"He had gotten into a couple of altercations, one reported to police when it happened about a year before his disappearance, and then another just a few months before he went missing. Both incidents were apparently related to him selling weed." — Ashley Flowers
"Investigators also learn that he'd been selling weed. And they think that he might have started when he was still a student. Because his clientele seems to mostly be other students. Like, it doesn't seem that he was out on the street stealing." — Ashley Flowers
"Detective Filter thinks that the DA, in the end, just like wasn't confident that they could get a conviction, so they just dismissed the charges, probably hoping that they'd be able to build a stronger case later, but for whatever reason, that never happened." — Britt
The episode details the perplexing disappearance of Marcus Rutledge in 1998, an event that unraveled a hidden life. His girlfriend, Tawani, reported him missing after he failed to show up for a planned meeting, an action highly uncharacteristic of him. Initial investigations revealed that Marcus had dropped out of Tennessee State University the previous year, a fact he had concealed from his family, who believed he was close to graduating. Further digging uncovered that Marcus was involved in small-scale marijuana dealing, a fact he claimed was to support his children. This revelation deeply affected his parents, who described it as contrary to their upbringing.
The investigation encountered several confounding elements. Marcus's car was found abandoned over 20 miles from his residence, with a mysterious middle-aged man reportedly seen driving it. A gun was discovered under the driver's seat, but its origins and connection to Marcus remained unclear. Simultaneously, Marcus's best friend, Ethan Gibbs Jr., exhibited unusual nervousness and was later found murdered in February 1999. While a new roommate, Charles D. Brown Jr., was charged with Ethan's murder, the charges were eventually dropped due to insufficient evidence, leaving Ethan's case unsolved and the potential link to Marcus's disappearance unconfirmed.
Years later, in 2010, a hunter discovered a skull, later identified through DNA as Marcus Rutledge. The discovery, though significant, offered no immediate clues to his cause of death. Detective Matt Filter, who later took over the cold case, actively pursued further family DNA, which ultimately confirmed the skull belonged to Marcus. The case remains open, with investigators believing Marcus was a victim of homicide, likely connected to his involvement in drug sales, but lacking concrete leads for a perpetrator.