MI MI - Mary Lands, 39, Marshall, 12 Mar 2004

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From this link: http://woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4703486


The family of a missing Marshall woman is praying her body has been found and they will be able to get some closure.
Mary Lands has been missing since March 12, 2004.

A private rescue team from Indiana searched Wednesday a plot of land located at F Drive North & 24 Mile Road, just north of I-94, between Marshall and Albion.

After about three hours of searching, cadaver dogs made a positive hit, back in the tree line near a marsh just beyond a pile of trash.

24 Hour News 8 talked Thursday morning with Michigan State Police investigators. They said they are in the process of organizing their own search to determine what the dogs found.

more at link

Hoppy
 
They finally got the dogs out there:

http://woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4708909&nav=menu44_2

(Calhoun County, March 31, 2006, 6:16 p.m.) Investigators continue to search for a missing Marshall woman.

snip

Michigan State Police cadaver dogs arrived at the scene on Friday to see what they could find.
 
From http://woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4871605

CALHOUN COUNTY -- A bone found in Calhoun County's Sheridan Township will be tested Monday by a forensic anthropologist at Michigan State University. Meanwhile, the family of missing Marshall woman Mary Lands guarded the property where the bone was found.

"I just want to help the family find Mary. I want this to be over with," said family friend Mike Vanderweg.

"We need closure. If she's here, we need to bring her home," said Mary Lands' cousin Dean Marshall.

The bone found Saturday appears to be a human bone, according to the family's private investigator. 24 Hour News 8 was the only media outlet on the scene when the find was made and police were called in. Marshall Police bagged it up and sent it for tests. But on Sunday afternoon, the family's biggest question wondered why police aren't on the scene.

"Police show no interest in this, especially the Marshall Police. They came out here yesterday and didn't think that this was any big deal. I take this very serious and they should be out here right now," said Vanderweg.

24 Hour News 8 spoke with Marshall Police Chief Mike Olson Sunday evening. He told us, "We need to know what type of bone was found and gather more information before determining the next steps we should take."
 
This reminds me so much of what happened with Carrie Culberson. They were going to search the pond there the next day, the family left for the night and the cops left soon after. When they did the search the next day, the bottom of pond showed markings but nothing was found in the pond. She has never been found, and it has always been thought that she was in the pond that night and was moved after the cops left. I am so glad that this family is standing guard.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5kKvJv1Rno

On March 12, Mary Denise Lands will have been missing 3 years. As a family supporter I have created this video to bring more attention to her case and hopefully some day bring closure to this case and bring Mary home to her family. I hope you will all take the time to view this video.

The video is also on Google Video and YouTube!
 
Yellow balloons floated into the gray sky as tears stained the cheeks of some people who let them go.

The balloons and the tears marked the third anniversary of the disappearance of Mary Marshall Lands.

The 39-year-old woman was last seen March 12, 2004, after her boyfriend, Chris Pratt, said they argued and she walked away from their townhouse.

Lands has not been found and her family presumes she is dead.

"We know she is deceased but we want to keep her memory alive," Lands' mother, Anita Marshall, said Monday.

About 30 people joined Anita Marshall and her husband, Clifford, for a 1 p.m. ceremony at the Brooks Memorial Fountain in Marshall. A few people wore white baseball caps with the words "Where is Mary?" and one friend presented Anita Marshall with a small yellow rose plant.

With tears in her eyes, Anita Marshall told the crowd, "we appreciate every one of you," before they released 36 balloons, one for each month Lands has been missing.

"I don't know why they haven't solved this," Clifford Marshall said after embracing his wife.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=72385
 
Another man and woman who got into a fight and she walked out the door never to be seen again....SURE. I wonder how well LE looked at the boyfriend?
I didn't read that Mary took anything with her. Anyone know if she even took a purse. There sure are a lot of wives and girlfriends that have a spat with their husbands/boyfriends...they leave in a snit and just never come back but instead disappear into thin air :banghead: :furious:
 
http://woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6735834

Missing woman's fiance due in court Monday


GRAND RAPIDS -- A West Michigan man accused of assaulting his girlfriend is scheduled to appear in court Monday. Chris Pratt faces four charges, after prosecutors say he attacked his live-in girlfriend last month.
It's not the first time Pratt has been targeted by police. He is the former fiance of Mary Lands, who has been missing since March of 2004. Sources close to the case tell 24 Hour News 8 that Pratt is a person of interest in her disappearance, though authorities have never called him a suspect.
 
http://woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6744165

BATTLE CREEK -- Sexual assault charges that were dropped have been reinstated in a case of a man accused of assaulting his girlfriend.

On Monday, prosecutors dropped the charges against Chris Pratt, but added charges of unlawful imprisonment, which is a 15-year felony offense. Prosecutors say he attacked the woman last month.

The victim took the witness stand and described an afternoon of verbal, physical and emotional abuse. Pratt's attorney said the only reason why his client is here is because of who he is and his past.

Pratt is the former fianc of Mary Lands of Marshall who has been missing since March 2004. Sources close to the case tell 24 Hour News 8 Pratt is a person of interest in her disappearance, though authorities have never called him a suspect.
 
What happens in Marshall Michigan....stays in Marshall, Michigan. Even perps who shoot, stab, rob, beat, etc. We keep it under the rug. God forbid we malign our historical (hysterical) city. We like to keep our image flawless. The Comical (Chronicle) keeps it that way.
 
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7586135&nav=0RceI6Uf

7 Jan 08

The ex-fiance of a woman missing for over three years will spend between 4 1/2 - 15 years in prison on separate charges.

Christopher Pratt was convicted of Unlawful Imprisonment after he locked up his live-in girlfriend in their home, breaking the phone so she could not call anyone.

When he took the stand in early December, Pratt admitted to having anger problems but said he would not harm his girlfriend.

A jury found him guilty on December 5.

and

Pratt is the former fiance of Mary Lands, who went missing in 2004.

more at link
 
October 12, 2008 sadly marked 4 years & 7 months since Mary Denise Lands purportedly walked away from her apartment at Waldon Pond Town Homes, #7, 1200 Arm Street in Marshall, Michigan at approximately 10:00 P.M. on the wintry evening of Friday, March 12, 2004. Weather conditions on that date and time were recorded to be; 19 degrees, 10-15 mile per-hour winds, intermittent snow flurries, with snow on the ground. Mary was attired in light-weight blue medical scrub pants with a "Sponge Bob" print scrub shirt, soft slip-on athletic shoes with no heel back, and wearing her favorite winter brown leather bomber jacket. This was the report of her fiancé, Chris Pratt. 44 hours after she allegedly went missing he called her mother and father in California to ask if they had seen Mary? The family then notified the Marshall Police Department.

The 5th winter season since Mary disappeared is just around the corner. Before long it will be the 5th Thanksgiving Day, the 5th Christmas Day and the 5th New Year that the Marshall family have endured not knowing the fate of their beloved daughter? Chris Pratt still refuses to speak or offer help in the search for Mary as he sits in prison cell at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia. As most people are aware, he was sentenced to a minimum of four years and eight months to a maximum of 15 years in prison. He was convicted by a Calhoun County jury in December 2007 for felony assault and other violent crimes against another girl-friend. He has now been incarcerated for 16 months. A possible parole could occur as early as February 2012. In about 3 years Christopher Luke Pratt could again be stalking the streets of Marshall placing victims, families, and society in fear.

http://www.justiceformary.blogspot.com/

http://www.marydeniselands.com/marylandshome.html
 
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=106729&catid=2

12 March 09

Today marked the 5th anniversary of the disappearance of Mary Lands from Marshall in Calhoun County.

Lands vanished in March 2004 following an argument with her boyfriend Chris Pratt. At the time Pratt told police Lands walked of their apartment and never returned. Her family has been looking for her ever since.

more at link
 
Search continues for woman missing for five years

The search for a missing Marshall woman has turned up something, but investigators aren't sure exactly what it is.



On Wednesday, an area swamp was searched with people close to the Mary Lands case.


Her parents have always had an aching suspicion that she was killed and her body may have been dumped in a patch of swampy land near Albion.



On Wednesday, a law enforcement officer from Wisconsin came with a special tracking dog to search for any sign of human remains in that land, something that Mary's parents have wanted to do for some time.



"We continue to get tips, you know we didn't go far enough, we didn't go deep enough, we didn't go west enough, so we're hoping that this will put it to rest out here," said Cliff Marshall, Lands father.



Initial searches didn't turn up anything, but a search of a different area did turn up scents, possibly of human remains, according to people close to Wednesday's search.

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/marshall-1363994-missing-woman.html
 
Bumping for Mary. Six years have passed since she vanished.

Mary was my neighbor on the lake until three weeks before she disappeared. I hope her loved ones get their answers, this case has haunted me. Prayers for Mary.
 
Vigil marks 6 years since Lands vanished
Sarah Lambert • The Enquirer • March 13, 2010

A chilly wind drew 51 yellow and red balloons across Brooks Memorial Fountain and up toward the gray sky Friday morning.

The red balloons signified the 45 years since Mary Marshall Lands' birth. The six yellow balloons represented the years since she disappeared without a trace.

About 40 people gathered at the Marshall fountain Friday morning to hold a vigil on the anniversary of Lands' disappearance.

"We want to thank all of you for coming out with us and supporting us for six long years," said Anita Marshall, Mary's mother, with her husband, Clifford. "We have needed that support."

The mystery of Lands' disappearance in March 2004 never was solved, but nobody is giving up, said Jim Carlin, the family's private investigator.

~~~~~~
The case had a breath of fresh air this year when a new Marshall police chief, Jim Schwartz, made the case a priority, Carlin said.

"Now that I was taking over as the head of the department, I said we need to refocus and start working the case again," Schwartz said.

The police department still is accepting new tips and re-examining old ones, Schwartz said.

Anyone with information about the case, no matter how insignificant it may seem, should call Silent Observer at 964-3888 or the Marshall police department at 781-2596, Schwartz said.

There is a $20,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Mary Lands and the successful prosecution of those who harmed her, Carlin said.

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/...0320/Vigil+marks+6+years+since+Lands+vanished
 
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