Paula (25) & Brandon Wade (3) missing from Valdosta, GA since 10/14/2002

[raisedbywolves]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...m/71142942007/

Her sister and nephew disappeared 21 years ago. Her tenacity got the case a new look.

For two decades Ramsbottom and her family have traveled to Valdosta, a small south Georgia city just north of the Florida state line. They come to commemorate Oct. 14, 2002, the day Paula and Brandon Wade were reported missing. Paula was 25 and her boy was 3.

Paula, a manager at Sam?s Club, didn?t show up for work that day, the first day she had missed in five years. A search of her apartment found neither mother nor child, only Paula?s car keys, wallet, purse and glasses, without which she was nearly blind. The only thing missing was Brandon?s car seat.

Investigators scoured the apartment complex but found no signs of foul play. Detectives questioned people of interest, including Paula?s estranged husband, who was in the military and had moved out of state, but none of the interviews led anywhere. No one has been named a suspect or arrested in connection with Paula and Brandon's disappearance.

But Paula?s family never gave up. Along with the annual Valdosta pilgrimage to keep up interest in the case, Ramsbottom has spent her evenings on John and Jane Doe websites, spreading the word on true crime social media pages and hounding the local police department for new information.

The decadeslong effort paid off in August, when the FBI and the Valdosta Police Department announced ?a new push to find answers.?

For the first time, the federal agency placed Paula and Brandon on its public missing persons list with images of what they might look like today. The Valdosta Police Department assigned a new detective to the case to reexamine evidence and search for new leads.

[Bewitchingstorm]

Very sad. It's been so long. I hope the sister gets answers one day.

[Nic B]

I am nearly blind without my glasses, and the only times I take them off are to shower or sleep. I am guessing she was sleeping when she was attacked/taken/whatever happened.

[raisedbywolves]

https://www.walb.com/2025/10/13/miss...ta-mother-son/

The sister of a missing woman and her son is ramping up efforts to find them, 23 years after they went missing.

Paula and Brandon Wade were reported missing on Oct. 14, 2002, from the Valdosta area.

This weekend, Ramsbottom and family were at Sam’s Club in Valdosta, where Paula worked to pass out flyers to get information that may lead to answers.

In Dec. 2024, she put up a billboard that includes a tip line and an email where anyone can send tips anonymously.

[Bewitchingstorm]

I love how she is not giving up and continuing to push. I am sure it has taken a toll on her in some way, but her tenacity is to be admired.

[raisedbywolves]

https://www.walb.com/2026/08/08/comm...-son-valdosta/

Now, following what would have been Brandon’s 27th birthday, their family is launching a major community awareness campaign to keep their names alive and push for answers.

“As his birthday started approaching I started thinking ‘wow, he’s now at age where he’s older than the amount of time that they’ve been missing,” Mary Ramsbottom said. “And that was just mind blowing to me. And July 15th is like any other day to most people but any other day to somebody that has somebody missing is a milestone.”

Her faith and hope is what led to a partnership with Light the Way and the Gabby Petito Foundation. Between Aug. 4 and Aug. 10 there are six Lamar Advertising billboards around Valdosta, and coffee sleeves are being handed out at Hug in a Mug Coffee Company all with information about Paula and Brandon’s disappearance an effort to reignite visibility and spark conversation that brings answers.