Police: Missing Belmont Man's Car Located

The following is a news release from the Belmont Police Department:

The 1957 Mercedes SL190 convertible owned by missing Belmont resident, Paul Merrill, was located [Thursday] in a rural area of Shasta County, outside the Town of Burney. A search for Merrill was launched [Friday] morning, in the area where the car was found.

On Thursday, 10/2/14, a rancher clearing brush on his land came across the 1956 Mercedes SL190 owned by Paul Merrill. The car was off a dirt road on the rancher’s 500 acre property and appeared to have been at that location for some time. Property belonging to Merrill, including his wallet and car keys were found in the car.

Belmont Police investigators are in contact with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, who have launched a search of the area, which is heavily wooded and includes steep terrain and rough, unimproved roads.

Merrill had been initially reported missing to Belmont Police on Thursday, 9/4/14, when a family member reported that he had gone on a trip to the Mt. Shasta area and had not been heard from after checking out of a hotel in McCloud, in Siskiyou County. After an extensive search effort by Siskiyou County Sheriff, the investigation shifted to the Redding area of Shasta County on 9/16/14, following reported sightings in that area.

While Belmont Police remains the lead agency in this missing person investigation, the focus remains in Shasta County. Although Merrill’s car has now been located, Merrill himself remains missing. Anyone with information on this case should call Shasta County Communications at (530) 245-6025.