She had been afraid for her safety following a recent separation from her husband, Donald “Donnie” Burnette, who had a long-standing history of various domestic violence cases.
The day before she vanished, she had initially called the police to remove her husband from her home and had requested her father stay the night with her. But the next morning, she was gone. Weeks later, after her disappearance, her driver’s licence was found alongside Harrison Bay Road. Months later, her purse surfaced in a backyard after a flood.
Despite all this, Donnie, who was later convicted in a separate crime and sentenced to 39 years in prison, Paula’s fate till date still remains a big mystery. Loved ones still hope for answers and justice for the gentle woman with an even gentler soul.
The quiet and peaceful town of Harrison, Tennessee, is still burdened by the disappearance of Paula Mitchell nearly three decades later. Paula, a young mother of two, was reported to be last seen around 6 a.m. on September 17, 1996.
She had been afraid for her safety following a recent separation from her husband, Donald “Donnie” Burnette, who had a long-standing history of various domestic violence cases.
The day before she vanished, she had initially called the police to remove her husband from her home and had requested her father stay the night with her. But the next morning, she was gone. Weeks later, after her disappearance, her driver’s licence was found alongside Harrison Bay Road. Months later, her purse surfaced in a backyard after a flood.
Despite all this, Donni, who was later convicted in a separate crime and sentenced to 39 years in prison, Paula’s fate to date still remains a big mystery. Loved ones still hope for answers and justice for the gentle woman with an even gentler soul.
