The Tallahassee community is reeling after the devastating conclusion to a nearly year-long search for 13-year-old Lori Paige, a bright and beloved student at Griffin Middle School who had been missing since the summer of 2023. On April 5, 2025, authorities discovered Lori’s remains in a remote wooded area of Thomas County, Georgia—an area known as the Merrily Plantation. Her father, 36-year-old Andrew Wiley, has since been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to her death.
The tragic news was confirmed during a solemn press conference held by the Tallahassee Police Department on April 11. Police Chief Lawrence Revell shared the heartbreaking update with the community, expressing the pain and sorrow that officers and residents alike have felt throughout this prolonged and emotionally grueling case.
Lori was last seen on June 3, 2023, in the Continental Court neighborhood of Tallahassee. At the time, her father reported her missing, claiming she had left home sometime during the night with her backpack while he was away at work. Initially, there was no indication of foul play, and authorities treated it as a missing child case. However, as weeks turned into months, hope for her safe return slowly gave way to unease and suspicion.
As detectives continued their search across multiple states, inconsistencies began to surface in Andrew Wiley’s original account. In early 2024, investigators obtained a warrant and seized Wiley’s phone. What they found changed the course of the investigation entirely. Digital evidence uncovered disturbing search queries that included remote and secluded areas in Alabama and Georgia—specifically places with bodies of water, indicating a potentially premeditated effort to conceal something far more sinister.
Around the same time, authorities began to take a deeper look at the father-daughter relationship. New details began to raise red flags, prompting detectives to turn their investigative lens more directly on Wiley. The search then intensified in Georgia, eventually zeroing in on the Merrily Plantation, a densely wooded area not far from the Florida state line.
Although initial searches of the plantation led to no immediate discoveries, detectives returned to the site in April after a prescribed burn had cleared much of the dense brush. It was during this renewed search effort that investigators located the remains that would later be confirmed to be those of Lori Paige. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement assisted in identifying the remains through forensic processing.
During the emotional press conference, Chief Revell expressed the collective grief of a community that had been holding onto hope for nearly two years. “Lori deserved a safe home and a full life,” he said. “Today’s arrest will not bring her back, but it does bring us one step closer to justice.”
Andrew Wiley was taken into custody shortly after the discovery, though officials have not released the exact circumstances of his arrest. He is currently being held on a second-degree murder charge, and the investigation remains active, with the possibility of additional charges still on the table.
The loss of Lori Paige has left an indelible mark on Tallahassee. Her story has not only shaken the local community but has drawn national attention to the urgent need for vigilant child protection and comprehensive investigative procedures in missing persons cases. As legal proceedings continue, law enforcement remains committed to uncovering the full truth and ensuring accountability.
In the days ahead, community members, educators, and advocacy groups are coming together to honor Lori’s memory. Vigils, memorials, and support networks are being organized to help loved ones and neighbors grieve, remember, and begin healing from this unfathomable loss.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities will continue to release updates as more information becomes available. In the meantime, Lori Paige’s name will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her—and in the collective call for justice and protection for all children.
