TPD: Lori Paige found dead, father arrested in connection to her death after nearly two-year search
Before the discovery of her remains, the middle schooler was last seen in the Continental Court neighborhood in Tallahassee in June 2023
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Lori Paige, who was missing since June 2023, was found dead last week and her father has been arrested in connection to her death, according to Tallahassee Police.
TPD made the announcement Friday just after 4 p.m. during a press conference.
Police said the Griffin Middle School student’s remains were found at the Merrily Plantation in Thomas County on April 5.
Paige’s 36-year-old father, Andrew Wiley, faces a second-degree murder charge in connection to her death, Police Chief Lawrence Revell announced during the press conference. Revell did not say when or where Paige’s father was arrested.
Before the discovery of Paige’s remains, the middle schooler was last seen in the Continental Court neighborhood in Tallahassee in June 2023. Her father reported her missing on June 3 that year, claiming “she left home with her backpack sometime overnight while he was at work,” TPD wrote in a press release Friday.
Detectives then pursued leads and conducted interviews across several states for nearly a year. Eventually, police said they began to uncover inconsistencies in Wiley’s original story.
In February 2024, detectives seized a phone from the father’s home.
“A forensic analysis uncovers questionable internet searches about remote areas with bodies of water in Alabama and Georgia, among other things,” the police statement wrote.
New information eventually emerged about Wiley’s relationship with Paige, which police said caused detectives to shift their focus more heavily toward him.
Around that same time, detectives started searching a “remote, brush-covered area of Thomas County, Georgia, known locally as a plantation,” according to TPD’s press release. Despite conducting multiple searches, no results were found.
However, on April 5, police said detectives returned to the plantation for another search after a prescribed burn cleared heavy brush in the area. That’s when Paige’s remains were located.
More on Lori Paige's disappearance
The middle schooler’s remains were identified after being processed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the police statement wrote.
Police Chief Lawrence Revell said during the press conference Friday that Paige’s case has deeply impacted the community for nearly two years.
“Lori deserved a safe home and a full life,” Chief Revell said. “While today’s arrest will never bring her back, it does bring us one step closer to justice.”
Wiley was booked into the Leon County Jail Friday evening and will make his first court appearance Saturday morning.
WCTV has reached out to State Attorney Jack Campbell for comment on this case.
This story will continue to be updated as we learn more.
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