Portia Wheeler was a 37-year-old Black woman and Army veteran whose disappearance began in the borderland community around Columbus, Georgia, and eastern Alabama. She was last seen on December 1, 2024, in Fort Mitchell, Alabama, with reporting also placing her as leaving a friend’s home in nearby Phenix City, Alabama, only minutes from her residence in Columbus, Georgia. Public reports described her as 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing about 185 to 189 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
At the time she vanished, concern rose quickly because the disappearance did not fit what her loved ones expected from her, and her mother, Emmie Wheeler, said she tried calling her that Sunday night but received no answer.
The early timeline was painful and uncertain. Columbus police were contacted after Portia could not be reached, and the case was reported on December 4, 2024. Authorities initially circulated that she had last been seen around 6 p.m. in the area of the 6000 block of Shadybrook Trail, while other reporting from her family described her as leaving a friend’s home in Phenix City. Those overlapping locations reflected the close geography of the case: Phenix City, Fort Mitchell, and Columbus sit near one another across the Alabama-Georgia line, making the search one that naturally crossed local boundaries. As the days passed without contact, police elevated the concern level and described Portia as critically missing.
A key focus in the public search was Portia’s vehicle. Reports said she was believed to be driving a light blue 2021 Honda Odyssey with Alabama tag A2PPRE, and the case information later stated that her vehicle had been found abandoned. That discovery deepened the concern rather than resolving it, because it left unanswered questions about what happened after she was last seen and why she was no longer with the vehicle. The public descriptions asked people to watch for Portia, her van, and any information that might help investigators reconstruct the hours after she left the last known location.
Portia’s family did not wait passively as uncertainty grew. Her mother spoke publicly about the anguish of not knowing where her daughter was and said something did not feel right. The family also hired metro Atlanta private investigator Robin Martinelli to help develop leads while coordinating with law enforcement rather than interfering with the official investigation. The appeal was clear and urgent: anyone who knew where Portia had gone, who had seen her vehicle, or who had information about her movements after December 1 was asked to contact authorities. Public notices directed tips to 911, the Columbus Police Department Special Victims Unit, and the lead investigator assigned to the case.
Portia was more than the details in a missing person bulletin. Later memorial information identified her as Portia Wheeler Sales and described a life rooted in family, faith, creativity, service, and community. She was remembered as the eldest child among siblings, someone who enjoyed reading, writing poetry, playing sports, playing the violin, singing in the church choir, and spending time with family. Those details give fuller shape to the person at the center of the case: a daughter, veteran, loved one, and individual whose absence created fear and heartbreak for those closest to her.
Portia Wheeler’s case is no longer an active missing persons case because she was later located deceased. Publicly available online reporting reviewed here did not provide a clear date of recovery or detailed circumstances, so the exact date is unknown and the available information remains limited. What is clear is that her case began with her last known contact on December 1, 2024, when a 37-year-old female Army veteran disappeared from the Fort Mitchell and Phenix City, Alabama area near her Columbus, Georgia home; it continued through urgent public appeals, a critically missing designation, the discovery of her abandoned vehicle, and her family’s determined search for answers; and it ended with the heartbreaking confirmation that Portia had been found deceased.Last Seen: Dec 1, 2024
