Simply Vanished

On the morning of June 6, 1984, in Greenville, Alabama, 12-year-old Sherry Lynn Marler accompanied her stepdad on errands.  He gave her a dollar to buy a soda from a gas station across the street.  She would never be seen again.  Chris discusses theories about the case.  Was Sherry the victim of a rare stranger abduction or something even more sinister?  

Transcript

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People just want to know what it's like to be me. How does it feel to see a dead body, tell a family their loved one has been murdered, talk to a rape victim, catch a killer, and get them to confess, hold on tight, my friends, get ready for the journey. And welcome to murder with mannina. Hello, everyone, and welcome to another edition of murder with mannina. Thank you for the nice comments I don't think I've shared with you, Colleen and I got a few saying they really enjoyed it. The cases are intriguing. So we appreciate that. And please keep sending ones that you want us to talk about. And get out there if you have any. So but of course, here we are, again, talking about another mass shooting mass shooting at a school in Nashville. And before we talk about that a little bit, I want to say I want to give a huge shout out to the Nashville police department because one of the positive things that's happening from these horrible tragedies is that police departments are training a lot more on how to handle these and they're reacting a lot quicker. And from the time that the call came in, that there was a shooting at the school, it took them 14 minutes to kill the shooter. So that's a huge shot is impressive. In the video, it's so impressive the video and the officers, you see a little bit of the video and you're seeing kind of how they're tactically going into the school and going up and down steps. And, you know, you can practice that all day long. And you're never going to be able to practice it enough to be 100% safe. And you know, that's that's the heart of police officers that can train and train and train, knowing that today could be the day that their life, you know, was and and all those officers that went in there, you know, had one thing on their mind that there's babies and children and things in the school needed to get in there. So huge shout out to the National Police Department and the way that they responded and did their jobs completely. So I just wanted to say that. And of course, again, I don't know how many times we have to say prayers to the victims, prayers to the families, three children, three administrators along with a custodian was involved. And it's just super sad. I'm just I'm heartsick over it. Well, the statistics are incredibly alarming. We're three months into this year, and there have been at least 89 shootings that have happened on school grounds nationwide. Yeah. And this year, we're up to past I think, 122 mass shootings this year, and we're in March. And so that's just nuts. Yeah. And like I say, you know, a lot is that, you know, and I've learned this throughout my career that if someone decides that they want to do something, there isn't really anything that you can do to stop it. And in this particular incident with the shooting, the shooter had a very well planned out, had maps to the school did surveillance, it wasn't a I'm upset, quick reaction type of thing. It was very well planned out, and you're not going to be able to prevent that. Now, of course, there was no security at the school. Because they didn't think that they needed one. It was a church, a church school. But you know, so when you look at these shootings and things and but this was very well planned out, so is well as it was planned out. Again, kudos to the police department that ended it within 14 minutes. Although Chris, the people in her life may have noticed that something's off the shooter identified as a transgender and she was a former student at the school. You know, the motive has not been determined, or at least has not been announced. However, they do think that perhaps she resented having to attend this Christian School. I mean, it seems like those kinds of things. They're not completely dormant until something like this happens. Right? Right. No, it's not completely dormant. Yeah, no, my point was just that when somebody decides that they're going to do something, you know, you're like she she shot through a locked door, you know, and so, but the training you can see in the response time is improving, and we're alerting, you know, as law enforcement officials that, you know, you've got to get in there quick and you can't sit outside and wait for SWAT because see, that used to be the old thing, you would have a major incident. And your first line of response of officers would call for the SWAT team. We just kind of sit outside and wait. And that's you can't do that shit anymore. Anyways, I just wanted to bring that up. So, but I do want to talk about this unsolved case. She was 12 years old and her name was Sherry Lynn MARLAR and she has been missing since June 6 of 1984. from Greenville, Alabama. She was She is a long time ago. She has a white female, who was five four at the time with brown hair and weighed between 100 and 120 pounds. She had a one inch scar near her shoulder. And she was last seen wearing a long sleeve flannel shirt, faded jeans, gray sneakers, with Velcro, and a black band watch. She was described as a tomboy who loved Kenny Rogers and farming. She had a nickname of little farmer at the time of her disappearance, she had both baby and adult teeth into fillings. What's of course is important right? To know that information, she lived in Greenville. And that was only a population of a little over 70 501 A the most important things to do, you know like to talk about this as an investigator with a missing and cold case is to lock down the timeline as solid as you as you possibly can. And I often tell my friends when they're trying to figure out if their significant other is cheating or locked down the timeline that's so important. It gives you such valuable information. And it's just super, super important, especially when we're talking about hold cases and missing people. So the timeline starts like this. Sherry was asleep on the couch because her stepdads aunt was in town visiting for the week, so she gave up her bed to her share. His mother was up early that day because she had a shift at the Waffle House that started at 7am. A little after 9am Sherry ran out of the house as her stepdad was leaving to run errands. She was really, really excited to go with them. And she did that a lot. She would run errands with him. So they were both seen around 930 in the morning. The first was that was at the First National Bank. her stepdad had to sign some papers. So Sherry told him that she was thirsty. So he gave her $1 and had her go over to the gas station to get a drink and the gas station was just across the street from the bank. Witnesses said they did see Sherry walking toward the gas station. So right now based on all that, you know, the timeline seems pretty reasonable and solid. 15 minutes later, her stepdad, Raymond was done at the bank and went out to his truck. He was surprised that she wasn't there. 25 minutes later past he started become a little bit more panicky about it. I started looking for her at the gas station in the local stores, but no one had seen her. He then phones, her mom at the Waffle House, but she wasn't there as well. So he's he's hot and around. And what's kind of crazy is at that point, no one had seen her. So at around 1145 In the morning, she was officially reported missing. So a couple hours after that she was officially reported missing, which means that police were called and they after getting the information from stepdad they officially made a police report. So that's what that means when they say officially reported missing. So a massive search started volunteers came out in droves and comb the town. This is interesting, a local Flying Service conducted an aerial search as well. So that's nice. They had a bunch of volunteers coming out and then a local Flying Service did a whole aerial thing. You don't hear that happening very often. So that was kind of cool. Missing Persons posters were made and plastered everywhere around town no one has heard or seen from her since then. She would be in her 50s today and if you look her up and you Google her you'll see progression age progression photos of her so obviously you know as good investigators and it sounded like they did a pretty good job of trying to investigate this they look fam they looked at family very closely and it appeared you know at least at this point in time that they had eliminated everyone evidently several people have been question and hardly any information has come in over the years in reference to that case like hardly any tips no information. Ramin is her stepfather um was questioned first which was good obviously he's the last one that you know because the bank have, you know, cameras and things and the last one physically seen with her. First he was he was offered but this is this is interesting. He was offered a polygraph but he refused to take it, which always just bothers me. Sherry's mom. Betty never believed that her has had anything to do with her disappearance like to this day does not believe at all that he was involved. I just hate it when they won't take the the date the polygraph. And an interview with Betty in 2013. In the hospital's stepdad was in the it was in the hospital in an intensive care. And he told her right before his death that he didn't know what happened to Sherry saying, I wish I could get out of this bed and bring her home to you. And to this day, she still doesn't believe for a second that he had anything to do with her being missing, but I go back to them. Why don't you think the polling? Okay, wow, when and why? And why wouldn't he? What would be the reason that someone wouldn't take I mean, you know, there's people that refuse to take the polygraph that didn't do it. I mean, they didn't do it, they just don't want it. One of the fears is, is that they're afraid that it will show deception. When they know they didn't do it. They're still they're still afraid that deception could be shown, you know, and so that's kind of the couple things that I've had from people that I've wanted to have take polygraphs, they just said, Now, nope. I don't believe in him. You know, and, and like I said before, it's not something you can use in court. It's just a tool, but it would have been really, really helpful. Because now we'll never know, this case is, you know, unsolved. We'll never really know, if he was involved. And I think, you know, they cleared him, they cleared him, he was a person of interest, but they cleared him. You know, they don't think he's a suspect, or they didn't have enough to believe that he was. But it would just, you know, make me feel better at this point. Just to and I'm sure the investigators to that he, you know, would have taken it, then it would have been like, okay, for sure. You know, because I think I believe in the polygraph. I mean, I believe in it. So. But so a big question I'd like to know is the stop that is the stop dad left the the time that he left, the bank was at 930. And I would you know, did people see him between 930 and 1130? When she was officially reported missing to investigators? Did they see him actually out looking for her? Because if they did fantastic if they didn't, then maybe he killed her and and took her somewhere? that would that would be the number one question, because it sounds like it was a really small panel, like what was his history? did? Was there anything in his character or in his history that would indicate that he had the potential to do something like that? Nothing that I could find? And mom, you know, his wife believed, you know, didn't believe for a second. But, you know, like always, there's still shady stuff, you know that that happens that never, you know, we don't we never find so. So two hours is a long time enough to kill him to kill her and burp and bury her is exactly what I thought like, I would need to know who saw him. Okay. And like I said before, a mom doesn't think that he is involved at all, so that it comes you know, as investigators, it's like, okay, we've interviewed the stepdad we've done a search, you know, we don't have any anything else. And you got to ask the question Did she run away? Doesn't appear to be the case, mom has always said that she was very happy and content. And she had a birthday coming up and she had no reason to leave home. She had plans that day to visit her grandmother. She also had not taken any of her belongings with her that day. So there was no argument no fight, you know, and moms, you know, given indication that there'd be no reason, then of course, then you gotta maybe ask yourself, Okay, stranger abduction, it's always a possibility, but it's just still very rare. always a possibility, but rare. One thing that mom says may be a little less rare at a gas station since truckers and trains kind of pass through. I mean, still a crazy wild coincidence that a predator would be there at the same time went over there to get something to drink. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. I just just so random. Well, and I've just gotten such tunnel vision on my, in my career that I just very rarely, rarely did I see random shit. Like I just almost don't believe in it. Like, you know that. Yeah, when somebody wins the lottery. Absolutely. So I'm gonna get struck by lightning. Absolutely. Very random but in, in the world that I lived in for so long and still continue to live in. I just You just don't see very much. However, in the 80s in certain parts of the country, there were there was relatively a high concentration of serial killers. Yeah. Right. I mean, you can't rule that out. What Absolutely. One thing that mom pointed out that I thought was kind of interesting was that in 1994 vending machines I was not giving would not take dollar bill. So she had to ask somebody at the gas station for change. And so she as he's trying to figure out, you know what happened? She kind of made that, you know, made that point and and kind of what you're saying, you know what she was she was at a crime of opportunity did she ask the wrong person for change for her dollars so that she could get a soda? Maybe not likely, but maybe and and that's the thing is like, you have to keep every every road open because you don't know. I mean, we don't really know. So there were three unconfirmed sightings. All three sightings said Sherry was with a man about 50 years old, five, eight. And it's so crazy that they just linked it unconfirmed but five, eight who looked husky and weathered. One of the witnesses said she heard her call him BJ. What's crazy is all three witnesses said that she looked dazed and disheveled. Those were the words that were used. Isn't that crazy? What timeframe are these? Did witnesses? It did I couldn't figure that out? I couldn't, but it was fairly close. But they didn't say it wasn't that day. But just over the years. And like I said before, if they see a young girl looking dazed and just shoveled, why did they not reply? Why did they not call the cops and say something's off about my got the license plate? Or this is where they are? You know? That's a whole other discussion. I don't know. It's just crazy. But that's a whole, the more people I talk to, because I'm intrigued by that, you know, would you get yourself involved in the like, no, the world is too dangerous. I'm not getting myself involved. It's all I can do to stay keep safe myself and keep my children safe. I'm not stepping out of my comfort zone to help somebody else. And, and when you look at these cases, and even you know, with these unconfirmed sightings, you know, why didn't they call? Or why wasn't more than so hard to understand, because I'm exactly the opposite. I Yeah. 100% Yeah, opposite. I mean, even like so much as somebody driving erratically on the road, I don't want them to hit an innocent person. I'm going to make sure the cops get them. Alright, so we went jumped to 2018. The sheriff's office said that Sherry, I guess they learned this that Sherry had stayed with her stepsister and her husband, in the summer of 1983. Please had received a tip that she was spotted in that area after she was reported missing. So that begs the question, were other family members involved in 2019. This is interesting. This is somebody that got involved a woman by the name of Ryan Welch post posted on Sherry Lynn Marla's that, that posted on a Facebook page that she was still missing and said the following this lady who's been following this case and was just adamant, but she posts on the Facebook page that says Sherry MARLAR was murdered and dismembered by someone she knew very well. And then in parentheses, not her stepdad and thrown into a hog pen. in Butler County. We believe the person is deceased. We believe there were one or two other people there but we're also but are better also deceased. We strongly suspect that she was pregnant at the time we believe she was a victim of a multiple family based incest, like a pedophile ring that involve people from both Butler and Crenshaw counties. She says that they an earth a pig farm in 1984 and they said they have video footage of two separate cadaver and and they have video footage and two separate cadaver dog teams confirming hits on human remains. She's She posted all this on Facebook is kind of odd that she used that public forum for something so sinister and grisly and complicated. And far fetched. Yeah. Right. They discovered some clothing that was sent in for DNA, but none was found on the clothing the woman and the group of strangers have been relentless, relentless in finding her. Mom, you know, has fought hard to keep Sherry's memory alive in 2010. On the 26th anniversary of her disappearance, she opened enterprise restaurant she opened in the inner called an enterprise restaurant. She also joined Team hope, a program created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. So if anybody has any information about this case, you can call the Greenville police department at 3343827 461 I'd like to get a hold of the woman who posted on Facebook to find out where what are hers? What are her source? Right. All right. I've already sent her a message I just had she posted about other cases. I mean, what's her character? Well, I think I found her on Messenger and sent a message. But I haven't heard back, but I think I think that I don't know, I think her intentions are good. And I think that it probably didn't go any further. I mean, they did send it away, you know, authorities did send away for to see if there was DNA, you know, testing on the clothing and there wasn't. So I think if there were, they would have dug a little bit deeper. But I mean, it's a possibility. But you know, according to Mom, this lady's, you know, not credible and things to that degree. And I can't figure out if mom, I think Mom is still alive. From the research that I did, but I haven't been able to really confirm it, because she hasn't said much in a while. So I hate these cases are just so freakin hard. But I would really, I just I would have to go back now and be like, who saw him between that 930 and 1130. Time I have. So there's two things that problem with the he didn't take a polygraph? And what was his alibi? People see him? Right? Yeah, what was his alibi? Where was he between 930 and 1130? That's where I would start with it. But of course, he's now deceased. And, and, yeah, that's just it's just, it's just sad. Right? And you're right. I mean, is it? Is it a possibility to random, I guess, right. Like you said, were they at that gas station at that exact time when she decided that she was thirsty and stepped out gave her $1 To walk across the street to the gas station? I mean, is it possible? I mean, it's possible just it's just I have such a hard time believing that sometimes but I think you're right in the 80s it was a little bit of a different world and child abductions and things were a little bit more common than so anyways, that's that's that feels sad. Dealing with Nashville and looking at these cases, it just bums me out. Well, there's so many unsolved cases, however, is the you know, the positive aspect of the genealogy, you know, the case that you the ice five killer. And like you keep saying, Chris, in the last few episodes, the forensics are getting so advanced and the genealogy is getting so advanced that soon we are coming to a time where it may truly be impossible to get away with murder. So there's the there's the bright side, right? I mean, well, and if we could couple if we could seriously couple, the advancement and forensics, the amount of people who love crime and love looking at these cases, if we could combine all of that with people who saw something that was a red flag, we could talk we could solve a lot of cases. Well, just like you said, look, it happened in the teacher's pet. It happened in your own backyard. There are several, there are several suspects that have been made suspects killers that were convicted just last year, because of podcasters because of investigative journalist who started talking to people and asked people if they see if they see something, say something because you just never know that one tip. Oh, that one tip blows things open. And I just think that most I just can't believe in my 26 years and then the crazy brain that I have that crimes occur that people nobody in the world knows about. I just don't believe that. Somebody knows. Always, always always always so be that person. Be that person that steps up. Again I good shout out to the National Police Department for doing their job and doing it well and again, person the families. Thanks everyone for listening. And we'll see you next time on murder with Medina. If you have a cold case you'd like Chris to review submitted through our website at murder with mannina.com and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at murder with mannina and Twitter at murder W mannina. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode of murder with mannina