90 Day Fiance/YouTube
’90 Day Fiance’ Star Paul Staehle’s Mother Speaks Out After He Went Missing: ‘I Pray He Is OK’
90 Day Fiancé star Paul Staehle’s mother, Mary, is worried about her son amid his disappearance in Brazil, she tells In Touch exclusively.
“I do not know anything as of right now. Still no responses from Paul since very late Wednesday night,” she tells In Touch on Friday, September 1.
“He was lost and pinged me his location to try and get a friend to help,” Mary explains. “He told me he messed up, was alone, which was really stupid, and his phone was about to die. I sent the three names he gave me urgent messages but it was very late so no replies until next morning. I pray he is OK. And just has no way to communicate. I have to believe that.”
Paul, 40, was revealed to be missing by his wife, Karine Staehle (née Martins), on Thursday, August 31. Karine, 27, posted the news on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Paul went missing last night in Brazil. Prayers he is found safe.”
On September 1, took to social media with a series of Facebook messages reportedly between Paul and Mary. After sharing his location, Paul wrote that he “got lost” during a solo excursion and “f–ked up bad.” “I need a boat to get back,” he wrote. Mary proceeded to contact Paul’s friends, with her son’s last message sent around 1:38 a.m. before the contact ceased. Audio calls at 7:18 a.m. and 1:55 p.m. were included in the message exchange, but there was no answer.
Karine’s shared post also included alleged messages between Mary and individuals named Jaciane RV and Indaia Cruz. Jaciane told Paul’s mother that they “could not find him in the locator,” and additionally did not know why the 90 Day Fiancé star needed assistance.
Providing more information at the time of publication, Karine took to social media to share a tribute to her husband on her feed. The video included photos and clips of Paul and Karine with their two sons, Pierre, 4, and Ethan, 2. It was set to Kyle Hume’s “If I Would Have Known.”
“If I would have known/ That you wouldn’t be here anymore/ I would have made the moments last a little longer/ ‘Cause now I’m alone/ And you’re just a memory in my mind/ I would have given anything to say goodbye/ If I would have known/ If I would have known, oh,” the lyrics to the song read.
In the caption of the video, Karine wrote with a broken heart emoji, “Not all of our memories were bad. Our children loved you very much. We will never forgot you or the good memories we all shared.”
Additionally, after her tribute, Karine reposted a statement from one of Paul’s friends, whom his mother attempted to contact when the TLC star went missing.
“Hello everyone, I can’t give much information because we don’t have anything concrete to tell. We are looking to find out where Paul is, unfortunately we have to wait a certain time to call the police,” their statement on Instagram Stories read. “Wholeheartedly, this is not a joke. I was lost until messages arrived telling me everything, I just ask the fans to pray for him OK, I don’t speak English but I hope I translated it right thanks.”
Paul and Karine made their debut on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 1. They got married in November 2017 and welcomed their sons in March 2019 and February 2021. The couple separated in December that year after a video of a heated argument between them went viral, but they later reunited in April 2023. Paul and Karine have been involved in a battle with Child Protective Services to regain custody of their sons since June 2022.
Reporting by Nate Grant
Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.
