NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The search for an elderly Belmont man who took a road trip to Siskiyou County early last month is believed to have come to an end with the discovery over the weekend of human remains near Burney.
Paul Merrill, 87, was reported missing and overdue by his family after he failed to return from a road trip to McCloud, as Lake County News has reported.
On Saturday, days after Merrill's classic Mercedes was found in a remote area near Burney, Shasta County Search & Rescue located human remains near where the car had been discovered off a dirt road.
The agency said the remains were turned over to the Shasta County Coroner’s Office for further investigation and identification.
“They're fairly confident that it's Mr. Merrill,” Capt. Patrick Halleran of the Belmont Police Department – which has been the lead agency on the Merrill investigation – told Lake County News Monday.
In a brief Facebook post on Sunday, Merrill's family said that they were awaiting final confirmation but also believed the remains were his.
The family also offered thanks for the “outpouring of help” to the thousands of people who had shared posts, prayers and good wishes for his return.
Merrill's family said he had left on Sept. 3 in his silver 1956 Mercedes 190SL, taking the trip in an effort to recreate “romantic memories” that he had shared with his wife, who died last year.
A family member reported Merrill missing to the Belmont Police Department on Sept. 4 after he had not been heard from after checking out of a hotel in McCloud, in Siskiyou County. He had been seen at a McCloud gas station that day.
The California Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert across Northern California for him on the morning of Sept. 5, and law enforcement also issued be on the lookout messages for Merrill and his Mercedes. In addition, his family offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his discovery.
After an extensive search effort that lasted over several days by Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, the investigation shifted to the Redding area in Shasta County on Sept. 16, following reported sightings in that area.
The “Find Paul Merrill” Facebook page went viral as thousands of people around Northern California joined in the effort to locate him. Some unconfirmed reports indicated that people believed they saw him in Clearlake and other parts of the North Coast.
However, based on where Merrill's car ultimately was discovered, it appears unlikely that he had come farther south than Shasta County.
Last Thursday, the Mercedes was discovered in a remote near Burney and north of Big Bend, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.
Halleran said a rancher clearing brush on his 500-acre property in the area found the Mercedes off a dirt road. Merrill's wallet, car keys and other personal items were in the vehicle.
While Halleran had no estimate of how long the car had been there, he said it was filled with leaves and water, leading investigators to believe it had been in that spot since the last rain, about two weeks ago.
“We're dealing with a pretty large window of time,” Halleran said.
On Friday the Shasta County Sheriff's Office launched a search of the rugged, heavily wooded area with the assistance of CHP Air Operations, Halleran said.
On Saturday, the searchers located the human remains approximately 100 yards from Merrill's car, in heavily wooded and steep terrain. Halleran said that all indications are that the remains are Merrill's.
“We don't believe that there's any foul play,” Halleran said, adding there also appears to be no indication of suicide.
As to what ultimately happened to Merrill, Halleran said at this point investigators can only speculate.
Based on the information so far, it appears that Merrill had driven off the road and into some bushes. He may have become stranded, or had some kind of medical issue like a heart attack or suffered a fall. Deputies who had first arrived in the area also spotted bears, according to Halleran.
“We don't know what the cause of death is. We'll probably never know,” Halleran said.
The Belmont Police Department thanked the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, Shasta County Sheriff's Office, Redding Police Department and the California Highway Patrol for their support and assistance during the search for Merrill, as well as the media outlets who covered the story and the public who provided tips during the investigation.
The agency also offered its condolences to the Merrill family.
“It's a tragic ending to the story but at least the family has some closure,” Halleran said. “They're not just wondering what happened.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
REGIONAL: Human remains believed to be those of missing Belmont man
- Elizabeth Larson
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