Missing woman ‘safely’ left Myrtle Beach before being found dead, police say
Police determined that a woman who went missing from Myrtle Beach left the city safely before being found dead three days later in a neighboring county, authorities said.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department initially investigated the disappearance of Sheridan Wahl, 21, before determining she had left the police agency’s jurisdiction “safely,” according to a Facebook post from the police department. At that point, Myrtle Beach police asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to step in and investigate the case “as they have state-wide jurisdiction and authority,” according to the Facebook post.
Wahl was supposed to be in Myrtle Beach to visit her father but never made it to his house Sunday. Her body was found Tuesday behind a fire station in Florence County.
Wahl was a college student in Tampa, Florida. She was enrolled at the University of South Florida at the time she went missing, according to Althea Johnson, USF Assistant Director of Media Relations. Wahl, a marketing major, had attended the university since fall of 2018, Johnson said.
Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken confirmed that a body found in Pamplico was that of Wahl, whose parents reported her missing to Myrtle Beach police.
According to Myrtle Beach police, Wahl was last heard from at a moped rental on South Ocean Boulevard at 1 p.m. Sunday. Tuesday, MBPD announced that they handed off the investigation to the State Law Enforcement Division.
According to a police report obtained by WMBF-TV, Wahl was on a FaceTime call with her mother around 1 p.m. in the 300 block of South Ocean Boulevard trying to rent a scooter.
She was denied service for not wearing shoes, the report stated, and Wahl told her mother she was returning home.
Wahl was told to spend the night to avoid a long drive home, according to the report obtained by WMBF. Police say her family has not been able to reach her since, and calls to her phone go straight to voicemail.
Authorities have urged anyone with information about Wahl’s case to contact SLED at 803-737-9000.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 8:50 AM.
