Paula and Brandon Wade

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2:20Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

2:31Today I'm discussing the case of Paula and Brandon Wade. Some cases I discuss on this podcast are filled with twists and turns and a ton of evidence to comb through, to analyze, to help us put together the pieces of this puzzle to make sense of something as horrible as a murder or an abduction. These are the cases that are typically splashed across headlines in the mainstream media. Gory details, crazy revelations, surveillance video that can be picked apart and put under the true crime microscope. But a lot of cases, like the one I'm going to tell you about today, don't have any of that. They don't make the headlines.

3:12They aren't discussed by your favorite true crime podcast or YouTube channel. And for me, it's those cases, the ones where we're left in the dark, the ones where we know almost nothing, that haunt me the most. This is the case of Paula and Brandon Wade. Just a few weeks before Paula Wade's 26th birthday in October 2002, she made big plans to make major changes in her life. She was currently living with her 3-year-old son Brandon and a roommate in an apartment in Valdosta, Georgia. She'd originally made the move to Georgia with her husband after he was stationed at Moody Air Force Base. Now, he's not named in the media, so for this episode, I'll just be referring to him as Paula's husband or Brandon's father.

4:02But they met in Germany and had been together since high school. Paula's father was also in the Air Force while she was growing up, so she knew what she was signing up for. Basically the potential for a lot of moving around the country and the world. And that's exactly what happened. After they got married, her husband was sent to Korea for a year, and Paula wasn't able to join him. During that time, Paula ended up moving in with her older sister Mary and her two children. But that year came and went, and eventually Paula's husband was back with his new assignment at Moody Air Force Base. and the couple made the move together to Valdosta, Georgia.

4:39Valdosta is a smaller city near the Florida state line. In 2002, the population was at about 46 ,000 people, and hasn't changed much since then, now sitting at closer to 55 ,000 people. But it has a relatively low cost of living compared to the rest of the U.S., and is known as the Azalea City, for the beautiful array of azaleas growing in the area. It's also known for having a thriving high school and college sports scene, and has been coined Wintersville because of how often they win their games. It really does seem like a nice place to start a family, even if the Air Force might inevitably drag them away.

5:16And eventually, a few years after making the move, Paula and her husband have their first and only child, a son named Brandon. By all accounts, he was just loved and adored by his whole family, and was affectionately called Munchkin. We don't know a lot about Brandon, and it's always hard to discuss what these very young kids are like. But what we do know is that at age 3, he was a very animated boy who was in love with all things sports. Paula's sister Mary is convinced that he would have played some type of sport when he got older. Maybe he'd be a part of that Valdosta-Wintersville legacy. Things were fine in Georgia for a while, But unfortunately, Paula's marriage just didn't work out, and eventually her husband had a new assignment five hours away at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, where he went without Paula or Brandon.

6:11Now, the details about them planning to get officially divorced, or if they were just planning on being separated but working it out, are a little fuzzy here. We just know that they were no longer together, and things seemed amicable. but this move left Paula kind of stuck in a city that she didn't have any real connection to anymore and it was clear that she really wanted to be closer to family specifically she said that she wanted Brandon to grow up with his cousins with Mary's children Mary had actually just transferred to Orlando and their parents had just retired to the city as well so Paula put in a request with her job at Sam's Club to transfer to a store in Florida and crossed her fingers Eventually, she was told that they actually needed help opening a new store in Kissimmee, Florida.

6:57They were all set to move to the Orlando area in a few weeks. Paula's father and husband were even planning to come help them load the U-Haul. But Paula and Brandon would go missing before these plans were ever realized. On Saturday, October 12, 2002, Paula finishes her shift at Sam's Club, and presumably drives home. But the next day, Paula misses her weekly Sunday call with her family. Her sister Mary described this tradition to News Nation Basically, every Sunday, Paula, Mary, and their brother Regis would call their parents at 6.30pm just to check in It was kind of like a long-distance Sunday dinner just to keep in touch with everyone and see how everyone's week was But Paula never called in And on Monday, she missed her morning shift The first shift she missed in five years And Paula's supervisor is not messing around.

7:52Not only has Paula never missed a shift, she's never even been late, not once. They know that if Paula isn't here, and especially if she hasn't called, there is something seriously wrong. They don't even bother with a welfare check or waiting for police. They send an employee to go see what's going on and if Paula is okay. Now, this person also isn't named in the media, but when they get to Paula's, they find her 1998 Chevy Blazer in the parking lot, but she and Brandon are nowhere to be found. They are then officially reported missing. When the Valdosta Police Department arrive at the scene, it's clear the apartment had been lived in, but there were no signs of a struggle and nothing appeared to be missing other than Brandon's car seat.

8:39It wasn't in the apartment or in Paula's Chevy Blazer. and in Paula's blazer they find some items that are extremely concerning. They find Paula's purse, her eyeglasses that she desperately needed, her keys are there, and her ID card. Basically the essentials to literally move throughout life and travel. Especially to make a move to Georgia. Police search the apartment complex asking if anyone saw or heard anything. They searched the nearby area, they put up flyers, and they brought in cadaver dogs twice. But there was no sign of Paula or Brandon anywhere. This episode of Voices for Justice is brought to you by Quince.

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11:50We know as much as we did when they first went missing. End quote. It seems clear that something happened. Paula was young, 25, but very dependable. And while there were no signs of a struggle in her apartment or near her Chevy Blazer, obviously something happened here. One of the biggest things that stuck out to me were Paula's glasses. In her interview with News Nation, which is where I got a lot of information for this episode, Paula's sister Mary explains that Paula really needed her glasses. Not just to read or see signs while she was driving, but she says Paula needed them to see the person she was standing in front of.

12:30Also, while it's clear that Paula wasn't totally satisfied with her life in Georgia, that's why she made those plans to get out and move away. It seems to me, just speculation, that foul play was very likely involved in this case. There's just no motive to disappear, and nothing appears to have been stolen, so burglary seems unlikely. It's as if someone maybe saw Paula and Brandon in the parking lot. I don't know, maybe Paula was struggling to get Brandon in his car seat, and they saw the opportunity and struck, taking them both and Brandon's car seat, leaving everything else behind in the blazer.

13:08Of course, unfortunately, it was 2002, and while security cameras were available, there doesn't seem to be any footage of anything in this case, and apparently no witnesses from the apartment complex. The Valdosta Police Department says that there are no suspects or persons of interest in this case. They did interview Paula's husband, Brandon's father, and they say that he's been extremely cooperative and eventually was cleared, though they won't really confirm anything else. The only other person mentioned in this case as being looked into is Paula's roommate, and just like her husband, we don't know a lot about him either.

13:46What we do know is that his name is Marcus Burroughs, and he was 18 or 19 at the time that Paula and Brandon went missing. He was in college at the time, and Paula took him on as a roommate to help pay the bills. And it's not like this situation was hidden from anyone. Paula's husband helped moved him in, and her whole family is aware of who this person is and the living situation at the time. He was looked into and was seemingly cleared. That's the story you'll find in most of the media about this case. But there is a bit more to this story on PaulaWade.com, the website created by this family.

14:24In their synopsis of the case, we learn more about the roommate. It says Marcus, quote, was a roommate of Paula's, but has not given the police any pertinent information regarding her disappearance. He refused a polygraph test and invoked his right to legal counsel. Cedric Bell, an acquaintance of Marcus's, was brought in for initial questioning and told officers where the bodies could be found. Only deer bones were found in the area. The family believes he should be brought in for further questioning. End quote. Mary hesitates to speculate publicly about what may have happened or who may have been involved, saying that road is just too dark, but adds that there was nothing about Paula's life that would cause concern or any red flags that she could see.

15:13So at this point, what we know is that this mother and very young child have gone missing under pretty mysterious circumstances. This is also the same year that 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart went missing and captivated the nation's attention. Missing children were being talked about, but no one was talking about Paula or Brandon. This case has gotten, I mean really, next to no coverage, even today, which is a huge reason why I'm covering it. It seems that in this case, a lack of leads also correlates to a lack of coverage, which is just heartbreaking. Mary still fights for her sister and nephew.

15:54In October 2023, she drove four hours from Orlando to Valdosta to hand out flyers. Paula's niece, Tara, who's now in her 30s, was there too, along with their rat terrier mix, Seamus. Just like that Sunday phone call, this annual trip has become a new tradition for Paula and Branton's family. They go back every year on the anniversary of them being reported missing. In my research, I found a news report dating back 14 years. It was just a small clip that featured Paula's parents using balloons with a mini missing persons flyer at the end to raise awareness. They've been at this for so long. And in 2023, Mary, Tara, and Seamus attended a high school football game in Valdosta.

16:42They handed out yellow flyers to those in line to get into the 12 ,000-seat stadium. They asked each of them to please take the flyer and share this information on their social media or with their friends and family. They say they just need the right eyes to see this information. And there's this part in this news story that really got to me. While they're doing this, USA Today is basically following them around. And when the crowd cheered, Mary says she couldn't help but think about how much Brandon loved sports, and how he likely would have been playing if he were here today. And Mary says that after all these years of going to Valdosta annually, she's still meeting new faces who knew her sister.

17:24On this trip, she met a woman named Maria Manning. She worked with Paula at Sam's Club. Actually, Paula hired her. They lived in the same apartment complex and grew very close, often carpooling to work together. She describes Paula as precious and says she absolutely adored Brandon and was a proud mom. Maria is now the assistant manager of That Sam's Club and credits Paula for seeing something in her and adding her to the team so many years ago. Even after two decades, Paula's legacy lives on. It may not be a tip or a lead that could bring Paula and Brandon home, but for Mary, it's a connection.

18:04It's something new after so many years of digging for fresh information about this case and her sister and nephew. I feel like I see this in a lot of cases. There tends to be one person or group of people that really just champion a case. The person that just keeps pushing. In this case, that appears to be Mary. Paula and Mary were always very close. They and their brother Regis spent a large part of their childhood together in Europe, where their father was stationed in the Air Force. Mary's 12 years older than Paula, and according to her interview with USA Today, she's always been protective of her.

18:42But she also definitely played that cool older sister role as well. Whatever Mary was listening to, Paula wanted to listen to. Typical sister stuff. According to that same report by USA Today, Mary spends a lot of nights scrolling through Jane Doe websites and pushing for this case to be a priority. And in 2023, her efforts paid off. For the first time ever, the FBI listed Paula and Brandon on their list of missing persons. And with the help of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they created new age-progress photos for both of them. In an interview with Marnie Hughes for NewsNation, Mary explains that Brandon has had age-progressed images created for him in the past.

19:27She says it's really the closest thing their family has had to watching him grow up. But this is Paula's first one ever, which Mary says does make sense since she went missing at 25, and adults just don't change that much over the years. But of course, now it's been over two decades, and while these age progressions can be hit or miss sometimes, Mary says this image looks so much like Paula that her whole family kind of did a double take, because it's so realistic and so close to how they feel Paula would look. And in addition to this effort, the Valdosta Police Department has assigned a new detective to this case.

20:04The commander of the Valdosta PD's Bureau of Investigations told USA Today that while all leads and clues have been exhausted, that a fresh pair of eyes might help refresh some leads and give them the break this case needs. In reporting by Terry Richards for the Valdosta Daily Times, Mary says her family, quote, has hope we are going to find them. We have a strong faith, and miracles have happened before. End quote. She also wants Paula and Brandon to know that if they are out there somewhere, they are very loved and missed, and that she will never stop looking for them. Which brings me right to our call to action.

20:45Please share this case. Like I said, it truly has gotten so little media coverage that your share can go even further with this one. There was a little pop of media coverage at the end of 2023, which is how I became aware of this case. But this family, Paula and Brandon shouldn't have to wait another 20 years for the public to care. Please share this, and hopefully, if we're lucky, we'll get it in front of the people who know something.

21:20As a reminder, Paula Wade was last seen on October 12, 2002, leaving her work at Sam's Club in Valdosta, Georgia, and is described as white with brown hair and brown eyes. She is approximately 5 foot 7 inches tall and weighed about 150 pounds when she went missing. She has a birthmark on the upper part of one of her legs, and her top canine teeth protrude in front of her other top teeth. She does require corrective lenses for her vision, and uses an inhaler for asthma. As of recording this episode, Paula would now be 47 years old. Brandon Lee Wade was 3 years old at the time of his disappearance.

21:59He is white, with brown hair and hazel eyes. At that time, he was 2 feet 9 inches tall, and weighed approximately 33 pounds. As of recording this episode, he would now be 24 years old. Anyone with information about the Wade's disappearance is asked to contact the FBI Atlanta field office at 770-216-3000. You can also submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.

22:38Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show in your podcast player. It's an easy and free way to help us and help more people find these cases in need of justice.

23:28To be continued...

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25:20Welcome to the Secret After Show. The door is open. The puppies have rejected our invitation today, I am afraid to say, but that's the truth of the situation. They are not in the room with us. I think they're just off playing somewhere. But let's get into this case. It was a hard one to cover and not in the usual ways. It's hard to build a script around a case with so few details. And the reason that's hard is because, you know, my goal here is to get your attention, to get you to care about these cases. And a lot of that does happen in the details. But it's hard for me to see a case that I genuinely care about like this one and say, well, I guess there's not enough here to make an episode, I'll just move on.