Disappearance of couple missing for two weeks is ‘suspicious,’ North Carolina cops say
Two women missing since mid-April left behind all their belongings, North Carolina officials say.
Now, Wilmington police say they are investigating the couple’s “suspicious” disappearance.
Paige Escalera, 25, and Stephanie Mayorga, 27, were last seen on April 15, officers said Wednesday in a news release. A roommate reported them missing four days later, according to the Wilmington Police Department.
“While it’s not unusual for people in their 20s to be spontaneous, it was unusual that the women did not come back home, and also left all their property in the home,” the news release said. “In addition, neither woman has been in touch with any family members since their disappearance.”
The women’s apartment had “no signs of foul play,” police Capt. Thomas Tilmon said during a news conference.
The couple was engaged, according to WECT and other news outlets.
“I am at a loss,” Escalera’s sister, Stevie Jenkins, told Oxygen.com. “I was just rekindling my relationship with my sister that has not been so well for the last 10 years. For the first time in a long time I felt like I finally had her back.”
Police are now searching for the women, who may be in a gray Dodge Dart with bumper damage and South Carolina license plate number MVS-902, according to officials. Cops also released stills of security camera footage from the night the women were last seen two weeks ago near Randall Parkway and South Kerr Avenue.
“Their departure from the apartment appeared to be entirely normal,” Tilmon said during the news conference.
When asked why the women’s families hadn’t heard from police for a week after the report was filed, the captain said the department has had delays due to the coronavirus, Port City Daily reported.
“Life is not going on at the Wilmington Police Department as simply as it did before the pandemic,” Tilmon said, according to the newspaper. “We’re struggling just like everyone else.”
Police say Escalera has ties to Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Officers ask anyone with information to visit tip708.com or call 910-343-3609. People who spot the women should call 911, police say.
