VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - “We miss them and we love them so much and we won’t stop. We will find you. We will absolutely find you.”

Words Mary Ramsbottom would tell her sister and nephew Paula and Brandon Wade. They’ve been missing for 22 years.

“We will hold on to hope and miracles have happened,” Ramsbottom said.

Ramsbottom describes the last two decades as an ambiguous loss. She’s had no choice but to watch her nephew Brandon grow up through age progression photos.

“Brandon turned 25 which is the age Paula was when they went missing. It’s just unbelievable. And so, it’s a lifetime of missing someone,” she said.

Paula and Brandon were reported missing on Oct. 14, 2002, after Paula didn’t show up for work at Sam’s Club. She had worked there for 5 plus years and was getting ready to transfer to a Sam’s Club in Florida. Valdosta Police searched Paula’s apartment and found all of the Wade’s things there, but the mother and son were nowhere to be found.

“It just doesn’t make sense that she just falls off the face of the earth,” said Sgt. Paul Garland, the lead investigator over the case.

He fears the worst has happened to the Wades.

“The feeling is unfortunately they were murdered and their bodies have been dumped somewhere,” he said.

Right now, Garland said there are two persons of interest in the case. At the time Paula went missing she was married to her husband Lance Wade. Her husband was ruled out as a person of interest after investigators confirmed he was out of town at his job in the Air Force.

Several leads are still being followed to this day. Garland says the most recent lead brought them to South Carolina to someone who claimed they had found Brandon. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

“I’m totally frustrated with the fact that it’s gone on this long and there’s nothing. We don’t have anything. We’re just trying to get justice for the Wade family,” he said.

With both of Paula’s parents passing away, Ramsbottom said it’s her mission to keep searching for answers.

“One of the last things my mom said to me was never stop. We just try to think of everything we can to make sure they are not forgotten,” she said.

If you know anything regarding the disappearance of Paula and Brandon Wade, you can call the Valdosta Police Department at 229-293-3091. You can also submit tips to the FBI by calling (770) 216-3000. Remember you can stay anonymous.

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