I have received permission to share this message as a post here.
Hi – I wanted to message you privately because I don’t share much on here.
I’m a close college friend of Marilane’s. We hadn’t seen each other or really had a chance to speak since just after her wedding, but had kept in touch casually on facebook. When she went missing, I was floored. This was not the girl I knew. The words that I would use to best describe her when we were close were faithful, stable, strong, and gentle. Not at all the person portrayed over the last few weeks.
I know people can change over time, but I find it extremely hard to believe that she would have changed that much unless something traumatic happened to her – and I met her right after Tim died, which was incredibly difficult and she was still gentle and stable! None of this makes sense to me. IF she did this to herself, then it was because something/someone triggered it. She truly loved others – she worked at a Mental Health Services organization so she knew about mental health. She was a chaplain. She had seen awful things, but had faith. I do not/cannot believe that IF she was so unstable or tired or mentally ill that she kept getting lost that she would have
1) found those shipping containers down that winding gravel road; 2) opened the doors; 3) backed her car in without banging into the sides – she would have had to gun it up over that lip of the container; 4) closed the door behind her. Doesn’t add up. She was the most genuine, gentle person I’ve ever met. She deserves so much better than to be remembered as “committing suicide” in a shipping container in an overgrown field in West Memphis.
Also, the news article I read stated that the police had searched the area and had seen the shipping containers and assumed they were locked – 1) horrible police work and 2) implies that those doors were firmly closed yet when her uncle found her the doors were partially open??? How does that make sense?
I also owe you an apology. When I read through the FindMarilane posts when she first went missing, I was shocked and thought you were trying to stir things up, but I think you have good points and I wish someone was there to fight for her – to demand more investigation. Marilane deserves it. I don’t know what else there is to do about it, but sure makes me sick to think that they’re going to just leave it at this. If you know of ways to help, please let me know. Thank you for also caring about my friend.
From Marilane’s Youtube channel: posted May 5, 2020
She does not sound like a person so distraught she would soon commit suicide. My heart breaks for her.
She does not sound like a person on her way to suicide.
This was enlightening. The more we learn, the more it appears that she was in an abusive marriage. The most dangerous time for an abused woman is if she tries to leave for good. I pray the Lord to reveal the truth and bring her killers to justice. Amen.