When it came out that Paul Staehle was missing, 90 Day Fiancé fans raised a collective eyebrow in skepticism. Add to that Karine Martins’ cryptic Instagram post insinuating Paul was dead, and the internet had a heyday of confusion and speculation.
The announcement that Paul was missing (and perhaps dead) came on the heels of a few other viral death hoaxes. As such, fans were quick to point to Paul’s antics as a mere publicity stunt.
With Paul’s Instagram account seemingly gone, and Karine’s now private, it looked like the two were doing damage control. But finally, Paul has stepped forward to clarify what happened. He spoke with TMZ about why everything allegedly occurred as it did.
Paul blames Brazil’s poor signal
“Well, I had a lot going on,” he explained, “and I wanted to go out and be by myself for a little bit. So, there was a person who’s a big fan of the show. They invited me to go out so I got this … boat [and] went out there. Now, on the way, going where we were going, we kind of had a hiccup” He said he “tried to call back for help,” and they got the boat going.
Paul went to “a floating house” with his traveling companion. “I actually ended up staying at the floating house for a few days. I didn’t have my charger,” he said, also explaining he struggled to get a signal anywhere. When asked why he didn’t share more with his family, he again blamed his battery and poor service.
When asked to respond to those who thought this might be a hoax for publicity, he said, “If that was the case, I would have gone on Instagram Live or I would have posted things. I never wanted any of this stuff to go public … I had no idea my mom would go and start talking to people online.”
When asked why he didn’t clear things up on his social media, he said, “I didn’t want to add gasoline to all these fires. And it seems like no matter what you say … these people online twist it.” He claimed he wanted to “let everything die down.” Paul’s account has received scrutiny with many saying it didn’t add up.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PAUL’S STORY? DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO YOU? DOES ANY OF THIS SEEM LEGITIMATE?
