CA CA - Paul Armstrong, 27, and Steve Lombard, 34, Merced, 17 Dec 1993

Lombard and Armstrong went missing on December 17th, 1993. They were both employed by the same Towing Company but not know to hang out together or otherwise socialize outside of work. Neither went to work that day and both were last seen at their homes. Their employer, Randal Wright, was considered a "person of interest" but never charged.

The case had "gone cold" with little attention until February 2009 when Randal Wright’s estranged wife, "disappeared" in Mexico from a property she owned with Randal. He was again named "person of interest". Randal spent 8 months in jail in 2008 on a Spousal Abuse charge. The Mexican property was a bone of contention in their divorce.

Since then, he has gotten into trouble over some theft-embezzlement activity involving a couple of vehicles he owned and illegal firearms. From what I can tell, he has an appeal pending on a 6 month sentence for fraud and perjury.

Link to Karen Wright's thread here

I did not find Missing threads for Paul or Steven here.

Paul and Steve worked together at RTS Towing, though they were not close friends and their families believe it is unlikely they would have gone anywhere together. Both disappeared on December 17, 1993. Their boss at the time, Randal Wright, was questioned after their disappearance but never officially named a suspect. In 2009 Wright's wife Karen disappeared just months after filing for divorce from him. (Karen's WS thread here.)

Project Jason File for Paul Armstrong

Project Jason File for Steve Lombard

Paul had a broken leg at the time of his disappearance and was using crutches. Steve's 1965 Ford F250 truck was recovered in the parking lot of a nearby business, unlocked, with the keys inside and the windows rolled down.

Charley Project for Steven Lombard

Charley Project for Paul Armstrong

Looked for updates

Probablemente parecían no conocerlo bien para no levantar sospechas y si tenían negocios turbios fuera del trabajo.

I found an article about Randal Wright and his wife's 2009 disappearance in Mexico. Both Paul Armstrong and Steven Lombard are mentioned in the story so I'll link and excerpt:

Sheriff's Detective Lane Clark wrote in the report that Jack Malone, described as "a witness in the investigation," said he saw Gary Barker, Steven Lombard, Paul Armstrong and Wright go into a shed at RTS Towing on Dec. 17, 1993. That was the day the men disappeared.

Malone said Barker and Wright came out and locked the door. He never saw Armstrong or Lombard again.

Wright drove his Lexus sedan into the shop, closed the doors and drove off a little later. He was gone for about four hours, according to the warrant.

Barker drove Armstrong's truck away from the yard.

Malone said he believed Wright was angry with Lombard and Armstrong for filing a complaint with the state Employment Development Department.

Fun fact: Gary Barker "passed away suddenly" in 2016. Gary Barker Obituary (1969 - 2016) - Merced, CA - Merced Sun Star (legacy.com)

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Armstrong, circa 1993

• Missing Since 12/17/1993
• Missing From Merced, California
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 04/08/1966 (57)
• Age 27 years old
• Height and Weight 5'9 - 5'10, 150 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A white jacket with the word "Raiders" on the back and pink Kool-Aid stains on the sleeves, a light blue sweatshirt with a yellow "UCLA" logo, dark gray sweatpants and blue sneakers.
• Medical Conditions Armstrong had a broken leg and was on crutches at the time of his 1993 disappearance.
• Associated Vehicle(s) Maroon and white 1965 Ford F-250 pickup truck (accounted for)
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance​

Armstrong was last seen at his home on west 25th Street in Merced, California on December 17, 1993. His girlfriend saw him before she left for work at 7:45 a.m. Approximately an hour later, Armstrong's brother stopped by his house and found it empty, but Armstrong had left his wallet behind. He was supposed to meet his girlfriend for lunch later that day but did not keep the appointment. He has never been heard from again.

Just two hours after Armstrong disappeared, his co-worker, Steven Lombard, vanished from Merced. His pickup truck was later found abandoned in a local K-Mart parking lot. The men were both employed as tow truck drivers for RTS Towing, but they were not close to each other and their loved ones do not believe they would have gone anywhere together. Investigators are unsure whether their cases are related.

Armstrong and Lombard are considered to be missing under suspicious circumstances; their cases are being investigated as homicides. Armstrong reportedly believed his coworkers were engaged in illegal activity at the time of his disappearance, and Lombard had a dispute with his boss on the day that he vanished.

Armstrong's mother died in 2009, but his father and seven siblings are still alive. Both men's cases are unsolved.

Investigating Agency​

• Merced County Sheriff's Department
• 209-385-7444
• 209-725-3880

Source Information​

• County of Merced Sheriff/Coroner
• The Modesto Bee
• The Doe Network
• The Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Foundation
• The Merced Sun-Star
• Unsolved in the News
• NamUs
• California Attorney General's Office

Updated 8 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 21, 2013; picture, alternate height and clothing/jewelry description added.

This gets worse and worse:

<<The owner of the aforementioned company was a guy named Randal Wright. In 1983, a decade before his employees’ disappearances, Randal’s six-year-old stepson Aaron Larson Wright drowned in a neighbor’s pool while Randal was babysitting him. Then, last February, Randal’s wife Karen disappeared from their vacation home in Mexico. The couple were in the process of a messy divorce and Randal had threatened her life. Karen has never been located. I don’t have her on Charley because she went missing in Mexico, but I can post her due to her US citizenship and now I’m sorely tempted.

Boy, is Randal unlucky. Trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes. He’s tied to one suspicious death and three disappearances all presumed homicides. And now it seems little Aaron’s death is coming back to haunt him, because the cops are exhuming the body:

Sheriff Mark Pazin says he made the decision to exhume Aaron’s body because of other suspicious circumstances surrounding his step-father, Randal Wright.>>