30. MARY MARSHALL-LANDS
“Mary Marshall-Lands disappeared from her apartment March 12th, 2004, and no one has seen her since. I remember growing up and seeing the billboards around town about her disappearance, but didn’t really know the extent of it until I got older. Her then boyfriend at the time had been living with her and was the last one to see her before she left her apartment around 10 p.m. The couple apparently had an argument which caused her to leave to ‘take a walk.’ She left her keys, wallet, and cell phone in the apartment and took her empty purse with her. Her boyfriend had been known for abuse in prior relationships, which caused him to be the main suspect in the case. After her disappearance, the entire town got behind the search effort, but nothing was found. The family of the boyfriend owned and operated a pig farm, which is known around town to be Mary’s final resting place. The farm was searched but nothing was found, though pigs are known to even eat bones. Years after her disappearance, her then boyfriend was sent to 6 years in prison for holding his then girlfriend against her will as well as sexual abuse. Despite this, the local police have yet to discover any information or evidence that can pin him to the crime. The police continue to dig through evidence and hope for any information, as the town she went missing from is extremely small. The private investigator hired by the family believes that ‘her remains are within 10 miles of the fountain in the middle of town.’ This one hit home for me as I grew up in the area and now personally know the family through business endeavors. It’s scary and tough for me to see them deal with her disappearance.”
