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NBC’s Dateline recounted the horrifying case of Marie Carlson’s disappearance and murder. To escape her life and make a fresh start, Marie moved to Florida's Fort Walton Beach. In October 2011, Marie disappeared, which alarmed her family.
With little evidence, it was difficult for the investigators to find and arrest the culprit. However, with the help of text backups from Marie’s computer, they were able to collect evidence against Pastor James Flanders, who was arrested in 2015.
He pleaded guilty in 2016 to murdering the new mother, who had given birth to his daughter three months ago, and was sentenced to prison.
Here are more details about the Dateline episode.
Dateline: Who was Marie Carlson and what happened to her? Details explored
As per Dateline, the Philippines-born woman was compassionate and loved karaoke. She was a deputy sheriff and wanted to join the FBI someday. She was married to Jeff Carlson, but after the relationship ended, she moved to a new place, Fort Walton Beach.
She wanted a fresh start in her life, and the scenic backdrop of the Emerald Coast in Florida served as the perfect place for that. There, she got acquainted with James Flanders, a pastor, and his wife. They both wanted to help Marie in any way possible, and eventually she began living with them.
Dateline reported that Marie had become the surrogate for James and Tanya’s child, who had been trying to have a baby for a long time. However, it was later revealed that Marie was in a polygamous relationship with James and Tanya. She gave birth to James and her daughter in July 2011, whom they named Grace.
However, the 37-year-old disappeared on October 17, 2011. It was revealed that a couple of days later, she had texted her family, including her ex-husband, that she was leaving to do what she had always dreamed of. However, his ex-husband found it perplexing as he knew Marie would never leave without talking to her other daughter, Paris.
Her ex-husband reported her missing on October 24, 2011. As investigators began to look into the case, they learned about James’s relationship with Marie and also found her car near the airport. However, since there was not enough evidence, the case became cold.
Dateline: James Flanders killed Marie Carlson
After the case began to be documented on screen in 2015, the investigators resumed their search. From phone records to any other kind of digital records, they tried to look into everything to uncover the truth. Later, they also found out that Marie’s phone was always located in Florida’s Fort Walton Beach.
Further, through text backup found on her computer, investigators learned that Marie was not happy with the polygamous relationship with the Flanders couple. James Flanders, who had moved to Arizona after Marie’s disappearance, was then arrested for the murder of Marie Carlson.
In 2016, Flanders pleaded guilty and made a deal for a reduced sentence in exchange for disclosing the location of Marie’s remains. James revealed he had buried Marie's body in his backyard, where her remains were later found by the police. He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison for committing manslaughter.
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