The family of a North Carolina mother of five who vanished two years ago after making a frantic 911 call says they’re still searching for answers — and they’re still holding onto hope.
“Seeing everybody that is praying for her and sharing her pictures gives me some hope that she’s not forgotten,” Sara Carmichael, the mother of missing woman Marissa Carmichael, told CBS affiliate WFMY this week.
“People are still thinking about her, they say they think about her all the time, and that really touches me,” she added. “I still have hope.”
Last seen at gas station after early-morning emergency call
Marissa disappeared after placing an emergency call on Jan. 14, 2024, from an Exxon gas station in Greensboro, N.C., saying she had been robbed and didn’t know where she was, according to an incident report from the Greensboro Police Department cited in earlier coverage. It was the last known location where she was seen before vanishing.
At the time, her family said Marissa had gone to the gas station after leaving a nearby nightclub, according to the Greensboro News & Record and Fox affiliate WGHP.
The High Point resident made the 911 call around 3:40 a.m., the News & Record reported. During the call, she said someone who had been in the car with her told her to go inside the Exxon and “grab some s—t.” She told authorities that while she was inside the store, that person disappeared.
“I just got all my stuff thrown out the car,” Marissa, then 25, said on the call, according to the outlets. “He took off with my phone. I have no clue where I’m at.”
A police officer arrived at the gas station to check on Marissa around 4:20 a.m., and a clerk reportedly said Marissa “had gotten a ride from another customer,” the News & Record reported.
Police say investigation remains active
Less than a month after Marissa went missing, the Greensboro Police Department said detectives had conducted dozens of interviews, obtained surveillance footage from her last known location, and followed numerous leads. The department also urged the public to come forward with any information.
A police spokesperson later confirmed to ABC News that surveillance video showed Marissa getting into a vehicle and leaving the gas station.
In an earlier update, police said “detectives have identified and interviewed the driver of that vehicle, who is currently considered a witness in this case,” according to ABC News.
When asked whether investigators had identified any suspects or suspected foul play, the spokesperson declined to comment, the outlet reported.
Two years later, Marissa’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Family says she wouldn’t have left on her own
In a recent interview with ABC affiliate WXLV, Marissa’s sister, Emma Villegas, said she believes her sister did not choose to disappear.
“I just want everyone to understand that she did not willingly go missing,” she said. “She would never willingly go missing.”
On the second anniversary of Marissa’s disappearance, the Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers shared a missing person bulletin about her. In an email sent Thursday, Jan. 15, a spokesperson for the Greensboro Police Department said there were no public updates at the moment, but emphasized the investigation remains active.
“We know that not being home with her children — and not having any contact with her family — is out of character for her,” the spokesperson said.
A mother’s waiting
Sara Carmichael told reporters that the absence of her daughter weighs heavily, especially for Marissa’s children, and she wants answers for them.
“Every day I wait for what call am I gonna get,” Sara said, according to WFMY. “That’s my baby. I’ve always done everything for her. I’m supposed to protect her. I’m supposed to take care of her. It’s a part of me, and I can’t quit for my family and my grandkids.”
