Disappearance of newly-engaged couple in North Carolina two weeks ago described as ‘suspicious’

The disappearance of a newly engaged couple in North Carolina is being described as ‘suspicious’ by police who ramped up their investigation this week after new evidence emerged that led them to believe the missing persons case is more serious than previously thought.

Stephanie Mayorga, 27, and Paige Escalera, 25, were last seen on the night of April 15 leaving their home in Wilmington together and stepping into a dark gray 2013 Dodge Dart. They had only lived in the apartment a week before their disappearance.

They were reported missing by their housemate on April 19, who grew concerned when they first didn’t return home but believed she had to wait 72 hours before filing a report.

Police did not reveal what the new information was which caused them to become more concerned but admitted that delays may have been caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

The comments came after the police response was criticized by Escalera’s sister who claimed that nothing was being done to find the couple. 

Stephanie Mayorga, 27, pictured left, and Paige Escalera, 25, pictured right went missing on April 15 and family and friends have received no contact in two weeks, Wilmington police say

Wilmington police said video footage of them leaving their house together appears normal. Pictured is a still from the video showing the last thing they were seen wearing, Mayorga is pictured left in a black sweatshirt while Escalera was wearing a gray sweatshirt

The couple’s roommate fist reported them missing on April 19 but police have only ramped up their investigation after new undisclosed evidence was recovered on the disappearance. Pictured are the missing posters released with information on the women

Police say there was no sign of foul play at the couple’s apartment and that most of their possessions remained there, including Mayorga’s phone which has been handed into the investigation.

‘It is not unusual for persons of this age group to be spontaneous. It was unusual that the roommates did not come back home and that they had left their property,’ said Captain Thomas Tilmon, the head of the WPD’s Criminal Investigations Division, in a news conference Wednesday.

He asked people to be on the lookout for the car they left in, which has damage on the rear bumper, and is thought to be in Brunswick County.

Police have spoken to family and friends and the women are not believed to have been in contact since their disappearance two weeks ago.

Escalera’s sister Stevie Jenkins has established a Facebook group dedicated to find her sister and her partner who she described as ‘our girls’.

She told Oxygen that she had reached out to friends who say Escalera had blocked them on social media in recent weeks. Escalera is also reported to have been selling items on Facebook.

‘As I have been contacting her close friends, I have found that every single one of them had been blocked from her social media over the last week or two. It is normal for family to not hear from her, but not her closest friends,’ Jenkins said, adding that the couple had not known each other for very long and had only moved in together in March.

‘As I spoke with Stephanie’s friends, they say it isn’t normal at all that they don’t hear from Stephanie.’

Stephanie Mayorga, 27, and Paige Escalera, 25 (pictured together) had moved into their Wilmington, North Carolina, apartment just a week before they disappeared on April 15

According to Escalera’s sister Stevie Jenkins the couple did not know each other very long

Jenkins criticized the police response on Sunday saying that nothing was being done to find the couple despite their housemate calling on multiple occasions.

‘A missing person’s report was filed 3 days after their roommate hadn’t seen them. She gave my sisters phone that was left at the apartment to police for evidence to which they didn’t even use to find any of Paige’s immediate contacts for information,’ she wrote.

‘No work has been done to find them until yesterday when the roommate called multiple times for updates with no help from the department. She doesn’t know either of them well (not even last names or fb, etc.) but investigated enough to find Stephanie’s last name and parents’ info. From there we’ve been in contact with immediate friends and family to get as much info as possible.’

Escalera’s sister Stevie Jenkins criticized what she called a slow police response on Facebook

‘There’s a bureaucratic process that takes place; I don’t know how its affected by COVID-19 work restrictions. We’re all trying to work through this. Life is not going on at the Wilmington Police Department as simply as it did before the COVID-19 pandemic,’ said Captain Tilmon in response to questions about a delay on Wednesday

‘We’re struggling like everyone else. That doesn’t mean our officers and detectives aren’t out working the cases, but the other bureaucrats that work within the police department are working under different conditions and I don’t know how that’s affecting how the reports process through system and whether or not that’s not part of the delay.’

He didn’t elaborate on communications found on the women’s phones but said they appeared normal.

‘They were in the process of getting a new apartment, they were engaged. They were trying to finish up education. Things were looking good,’ friend Dana Jarman told WBTV.

‘They’re very loved, they’re very missed. If there’s anything to tell us…tell us if they’re okay. Anything. We just wanna know they’re okay.’

Escalara’s family posted this picture of the woman’s tattoos and a beauty spot

Escalara has the tattoo pictured above on her arm. She was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt

Police have retrieved video footage which identifies the women leaving their home on April 15. 

‘Their departure from the apartment appeared to be entirely normal according to the video that we have recovered,’ Tilmon said.

Mayorga’s Facebook bio states that she’s originally from Beacon, New York. She was last seen wearing was wearing a black Nike sweatshirt with ‘Just Do It’ on the front, black leggings with white stripes down the front to the back of the leggings, and black Nike shoes.

Escalera was wearing a gray sweatshirt with white pull strings and a white zip, black legging and black tennis shoes with a white stripe on the side.

She also has tattoos on both arms.

‘I have added photos of their noticeable features. Paige has large tattoos and a beauty mark on the right check. Stephanie has a small wrist tattoo,’ her sister wrote to Facebook.

The couple entered the car and drove north.

Police say the couple left in this dark gray Dodge Dart and have asked for people to be on the lookout after reports that it was in Brunswick County. It has damage to the rear bumper

Police said that there may be a connection to Spartanburg, South Carolina, and that there is uncorroborated information that the car may be in or was in Brunswick County in North Carolina.

Investigators say the Dodge Dart has S.C. tags MVS-902 and has a dent on the bumper on the driver-side rear of the vehicle. The vehicle also has two stickers at the bottom corners of the back glass. 

‘It’s very important that we find them,’ Tilmon said. 

‘The investigation has been extensive, trying to figure out who they’re connected to and where they went. We’re working all those leads to try and find them and we’re really hoping this has a happy ending.’

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Wilmington Police Department at (910)-343-3620.

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