Personal Injury Attorneyin St. Matthews, SC.

ST. MATTHEWS, S.C. (WIS) - The wife of a missing Calhoun County man whose car was discovered in the Congaree River earlier this week is pleading for his safe return home.

72-year-old Paul Chandler of St. Matthews was last seen at around 3 A.M. on Tuesday by family. That is according to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Hours later, his car was found submerged in the river at Bates Landing, which is right off U.S. 601.

Law enforcement and family have been searching for him since.

“Right now there’s a giant hole,” Debra Chandler, Paul Chandler’s wife, said in a Friday interview. “Until we find Paul, that hole is going to be there.”

Debra and Paul Chandler have been married for more than 50 years. They have three children and several grandchildren.

Debra Chandler said that everything has been empty this week without her husband.

“Everywhere you look in the house, there is something there that you’ve got a memory attached to,” she said.

Debra Chandler is even reminded of him at the landing, which has been a special place for this family where they have found peace.

She said being there by the river gives her an “eerie” feeling now because she is “so far away from him, but then could be so close.”

“He’s loved and missed,” Debra Chandler said. “We just want him home because there’s a big hole there, and he’s the only one that can fill it.”

Debra Chandler is keeping the faith that Paul Chandler is safe, but just confused and afraid.

In the past year, the longtime mechanic and entrepreneur had become increasingly forgetful, his wife said.

Debra Chandler said that he was showing possible warning signs of dementia.

“I feel like he was feeling very frustrated with himself, very disappointed with his health because up until this year, he worked seven days a week in his shop, Monday through Sunday, and took good care of his customers, up until the end of 2023,” she said. “2024 has just been a totally different experience. He was just not well the whole year.”

Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers has said he does not suspect foul play.

Paul Chandler’s family says it would not be odd that he would go down to the landing, his “happy place,” in the middle of night.

“He and I made many trips down here over this past year when he was struggling,” Debra Chandler said. “This was his place where he found peace. He would get me to drive down here sometimes 2 o’clock in the morning, sometimes 3 o’clock in the morning.”

Paul Chandler’s family is concerned that those memory issues could be playing a role in all of this as they pray that he comes home soon.

Debra Chandler said faith is in God is guiding her during this time.

“I keep having that hope,” she said. “Until I see differently, I’m going to believe the Lord’s got him taken care of somewhere, and that he’ll be restored to his family because we sure do miss him.”

Deputies, along with Paul Chandler’s family, are actively searching for him both in the water and in the surrounding areas.

There are resources available for anyone who may be concerned about the onset of Dementia or Alzheimer’s for a loved one.

Local nonprofit Leeza’s Care Connection can be reached at 803-888-7525.

Loved ones can also call GetCareSC toll-free at 1-800-868-9095, or call the Alzheimer’s Association Helpline 24/7 at 800-272-3900.

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