On June 8, 1998, Tennessee State University student Marcus Rutledge went missing. Nearly 26 years later, he still has not yet been found.
Rutledge was a 23-year-old senior student at Tennessee State in Nashville, Tennessee. Hailing from Ypsilanti, Michigan, Rutledge’s family hasn’t seen him since Memorial Day in 1998. NBC News’ Kyani Reid spoke to the Rutledge family in a report on the situation.
“Marcus was in the band, so he loved playing instruments,” said his older sister Felicia. “He played football, he played soccer, he really enjoyed reading.”
Rutledge seemed to have everything going for him: graduation on the horizon, a loving family, and two children. He had a four-year-old named Darius, and a two-year-old with his girlfriend.
“Marcus used to travel from Nashville to Knoxville every chance he’d get to visit Darius,” Marcus’ father David said. “When we would travel to Nashville, we’d often have dinner with the two of them.”
Rutledge spent the night of June 7 with his girlfriend before going back to his place the next morning. He was last seen at his home on Park Dale Drive on June 8, 1998, according to WKRN.
“He was reported missing the same day by his girlfriend after she was unable to get ahold of him and went over to his apartment and he wasn’t there,” said Nashville Police Department Detective Matthew Filter.
After failing to respond to her calls, Rutledge’s girlfriend went to his house with his friend, Athan Gibbs.
“So, they essentially opened a window and climbed through to get into his house,” David said. “It was after they got into the house that they said, ‘Nothing’s here and the god is in the bathroom with the door closed.’ We said, ‘Call the police right away.’ That’s, to the best of my memory, how this whole thing unfolded. We call it a nightmare.”
Rutledge’s disappearance left investigators befuddled.
“We didn’t really have anything initially to go on in the case until July 1st, 1998,” Filter said. “His car was found in an apartment complex over on the west side of Nashville.”
There were a number of uncharacteristic events surrounding Rutledge’s disappearance that led police to suspect foul play. The Tennessee State student had locked his dog in the bathroom without any food. However, he was studying to become a veterinarian. Furthermore, Rutledge was planning a birthday party for Darius along with the child’s mother, who lived separately.
Filter says that in missing persons cases, without tips from the public, the investigation can’t proceed.
“It’s often the little details of a person’s life that make a difference,” he said. “There’s definitely people around who knew him and could probably shed some light as to his activities around the time he disappeared.”
Still, almost 26 years later, the Rutledge family holds out hope for their beloved son and brother, who would be 49-years-old today.
“We don’t give up hope,” David said. “One day maybe we will have a knock on the door and Marcus shows up. It’s our hope.”
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