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Without a Trace - The Cold Case of Marcus Rutledge (Part 2) · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  The loved ones were puzzled by the car's location, as they doubted Marcus knew
• 0:04
  anyone at the apartment complex. A handgun was discovered in the neon, which
• 0:09
  Filter suggested might have belonged to Marcus. Bryant, the mother of Marcus's son,
• 0:16
  mentioned she was unaware of the gun but wasn't surprised to hear about it
• 0:20
  due to marcus alleged conflicts with certain individuals, as she shared with Dateline Missing
• 0:26
  in America. David admitted there were parts of his son's life that they were
• 0:31
  not familiar with. It could be classified as keeping secrets from us, he
• 0:36
  mentioned to Dateline. Marcus Rutledge's best friend, Athan Gibbs is murdered in February
• 0:42
  nineteen ninety nine. After eight months of no leeds following Marcus's disappearance, a
• 0:48
  tragic event occurred. Marcus former roommate and best friend, Gibbs was found murdered
• 0:53
  in his own home. He opens up his door and he was shot.
• 0:58
  Felicia said, I mean, I mean that's brutal personal. Before Marcus vanished,
• 1:04
  he had expressed his intention to move out and get his own place due
• 1:08
  to issues with Gibbs. According to David, Marcus was unhappy with Gibbs not
• 1:14
  paying rent on time and neglecting to help maintain the apartment. During a meeting
• 1:19
  with Tiwania and Gibbs in Nashville after Marcus disappeared, David noticed that Gibbs appeared
• 1:26
  uneasy around the family. I wish I had been more forceful in asking Athan
• 1:30
  what he knew. David shared with Dateline what secrets was Marcus Rutledge keeping from
• 1:37
  his family. Months and years passed without any major breaks in Marcus's case,
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  but when Daden Filter reopened the missing person's file in twenty twenty, two years
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  after the disappearance, he discovered a handful of secrets Marcus concealed from his relatives.
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  I think he was telling his family he was a senior at TSU Tennessee
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  State University, and the detective that was on the case early on discovered that
• 2:02
  he was no longer enrolled. Filter told Dateline. According to the detective,
• 2:07
  Marcus was involved in the sale of marijuana. Police didn't believe that Marcus was
• 2:13
  a big time dealer, but more likely selling to a lot of college kids
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  and stuff. Philter said. Bryant, the mother of his son, confirmed
• 2:22
  he was selling marijuana, saying he did it to help provide for Darius.
• 2:27
  But that wasn't the only secret that was exposed. Marcus also hid from his
• 2:31
  relatives that he had a daughter, Jayla, with his then girlfriend Tiwania.
• 2:38
  According to Filter, on the morning of his disappearance, Marcus had taken the
• 2:42
  then two year old girl to day care. David and Felicia believe that Marcus
• 2:46
  kept his secrets, including selling marijuana and dropping out of school, as to
• 2:52
  not disappoint his family. When this guy was in our presence every single time
• 2:58
  we go down to visit him, everything was spiffy, good, clean,
• 3:01
  good to go. Marcus's father said, I mean, he knew our values,
• 3:07
  and he knew our hopes and dreams for him as an individual. Still,
• 3:13
  Marcus's disappearance remained a mystery to investigators. Despite his secrets. Filter,
• 3:20
  Marcus's friend who was murdered, Gibbs, was also involved in selling weed.
• 3:24
  After gibbs murder, detectives initially suspected a possible connection. However, upon further
• 3:30
  investigation, there was no clear evidence linking Marcus's disappearance to Gibbs's death. Although
• 3:38
  someone was charged in connection to Gibbs's murder. The case was later dropped,
• 3:42
  leaving the murder unsolved. Detective Filter shared his theory on Marcus's disappearance with Dateline
• 3:51
  Missing in America. He believed that Marcus's involvement in marijuana sales and previous confrontations
• 3:59
  may have played a role in his disappearance. Why Marcus Rutledge's family believes he
• 4:03
  could still be alive. Those who are closest to Marcus have a strong belief
• 4:09
  that he may still be alive. As stated by his sister, Felicia,
• 4:14
  we used to receive these phone calls where we would answer the phone, She
• 4:16
  mentioned, there would be no one on the other end. The calls began
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  shortly after Marcus went missing and happened once or twice a month. It reached
• 4:28
  a point where we would pick up the call and find no one on the
• 4:30
  line, shared marcus father, David, with Dateline and Jerry. His mother
• 4:35
  would reassure us, saying, don't worry, that's just Marcus checking in.
• 4:42
  The mother of marcus first child had a similar encounter. They would call and
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  just stay on the line. Bryant recalled, I would say, We're okay,
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  you know your son is doing well. We still love you. We
• 4:55
  want you to come home. Darius Marcus's son is now thirty years old,
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  seven years older than his father was when he disappeared in Nashville. His daughter,
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  Jayla, is twenty eight years old. As parents, one thing I
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  would like to emphasize is every opportunity you have, embrace your child, Hug
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  them and express your love for them. Express David Marcus father. At the
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  time of his disappearance on June eighth, nineteen ninety eight, Marcus was six
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  feet tall and weighed around one hundred and ninety pounds. He had the name
• 5:32
  Marcus tattooed across his stomach. If you have any information, please contact the
• 5:39
  Metro Nashville Police Department's Cold Case Unit at one six one five eight six two
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  seven three two nine