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

[krAL2007]

There is a monastery in Cullman, AL between Birmingham and Huntsville.

Benedictine Sisters of Cullman, AL

forgive me, as I don’t know much about Catholic workings, but I wonder if it could be something if someone really did report seeing a vehicle matching the description in Huntsville, AL.

 

[dkryder]

It occurs to me that if she did become a Catholic then her family might consider that as her "mental illness" . She might have been given the option to seek help in trying to chose between her new faith or her family. That would be a tough choice. Total speculation and MOO.

 

[cluciano63]

Bizarre that her car cannot be located.
Her apparent conversion is certainly very strange, considering everything...

 

[Laughing]

I thought the video was part of an application for a college Education department, to complete coursework to become a certified teacher?

Maybe I need to find the link & have a re-run?

(Agree on how some people might view a conversion to Catholicism as a "mental illness.")

Marilane, call home, call a sister, call someone; drive into a police station just to say "I'm OK!"

JMHO YMMV LRR

 

[Kensie]

I am in Huntsville and my son lives in Cordova, TN. We are on the lookout for Marilane.
Hoping this young lady is found safe.

The Huntsville, AL PD put out a release as well
Huntsville Police Department

 

[Ozarka]

I am somewhat familiar with the area. She could have thrown the phone out of the car on the bridge entering AR and could be anywhere now.
MOO

 

[Kensie]

Good point Ozarka.

 

[Subiechik21]

I am in Huntsville and my son lives in Cordova, TN. We are on the lookout for Marilane.
Hoping this young lady is found safe.

I am in Birmingham and on the lookout as well!

 

[Subiechik21]

My husband's family is from Fairhope so this hits a little close to home. And he has family in the Athens area which is close to Huntsville.

 

[Subiechik21]

I am somewhat familiar with the area. She could have thrown the phone out of the car on the bridge entering AR and could be anywhere now.
MOO

I hope that's what she did, that would be the best outcome.

 

[cluciano63]

Have they said phone is not not functional? For some reason I thought it was possible to find a phone, even if turned off, but probably wrong...

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Marilane is in Namus but not entered UNTIL AUGUST 10th, 2020.
Here is her info and the detective on the case.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Circumstances
Date of Last ContactAugust 2, 2020
NamUs Case CreatedAugust 10, 2020
Last Known Location Map
LocationWest Plains, Missouri 65775
CountyHowell County
Missing From Tribal LandNo
Primary Residence on Tribal LandNo
Circumstances of DisappearanceMarilane Carter reportedly left her residence in Overland Park, KS on the evening of 08/01/20. She was en route to see family in Birmingham, Alabama. She stopped in West Plains, MO at a motel in the early morning hours of 08/02/20. She checked out about two hours later. Video surveillance confirms this. Family spoke to Marilane on the phone in the evening on 08/02/20, after she stopped at a service station/convenience store. She was reported to be near a bridge crossing over from West Memphis to Memphis. No one has had contact with Marilane since the evening of 08/02/20. Her last cell phone activity was in this area. Her family is concerned for her welfare.
Circumstance Notes
Marilane was driving a gray 2011 GMC Acadia - Kansas license tag 194LFY

Physical Description
Hair ColorBrown
Head Hair DescriptionLong shoulder length hair, wears it up in a pony tail with a base ball cap sometimes
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Descriptionsometimes wears glasses
Left Eye ColorGreen
Right Eye ColorGreen
Eye Description






Overland Park Police Department
(913) 895-6000

Agency Case Number2020-013033
Kathleen Wedel, Detective
--

I dint think we know what she was applying for just that it sounded like a teaching position or program. We don’t know where.

Overland Park Police Department

We are still trying to locate Mrs. Carter. It is believed she may not be in the Kansas City area. However if you have any information, please contact our agency.

View attachment 259313

Interesting the media release says prepared by Detective Larsen but on the NAMUS the detective is-
Overland Park Police Department
(913) 895-6000

Agency Case Number2020-013033
Kathleen Wedel, Detective
--

She was applying for the teacher position at a Catholic school? I totally missed that!!

 

[thebigcookie]

I also live in Memphis in the suburb of Germantown and I have heard about this case on social media. I find it odd she only stayed in the hotel for two and a half hours and hardly got any sleep. She may have mental issues and sleep issues. Seems odd the trip takes so long. The drive from the hotel in West Plains, MO to Memphis is only about three hours yet it took her all day. Where was she for all those hours? I’ve been near there canoeing in Mammoth Spring, AR which is on that route. That route also passes through Hardy, AR where Kia Kima Boy Scout Camp is. I have been across that old bridge many times. In fact, I was just on it a month ago when I was going on a trip to NW Arkansas. There is a pedestrian bridge next to it but it does not connect to the water. You would have to access it from Riverside Drive or from Mud Island.

This whole Catholic thing seems strange too. I wonder if it was a different person and their name was misspelled in the bulletin like another poster said. But then again, she followed a Catholic priest on her YouTube channel so maybe it was her. Seems odd she is married to a Baptist minister and joins a Catholic Church like that.

And the church her husband is pastor of is Leawood Baptist Church in Leawood, KS. And it just so happens there is also a Leawood Baptist Church here in Memphis in the Highland Heights/Nutbush area at Macon and Homer.

I think it sounds like this woman may be depressed and have mental issues. This could be a voluntary disappearance where she just needs to get away. I only hope she will be found and return to her family.

 

[swedeheart]

live now: (marilane's case coming up soon).

 

[swedeheart]

Here's one of the first reports from her BIL. The story has changed several times over time depending on who's reporting with the baby part coming later on.

Aug 06, 2020
Family: Missing Overland Park woman left to seek mental health treatment

“She made a quick decision to leave her home and make her way down to the Birmingham area to seek mental health counseling," said Brady McLaughlin, Carter's brother-in-law.

McLaughlin told 41 Action News that Carter, 36, left her Overland Park home abruptly around 8:15 p.m. on Saturday. According to McLaughlin, Carter was heading to Birmingham, Alabama, where most of her family is located, to seek mental health services.

“She didn’t really pack many bags, she was wearing the clothes that she wore and maybe a backpack and was planning on making the drive down," McLaughlin said.

she didn't pack bags, but was seen rolling a suitcase in and out of the hotel. that's not making sense to me.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Gray Hughes discussing live-

 

[diggndeeperstill]

I started reading and trying to organize a timeline on paper and inconsistencies in my mind. I noticed this article and am further confused.

This Multi-state search for missing Overland Park mom continues as family fears for her safety | FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports article states:

Since then, she was seen at a gas station in West Memphis, Arkansas, on Sunday and on Monday at another gas station in Southhaven, Mississippi. Officer John Lacy with the Overland Park Police Department said they’re waiting for more information.

--------
So, I am wondering what time the gas station was, if the video is available, what her demeanor was then, how she paid, and what she purchased. Did someone follow her from here? It wouldn't really make sense to go get gas if you were planning to commit suicide I wouldn't think.

I know the Southaven, Mississippi sighting doesn't have video per the family and therefore is "unconfirmed".

 

[MemPat]

has it been confirmed by her family (not her husband) that she suffered mental illness? is that definitely her in the hotel footage? have her friends come forward to say what the relationship was like in her marriage?

i hate that i am so cynical (and a little bit tainted by reading here, daily) that i accuse the husband right off the bat on these cases, but that's my gut feeling on this one. something about him is really off and insincere, in addition to the face-scratches. that he waited a week to report her missing and was in the area where she was on camera is sketchy, at best. if he is the only one who says she is "mentally ill" that is also a red flag. imo.

what do you guys think of this case?

My hinky-meter is definitely pinging on this case.

The fact that the husband is Lead Pastor at a Baptist Church and Marilane possibly celebrated a first Holy Communion in the Catholic Church would threaten his career.

His job security would very much depend on her staying within his church. (Trust me on this.)

Also I'm always surprised when families talk all around the subject of depression as though "sleep problems" bad enough to seek therapy don't add up to that.

Again, a problem that falls in the category of mental illness could reflect badly on the Pastor, depending on who was judging the reflecting.

If I had to guess (and it is a guess), I'd suspect Marilane has been suffering from Clinical Depression and has been discouraged from seeing a therapist. A friend may have recommended a Catholic Priest who has been counseling her, leading to her decision to join the Catholic Church.

MOO

I hope I'm completely wrong and that she's someplace getting professional help. I'm here in Memphis praying she's in a hospital close by.

 

[swedeheart]

I started reading and trying to organize a timeline on paper and inconsistencies in my mind. I noticed this article and am further confused.

This Multi-state search for missing Overland Park mom continues as family fears for her safety | FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports article states:

Since then, she was seen at a gas station in West Memphis, Arkansas, on Sunday and on Monday at another gas station in Southhaven, Mississippi. Officer John Lacy with the Overland Park Police Department said they’re waiting for more information.

--------
So, I am wondering what time the gas station was, if the video is available, what her demeanor was then, how she paid, and what she purchased. Did someone follow her from here? It wouldn't really make sense to go get gas if you were planning to commit suicide I wouldn't think.

I know the Southaven, Mississippi sighting doesn't have video per the family and therefore is "unconfirmed".

@diggndeeperstill i think the sightings are unsubstantiated. does anyone know if the hotel footage is 100 percent her? has that been confirmed by LE?

also, i have read and heard clips (news) that her husband was driving around looking for her and asking about her (after she went missing, i'm assuming, but when exactly?) where was he the day she went missing, and where all did he drive to and when? (i'm so confused about this timeline and her route).

why did he state she left with only the clothes on her back and maybe a backpack, but she is at a hotel with a suitcase, and a heavy one by the looks of it? why did she check in and out so quickly? if the hotel was 4 hours from her home, why did it take her 8 to get to the hotel? could her husband have found where she was at (hotel) by calling her credit card or tracking her phone? is it possible that's why she left so quickly (both home and the hotel)? was she running from him?

she's listed in NAMUS, but why aren't all 3 states she was travelling through involved in searching for her?

and wth is he so adamant that boats are needed? seems like he's jumping to conclusions pretty fast.

this is all speculation, so moo, but i'm just throwing some ideas (and some questions) out there bc it's nagging at me.

 

[MemPat]

Hi Friends - new user here. I've been following this case as I know the family - her parents, siblings, some of the spouses, and Marilane herself. I can tell you the following things:

1) If Marilane wanted out of her marriage, her parents would most likely not be supportive. This is a family that does not believe in divorce under any circumstance.
2) This whole family is deeply religious (Southern Baptist) and IMO does not typically seek mental health help - rather they prefer to rally in prayer around the person who is struggling.
3) I do find it odd the conflicting statements - I have yet to be able to confirm if the original claim of seeking mental health treatment extended beyond trouble sleeping, and if it originated with the husband or Marilane herself - stay tuned on that.
4) It is my personal opinion, based on knowledge of the family, that Marilane was NOT traveling with the intent of helping with her sister's birth process - I do believe that was said to try to make the trip seem more planned in advance and minimize the real reason for the trip if it was a mental health issue - her parents likely believe the stigma is attached.
6) The BIL was previously in LE and is a radio personality, so initially he made the most sense for being the spokesperson, however it's my opinion that he said things that conflicted with the original family story, and he was asked to step down to an extent. He is still heavily involved on social media but I don't think he will continue to be the face of the operation.
7) Marilane's parents are well off - so not offering a reward is a calculated maneuver - they could 100% afford to offer a substantial reward for information leading to her wearabouts. Which leads me to believe they are still almost certain she is in inpatient somewhere safe.

ETA
8) I found it curious that about 4 months ago, her youtube account started following a catholic priest who occasionally posts videos. Would align with the catholic conversion, but I have heard nothing of a conversion from the family.

I should have read your post before I left mine! Thanks for getting us beyond speculation about Marilane's circumstances,