Acres, South Carolina. She was on her way to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting at a church on LeGrand Road, a regular part of her routine as she was in recovery from a heroin addiction and determined to maintain her sobriety. Paula, a recent graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in anthropology, had moved back in with her parents just two months prior and was planning t ...
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Last Seen: Jan 03, 1999

Links to Additional Sources (13)

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  • 19 years later, investigators still looking for Forest Acres girl - WACH
  • Woman Missing After Car Found Burned: Where Is Paula Merchant?
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    Forum Posts (3)

    Has anyone else considered the location where Paula's car was found? Commerce Drive in Columbia seem... ...Read More
    11/28/2023
    It's chilling to think about Paula Merchant’s Nissan Sentra suddenly being found burned behind a v... ...Read More
    08/02/2023
    Has anyone else looked into the location where Paula's car was found? The fact that her car was torc... ...Read More
    07/14/2023
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