Katharina Buczek
In 2004, Mary Denise Lands of Marshall, Michigan, was 39-years-old and had two adult children. Soon, she was also supposed to welcome her first grandchild.
So when Mary’s parents decided to move to California and begged her to follow suit, she turned down the idea. Mary was eager to stay in Michigan as she became a grandmother.
Tragically, though, that did not happen – because just days later, she mysteriously disappeared.
At the time, Mary was engaged to her fiancé, Christopher, and together, they lived in an apartment located on Arms Street in Marshall.
Shortly after her parents relocated to California in March 2004, they received a call from Christopher, asking whether they were with Mary. He claimed to have last seen his fiancée between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on March 12, 2004.
However, Mary’s family had no clue where she was, and her brother, Mike, ultimately contacted the Marshall Police Department to report her missing.
Authorities launched an investigation and spoke to Christopher, who alleged they’d gotten into an argument that Friday night. Following their fight, Mary reportedly left their apartment and told her fiancé that she was going for a walk.
She took just her white mesh purse and was wearing medical scrubs with a leather jacket. Her other belongings – including her clothes, engagement ring, cell phone, and the keys to her new car, a Dodge Durango – were left behind.
Investigators determined that Mary had been at the Marshall Party Store earlier that same day, at approximately 6:30 p.m. According to Jim Carlin, a private investigator hired by Mary’s family, she’d gone to a local tanning salon to meet up with Christopher afterward.
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