Police confirm car belongs to missing women, more details emerge

Wilmington, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington Police are confirming that the car found Monday afternoon just off River Road is registered to 25-year-old Paige Escalera.

Escalera was reported missing on April 15 with her 27-year-old fiancé, Stephanie Mayorga.

The car was found just after 3 p.m. outside the Watermark Marina with two unidentified bodies inside.

According to Wilmington Police, the grey 2013 Dodge Dart was deep in the woods and covered in vegetation.

The scene near the intersection of River Road and Independence Boulevard remained taped off for the majority of Tuesday while police combed the area. While the investigation continues, police believe the car may have been involved in an extremely high velocity crash.

911 records show that on April 15, police, fire, and EMS were dispatched to this area just before midnight. A caller said that they saw a car in their rear view mirror heading west on Independence Boulevard, going at a high rate of speed, possibly hitting a wall and then going into the wooded area.

When emergency crews arrived they met with the caller and searched the area with flashlights. However they were unable to find any sign of a collision and no one with injuries.

At the entrance to the wooded area where the car was found, there were tire tracks and broken branches appearing to be the spot where the car wrecked.

Police have now broadened this investigation to include a traffic crash.