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Search continues for Marilane Carter; trail stops in Arkansas

OP police say it's not a criminal investigation
Marilane Carter with husband
Posted at 11:55 AM, Aug 14, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-14 18:35:40-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The search for Marilane Carter continued in the Memphis area on Friday, nearly two weeks since the trail for the missing Overland Park mother went cold.

The lead detective in the case, Blake Larsen with the Overland Park Police Department, said that while it’s a “unique and strange case,” authorities have no reason to reclassify her disappearance as a criminal investigation.

"At this time, there is no reason to believe that any criminal activity is afoot or anything nefarious has happened, especially in Overland Park, Kansas, or the Kansas City metro," Larsen said. "... I want to stress that this is not an active criminal investigation. We are simply trying to help the family locate Marilane Carter and bring her back to her children, to her husband, to her parents. They're all worried sick about her."

Carter, who was on her way to Birmingham, Alabama, left her Overland Park residence around 8:15 p.m. on Aug. 1, driving her 2011 GMC Acadia. Surveillance video showed her checking into a motel in West Plains, Missouri, around 3:45 a.m. on Aug. 2. She checked out a few hours later.

She was seen later that day on surveillance video at a Shell gas station in West Memphis, Arkansas, where she stopped to get water and fill up with gas. Her cellphone pinged a few hours later, at 8:02 p.m. along Interstate 55 in the Memphis area.

Since then, no one has seen or heard from Carter. Her path “stops in West Memphis, Arkansas,” Larsen said.

“What makes this one really strange is how everything just stopped at a certain time, and we haven’t had any sightings or heard from her since," Larsen said. "A lot of people who go missing, we can continue to track ... This one is just strange how it just stopped.”

Marilane Carter.jpg
Overland Park police are searching for a local missing woman thought to be traveling to visit out-of-state family. OPPD said 36-year-old Marilane Carter was last seen leaving her Overland Park home on Aug. 1 around 8:15 p.m.

Larsen said Friday that Carter had planned the trip to Birmingham, though she initially had purchased a plane ticket earlier in the day on Aug. 1. She had planned to fly to see her sister, who is expected to give birth soon, and seek mental health care, according to her family.

“She took a nap during the day (on Saturday, Aug. 1), woke up and something in her mind, the anxiousness or whatever, she was like, I'm not going to wait for the flight; I'm going to leave tonight,” Larsen said. “It was planned, but it was also spur of the moment.”

Larsen said she told her husband, Adam Carter, that she planned to drive there instead, and though he was concerned, he had no reason to stop her from going.

“He was comfortable in letting her go, and I don’t fault him for that, and nobody else, I don't think, on social media or whatever should," Larsen said.

Authorities across multiple states and jurisdictions have utilized “all logical and reasonable investigative techniques” to locate Carter or her vehicle, Larsen said.

Recent searches have focused on the Mississippi River because of its proximity to her last cellphone ping, though there’s no evidence to suggest she went into the water.

On the surveillance videos obtained from the hotel and the gas station, Carter appears to be moving of her own free will and does not show any signs of distress.

Overland Park police classified Carter as a missing and endangered person. In Kansas, the classification carries more urgency than simply a missing person, Larsen said.

Larsen said that Overland Park police will continue to investigate Carter’s disappearance as long as there are tips and leads to check out.

“We are keeping our fingers crossed, and whatever God you pray to, I’m praying to God that we can find her alive and well,” Larsen said.

Family members are holding out hope that tips will help find Carter and bring her home safely.

“If you believe you see her or her vehicle or know anything else that may be helpful in the case, and like he said in the news conference, call your local law enforcement, even though (Overland Park police) are the primary, call your local law enforcement," said Brady McLaughlin, Carter's brother-in law.

Anyone who sees Marilane Carter or has information on her whereabouts should call their local police department or 911.