Found Deceased KS - Marilane Carter, 36, Overland Park, enroute to Birmingham, 1 Aug, call from Memphis, 2 Aug 2020

[MadTing]

Phones going dark with no pings are always huge red flags for me, Most phones these day's when not being used will last a good few day's before the battery dies, If the phone just rings out with no answer that's one thing, but when it just goes dark its a huge red flag, of course a battery can die but most people have in car chargers these day's that would have left the phone fully charged by the end of a long journey, the phone going completely dark makes it much more likley that somebody turned it off.

 

[MadTing]

Gray made a good point in that she filled up with gas only a few miles from her last phone ping, the fact that she filled up so close to that ping indicates that she planned on going much further.

 

[killarney rose]

That, coupled with the fact she was in an unsavory area could mean something nefarious happened, totally unrelated to her mental state.

 

[Quill]

At this point, I'm leaning towards a carjacking. MOO

That is a very logical and rational thought considering the crime statistics for the greater Memphis area. I have a friend that was a victim in that area and the whole thing, including the aftermath was a nightmare.

 

[MontereyMama]

Doesn’t gas burn off faster if the engine Is just running? Maybe she stopped several times to try to rest and had the car running and sitting in a parking lot? I feel like I’m grasping at straws here.

Or park (car idling) to make phone calls/do research on this convoluted direction she was trying to discern? That could eat up a lot of time.

 

[Quill]

I have the nagging feeling that after she left the hotel at 6:05am, she drove to St. Michael's Church in West Memphis (170 mi, about 3 hr drive with no stops) to attend the 10:30am Sunday service. Before the service she confides in a priest or someone else connected to the church (maybe someone linked to that priest she follows on YouTube who seems to be based in London), then the service ends around 12:15pm. She leaves ~12:30pm and drives the 90 miles to Hazen, placing her there around 2pm -- 8 hours after departing the hotel.



I think she was trying to decide what to do. Whatever she had planned to do in the direction of Hazen, she changed her mind and decided to head BACK to West Memphis. So after pacing around, maybe getting something to eat somewhere (paying cash), feeling very hazy and sleep-deprived & indecisive, she decides to return to West Memphis around 3:30, arriving at the gas station at 5pm. When she gets there, she makes the decision to ditch her phone and go into hiding with the assistance of someone from that church.

I think in the months leading up to her disappearance, some people close to her convinced her that her desire to convert from Baptist to Catholic was a symptom of mental illness and that a conversion was a very BAD thing. She was already depressed and struggling with that decision, and paired with insomnia that was going on for who knows how long, she was in a very fragile, vulnerable state of mind. She started to wonder if she really was crazy and needed help, so she told her husband she was going to go seek mental health help and stay with family for a while. But instead she made that trip to see someone at St Michael's church and she began to feel more confident in her decision to convert. This confidence led her to return there a second time and whatever happened during that 2nd visit convinced her to go off the grid while she figures out what to do.

What do others think? Is this just all crazy speculation? The timing lines up pretty well. Only problem is I don't know what took her toward Hazen.

This is certainly a case where I think anything is possible, but I'll just throw this out there: I am from the deep south and a mostly Southern Baptist roots family, but we have members of our family who are Catholic and no one thinks they are mentally ill or would put them through mental health counseling for it. My daughters have both dated young men who are Catholic and one may very well end up being my SIL. For many, it's just not as big of a deal as it once was. I do realize that the circumstances of a Baptist preacher's wife wanting to convert is a different situation, but I still have difficulty seeing the angle of the Catholic interest being treated a mental health situation just based on my own personal beliefs and those around me. We are not aware of other possible changes happening in personality that could be coupled with a major shift in religious beliefs that could signal trouble. All in all, its hard for me to believe that a solo trip would be supported by her family if she was experiencing severe symptoms, so this is a very confusing case indeed.

 

[nyvictoria]

I just finished. Nothing new to me other than she had purchased a SW Airlines ticket to Alabama but took a nap and decided when she wakened not to wait for the flight but to leave at that time and drive. Her husband knew and off she went.

I’m several pages behind so if this has been mentioned, feel free to ignore me. Is anyone buying “sleep issues” as a reason for her seeking treatment? If my loved one had sleep issues, I’d never let him or her drive any distance, especially at night. It could lead to a problem with daytime driving too. That said, I think it’s probably a euphemism for other mental health problems. Could her conversion to RC faith be a source of conflict with family? Perhaps they were trying to convince her she was crazy and needed treatment because she converted?

Is the area between her home and her planned destination being saturated with news coverage? Wouldn’t a hospital or other facility at least contact LE if she was receiving treatment there?

If it’s true that the phone number on the fliers belongs to a BIL, that sets off my hinky meter. There are a lot of unanswered questions here. It would really help if a relative would speak to the media to clarify all the conflicting information.

 

[Ozarka]

Do we know the flight details? It is quite possible that she had this planned for quite some time and used the birth of the baby as her “getaway excuse.” She could have planned to meet someone and had to eat up some time since she drove which might explain the missing hours. I know that if I were contemplating leaving my life and kids I would definitely be having sleep issues. This may sound far fetched but I would much rather this be the case than foul play.

MOO

 

[Rosiebones]

I thought it was a lengthy process.

I'm not sure how anyone can be gone two hours on the same evening and nothing be said or noticed.

Or discussed by the community.

This whole case isn't passing the smell test.

The pastor may have had a Bible study group or some other evening church obligation that took him out for 2 or 3 hours each Thursday night.
OR due to Covid restrictions they may have met in Zoom meetings and she never had to leave the house.
But I wonder how she went through the rite of of reception that Sunday without anyone knowing and also rites like that require sponsors, who were hers?
MOO MOO MOO

 

[diggndeeperstill]

In the presser the detective said they had just bought the ticket on Saturday afternoon. I don’t think it was planned that long.

Do we know the flight details? It is quite possible that she had this planned for quite some time and used the birth of the baby as her “getaway excuse.” She could have planned to meet someone and had to eat up some time since she drove which might explain the missing hours. I know that if I were contemplating leaving my life and kids I would definitely be having sleep issues. This may sound far fetched but I would much rather this be the case than foul play.

MOO

 

[Rosiebones]

In the presser the detective said they had just bought the ticket on Saturday afternoon. I don’t think it was planned that long.

I wonder if she bought it without his knowledge and when he found out, perhaps while she was napping, she was so upset, she just up and left. This "mental illness" mostly has come from people who would have reasons to cast her in that light. She seems to have had NO ONE in her immediate life who seems to have seen her circumstances through her eyes and who had her back.

 

[Kensie]

I still think Marilane left on her own. Not sure why. Maybe the missing hours were spent at her ex-fiance's grave. Millington is not far from Memphis - a hop and a skip. Maybe she is too embarrassed to re-surface. I know I ran away from home for a weekend to recoup - but I did let people know. I guess I want to believe that she left on her own because that is the best outcome for this young lady.

 

[Kensie]

If Marliane was absolutely adamant that she drive to Birmingham instead of taking the flight, really no one can really stop her. She is an adult.

 

[dillysmom11]

Okay, I’ve caught up and I’ll throw in my 2c. My family and I just drove from WA through 13 states to AL. We stayed in Collierville outside of Memphis for a day, and this is where I saw the flier for Marilane and decided to check WS.

I am of the thought that Marilane and her hubby had an argument that night. If she was already unstable, I can see her just leaving. By all accounts she is a loving mother, I can’t imagine her leaving her 3 babies unless she is unstable.

Unfortunately, I think she was likely in an accident or car jacked outside of Memphis. When I was looking for hotels for my own family, I purposefully avoided some of the areas that she went through.

Praying this beautiful young mother is found soon.

 

[dillysmom11]

Double post.

 

[Help-find]

I’m having trouble linking the article but back in August of 2018 a mom who drove her car into the Mississippi River from the Big River Crossing area. Thankfully, they have no evidence that MC’s vehicle did enter the water however I thought it was important to note.

I apologize that I’m having trouble with linking the article I read. If you search “Aisha Fair Big River Crossing” several articles will come up.

 

[meanmaryjean]

Okay, I’ve caught up and I’ll throw in my 2c. My family and I just drove from WA through 13 states to AL. We stayed in Collierville outside of Memphis for a day, and this is where I saw the flier for Marilane and decided to check WS.

I am of the thought that Marilane and her hubby had an argument that night. If she was already unstable, I can see her just leaving. By all accounts she is a loving mother, I can’t imagine her leaving her 3 babies unless she is unstable.

Unfortunately, I think she was likely in an accident or car jacked outside of Memphis. When I was looking for hotels for my own family, I purposefully avoided some of the areas that she went through.

Praying this beautiful young mother is found soon.

Respectfully, you don't have to be 'unstable' to make a decision to leave. Just because you or I would not make such a decision does not mean that someone who DOES decide to leave is by default unstable.

 

[Bridger]

Surprised that Marilane’s conversion to Catholicism is being discussed only in terms of her husband’s job. SHE is a graduate of Samford University’s divinity school (I think it’s a master’s degree). To me, this conversion clearly evidences a crisis in her spiritual life. I think this definitely puts mental health issues—either as a cause or effect of the spiritual crisis—into play.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Surprised that Marilane’s conversion to Catholicism is being discussed only in terms of her husband’s job. SHE is a graduate of Samford University’s divinity school (I think it’s a master’s degree). To me, this conversion clearly evidences a crisis in her spiritual life. I think this definitely puts mental health issues—either as a cause or effect of the spiritual crisis—into play.

Agree.. I’m just finishing a deep dive into the Priest she follows on YouTube. What’s interesting to me is that there seems to be no reason to follow him. Not many followers, not local, not connects in any way I can find. EXCEPT... when you listen to his uploads on YouTube. I’ve just listened to them all. You will see he realized his calling to Priesthood later in life and AFTER a spiritual crisis questioning his purpose and salvation. He reached out to the Benedictine Monks and others and settled there. This lends more credence to the idea of Marilane being in a convent or monastery surrendering to her calling, to me anyway.

Maybe the stops along the way were to choose one, or sentimental spots?

I’m hoping for this as it would mean she’s alive.
Otherwise my fear is an unfounded car in a body of water or ditch.

Linking her YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/user/trc32483

 

[dillysmom11]

Respectfully, you don't have to be 'unstable' to make a decision to leave. Just because you or I would not make such a decision does not mean that someone who DOES decide to leave is by default unstable.

I disagree. Statistically speaking, something unsettling (mental illness, whatever) would have to occur for a doting mother to just up and walk out.