Youre finding god. And in july, 2011 marie gave reporter then, one baffling text. And she was gone. Birth to a baby girl and named i go, i know i probably her grace. Watch a lot of law and order, the pastor and his wife took but i just have this gut care of both of them. Feeling. Because i was a mom, i just it was explained to me that they were helping her out. Knew she didnt leave on her own. There was no way she left she was down on her luck. That baby reporter she was, by all reporter two moms at opposite ends of a mystery. Appearances, saved. Could one get justice for the other . Spiritually by faith. And practically by the pastor this case for sure was an and his wife. Investigators worst nightmare. Reporter soon, clues to a so, imagine the surprise when a Strange Group text message hidden life. Popped up on the phones of her a very, very amorous romantic, wild relationship. Family and her friends. Can you still remember the it was lustful. Words of that mass text . She said that yesterday she oh my goodness. Reporter there were secrets here. Deadly ones. It hit me hard. Left Fort Walton Beach to do something that she always wanted im like no, no, no, no, no a come to jesus moment . It was, yeah. To do. I was scared to death. She didnt want us to try to stop her. And the her last words was, i love and appreciate you all. Reporter but the biggest hello and welcome to date surprise . Marie did not take her three month old baby. Line. Bre carlson was a force of she left grace behind with the pastor and his wife. And right away her sister esta sensed that something wasnt right. She called her family. Nature, enthusiastic, spirited i go, i know i probably watch a lot of law order, but and gleeful. Can you find out whats going but for a while, marie drifted on . Because i have this really gut feeling. Shes like, oh, you watch too and then a pastor and his wife many of those kinda shows. Im like, no, this is different. Welcomed them into their lives. It was a spiritual awakening, reporter it was the fall of 2011, the very same time that a which made her sudden detective named nesli suhimoore disappearance all the more became a mother. A fact which, as you will see, mysterious. May have made all the it would take a detective with a difference. You get a better special bond and some divine understanding of what its like intervention to find out what to to love somebody to the happened to marie. End of the world and back. Heres Keith Morrison with secrets on the Emerald Coast. Reporter how do you catch a reporter it was almost like dancing sprite . Do you put her in a bottle . Can you package the joy she fate intended to tie these two brings . Together in a mystery of love, and lies, and loss. Can you keep it when she goes . She was like a gravitational where had Marie Carlson gone . Pull. Reporter her name was marie. When we come back. Marie carlson. She was magnetic. Reporter when she was happy she could make the whole world the secretary would had just sing. Live life to the fullest, is become a new mom felt a special what marie would tell me. You know, you might not have investigation to the case. Tomorrow. Coming up reporter and so she offered the investigators said were herself, her goodness. Gave her vulnerable heart, and going to open a case. Stored her secrets. Which surprised me. The antennas must have gone up . The antennas did go up. I just knew she didnt leave on her own. Until, well, what happened. There was no way she left that baby. I get down on my knees but she was always that way was marie. And i start to pray from the time of the very first till the tears run down from my eyes secret in her life. Lord somebody, ooh somebody she was born in the philippines to a single mother, then taken in by the family of an american can anybody find me somebody to love . Serviceman. And it was years later when she learned that kind serviceman was actually her father. Which meant that esta bridges, alexa, play queen on amazon music. The best friend she grew up with, was also her sister. [music playing] what was that like to find that out that she was actually your sister. I was happy. I was really happy cause i always thought she was, since we were little girls. Reporter when they got older esta and marie moved to florida and lived together. The location ideal. We chose an apartment that was behind a karaoke club, so that we could alexa, play queen on amazon music. Perfect. Emreplenished,d, fortified. Just go there all the time. Emerge everyday with emergenc. We were like stars. Reporter and she wore pink. Always pink. Packed with b vitamins, it was her personality. Electrolytes, antioxidants, its full of life. Reporter and always trying plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. To perk up everyone else up with why not feel this good every day . Her favorite word, beautiful. Emerge and see. I was, like, oh, shes so beautiful. You know, i wanna be like her. But she always used to tell me, no, you are beautiful. She loved that word. Reporter kay barber was like a mother to marie. Enterprise car sales and youll take any tradein . Rom hers, the second family to take thats right marie in, when she was 18 and great struggling. Maries nickname that i gave her was rosy because she was here you go. Well, it does need to be a vehicle. Always just, you know, peachy but i need this out of my house. And rosy and happy. Reporter like she was when vo with fair, Transparent Value for every tradein. She met jeff carlson, and he enterprise makes it easy. Fell hard. And it was like instant. Reporter so they married. And they had a daughter named paris. And thought their life together would be grand. Marie got a College Degree in criminal justice, became a deputy sheriff. Her ultimate goal was to try to get into the f. B. I. Reporter but then, for all the love between them, there were issues. Jeff learned there were more secrets. That as a girl, marie had been sexually assaulted. Time really is money. And sometimes her love and joy were chased into a darker place. So, dont wait to get the internet your business really needs. The Biggest Issue was she switch to comcast Business Today didnt love herself. For a special offer on the Services Reporter they tried. You need to make your business boom. But the marriage didnt last. Like speed to power all your devices, and after that, marie drifted a more complete internet reliability. Little. Jobs fell through. And an advanced voice solution. She had to move frequently. Its time to make the switch to comcast business jeff suggested paris, then three, would have a more stable and take your business beyond fast. Life with him. Dont miss out on this limited time offer. She fought it initially, but call 18005016000 today. She agreed that it was probably for the best. So, paris was with me. Reporter though she saw paris often, and called all the time. And then . Marie finally found what her vulnerable loving soul seemed to need. I was actually happy for her because she found god. Dly a fan. Reporter Marie Carlson had notified family and friends she was leaving Fort Walton Beach and nobody could figure out why or where she went. And, this was very strange, she left her three month old baby in the care of her pastor, James Flanders and his wife tayna and not her family. Not the woman she looked to as a mother figure, kay barber. It was heartbreaking. It was heartbreaking. Reporter maries exhusband jeff carlson got the text too. It didnt make sense to him that she left without calling her 7yearold daughter paris. Reporter kay called jeff and said he should file a report. And she said, i i dont know whats goin on, but i i think somethin happened. And i said, yeah, i agree with you. Reporter and then jeff called the Okaloosa CountySheriffs Office to report marie missing. The investigators said, were gonna open a case, an investigation on this. Which surprised me because shes an adult. She couldve just left. Reporter because marie was adventurous. She liked to travel. And when the mood struck her, sometimes she just took off for a few days on some whim. But something seemed different this time. Reporter she wouldve never have left without talkin to me about it. And talkin to paris. Shed been gone a week when the sheriff asked detective keith matz to look into it. That text message. Something off, said her family. This doesnt sound like marie. Reporter huh, so when you got that one the antenna must have gone up, huh . The antennas did go up. Reporter detective nesli suhimoore didnt hear about the case then. Because i was on leave. Reporter on maternity leave. Correct. So and i came back, two weeks after she was initially reported missing. Reporter and thats when nesli heard from other detectives about the case keith was working on. And poor keith had no idea that i was gonna come bully my way into that investigation. Reporter and why did you wanna bully your way into the investigation . I think the connection of just having a child i just knew that she didnt leave on her own. Reporter so here they were. Partners. The young detective who happened to be a brand new mother. And the veteran whod seen just about everything. And who soon learned from friends and family that marie was deeply attached to both her daughters. She had a heart of gold and loved her paris more than anything in the world. Reporter but what happened in her life . And how did she end up with another baby . From esta the detectives learne pastor and his wife offered her a place to stay. But the questions about baby grace . Esta said her relationship with marie was always supportive, and not judgmental. And when marie didnt tell her who the father was, she didnt push the subject. Ive never questioned her because marie will tell me in her own time if she wants to tell me. Ive learned with my sister i never pry. Reporter but that was the job of the detectives, nesli and keith, to pry and hopefully, find marie. And one of their first calls was on her church pastor, James Flanders, and his wife. Impressive guy, they discovered. Reporter James Flanders. What was he like . Very charismatic i would say he would good at his job. Reporter wonder what it would be like to listen to him preach. You can youtube him. Reporter yes, you can we all, at times, forget the promises of gods word. Reporter the pastor grew the Calvary Emerald Coast Church from scratch, spread it through youtube and by the time marie began attending, every service filled up. They were a tightknit family, that church. Reporter and now, with marie gone, they were caring for little grace. So, did the flanders have any idea what happened to marie . Perhaps they knew who the father was, and where that abusive boyfriend might be found and, oh yes, there was a story, alright. Reporter coming up questions and leads were running out. Was time running out, too . We searched it, but there was nothing to search. It was clean. This case, for sure, was an investigators worst nightmare. Allergies with sinus congestion and pressure . Go to the pharmacy counter for powerful. Claritind. While the leading allergy spray is indicated for 6 symptoms. Claritind is indicated for 8. Including sinus congestion and pressure. Claritind. Get more. Theres brushing and theres oralb power brushing. Oralb just cleans better. Its the one inspired by dentists. With the round brush head. Oralbs gentle rounded brush head removes more plaque along the gumline. For cleaner teeth and healthier gums. Oralb. Brush like a pro. So why not bundle them with esurance and save up to 10 . Which you can spend on things you really want to buy, like. Well, i dont know what youd wanna buy because im just a guy on your tv. Esurance. Its surprisingly painless. The paperwork, the searching for id cards. Thats why esurance makes it simple with an app, so youre not stuck in the 90s. Wow, that tiny tv is the bomb. When insurance is simple, its surprisingly painless. Reporter the Calvary Emerald Coast Church of Fort Walton Beach, florida was far more than just a place to gather on a sunday morning. Led by pastor James Flanders and his wife tanya, this place was a beacon of charity too. The pastor and his church sacrificed their own needs to send money to the victims of katrina. And when Marie Carlson needed help they took her in, too. Its what pastors do for their congregation. Reporter but now . Im left with a missing person whos just vanished off this earth. Reporter a week and a half person whos just vanished off this earth. Reporter a week and a hala person whos just vanished off this earth. Reporter a week and a hala person whos just vanished off this earth. Reporter a week and a half after marie vanished, or drove away, or whatever she did, the detectives went calling on the flanders. Who said they fully expected marie would return soon. This was not the first time she took spur of the moments trips, they said. Never to the point where she had to be reported to Law Enforcement missing, though. She came back. Reporter although the flanders told the detectives, they were quite worried about maries state of mind. They noticed a downward spiral reporter that she was going into a depression or something . She might be going into a depression state, yes. Reporter thing was, said the pastor and his wife, marie could have wild mood swings, and they knew she had a diagnosed mood disorder. Reporter did they tell you that she was bipolar . Yes, told me she was bipolar. She had been taking medication and was off of her medication, probably due because of her giving birth to the child. Reporter but there was another prescription bottle too. And then they also showed us a bottle that was empty, you know, that maybe alluding to the fact that she had taken medication and was gonna use it to hurt herself. Reporter the day she left . James told the detectives he was so worried about her state of mind that he stayed home from work to keep an eye on her. James says that she was acting up. And he didnt want marie take the baby. Reporter he was afraid the baby might be harmed or something. Right. Reporter then, late that afternoon, said pastor james, marie said she was tired, went to lie down, and tanya took the baby out shopping so marie could rest. The pastor said he waited around for a bit, talked to her briefly when she woke up and then went out for a run. And when he returned marie and her white mazda pickup truck were gone. Strangely, the flanders said, marie had packed her bags, but didnt take them. Why would she take off and not take her bags with her . Reporter anyway, said the flanders, when she didnt come back that day or the next, they drove around town looking for her. Went to the airport. Maybe shed parked her car there and flown away. Reporter did they find it . They did. James says that he finds it in longterm parking. Reporter at least part of the mystery was solved, said the pastor. She must have flown off to visit someone. They took her pickup home. So the mazda. Reporter what did you do about that car when you got your hands on it . We searched it. But it was you know there was nothing to search. It was clean. Reporter they went to the airport. We checked the airlines. Theres nothing. She didnt fly out. Reporter so why would maries car be at the airport, if she hadnt flown out of there . Of course she could have been trying to hide her tracks from snoopy friends and family. Or, what if someone else took the car to the airport, someone who wanted to make it look like shed left town. Rather fishy. Then the detectives had an idea. You know the machine that spits out tickets when you enter an Airport Parking lot . That very ticket goes back to the toll both when you leave. Keith and i went to the little toll booth where you give the your ticket. Reporter maybe, thought the detectives, the parking ticket for maries mazda would tell them not just when it was dropped off but, a more important question, by whom . We were thinking lets get a thumbprint, or a fingerprint on one. And went through every single one of them until we found the one that maries car had received. Reporter and . Yes, they got a print. But no, it wasnt clear enough to tell whose it was. Then, another thought. Hey, lets go pull surveillance video. And of course reporter you looked at all of it. Well, no. The video didnt wor it wasnt working. Reporter oh. During the time that we needed. This case, for sure, was an investigators worst nightmare. Reporter dead ends everywhere. Yes. Reporter and weeks went by. No sign of marie anywhere. Time to embrace the thought theyd frankly, had all along. And it wasnt a good one. Keith and i both no longer believed we had a missing person. We believed we were dealing with a Homicide Investigation. But whats the hardest Homicide Investigation you can be given . One without a body. Reporter yeah. And we didnt have marie. Reporter coming up, the startling secret that marie kept from just about everyone. I went up and i put my hand on her stomach and i said whats going on with this . Humira patients, you inspire us. The way you triumph over adversity. And live your lives. Thats why we redesigned humira. We wanted to make the experience better for you. Now theres less pain immediately following injection. Weve reduced the size of the needle and removed the citrate buffers. And it has the same effectiveness you know and trust. 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Maybe an insurance park was a bad idea. Yeah. Yep. Before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. Now no fruit is forbidden. Nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for allday, allnight protection. Can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn . Hello. Here is whats happening. The death toll from Hurricane Dorian is now 43. That number expected to rise significantly in the coming days. According to a spokesperson from the bahamas prime minister. And the cdc is calling for a moratorium on vaping. It comes as the number of vaping related deaths rose to five on friday. The number of reported respiratory illnesses related to vaping, 450 across 30 states. Thats whats happening. Now back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline. Marine carlson had disappeared without a trace. Adding to the mystery, maries car had been at the airport, but she never got on a plane. Was she depressed . Thats what the pastor and his wife told investigators. Short on clues, detectives thought they knew one thing. Marie didnt just vanish. Now the missing persons case had turned into a murder investigation. Here is Keith Morrison with secrets on the Emerald Coast. Reporter what a nest of puzzles. What happened to Marie Carlson . Where did she go . Or did she go anywhere . And what about grace, the baby shed left behind . Who, for example, was the father . Churches tend to be beehives of gossip, so the detectives asked around. She had a boyfriend, was involved in an abusive relationship, she was beat up. Reporter this is a member of the cavalry Emerald Coast church. She found out she was pregnant. And she didnt want to go back to the guy, and didnt want to keep the child. Reporter in other words, she was going to have an abortion. But pastor flanders and his wife had strong views about abortion. And when they discovered her situation, they offered to help solve her dilemma. They were gonna adopt the baby. Reporter the flanders had an older daughter, always wanted another child. But one miscarriage after another and so, as this church elder told the detectives, the pastor and his wife came to an arrangement with marie. She would stay three months to nurse the baby and at the end of three months, the plan all along was that she would leave. That was my understanding from before the baby was born. With the baby . No, the baby was a gift for the flanders. Reporter a gift . Maybe. It was just like marie to be generous toward the couple whod been so good to her. But to skeptical detectives, especially this brand new mother, something about the story didnt sound quite right. The father, for example. In fact, the alleged abusive guy didnt seem to exist. But then they talked to exhusband jeff. And the story he heard . Completely different. And it came directly from marie when she came to visit jeff shortly after she got pregnant. I put my hand on her stomach. And i said, whats whats going on with this . And she wasnt really showing. And her story at that time was, well, im just being a surrogate for james and tanya. So we did basically the a type of artificial insemination. Reporter well, well, well, the pastor was the sperm donor. In this new story, maries gift was to be the pastors artificially inseminated surrogate. But why the conflicting stories . To find out, the detectives consulted three special church ladies, Tanya Flanders closest confidants. Did you have a name for this group . We called them the inner circle. Reporter and the inner circle said yes, tanya told them. But swore them to secrecy. But then, tanya gave up a little more. The method was very homemade. I remember them saying, oh, it was with the turkey thingy. It was with, like, a turkey baster . Yeah, if somebody yeah, if somebody asked. So now shes gotta now shes got a secret. Yeah, at that point. Reporter wait, at that point . Yes. Because tanya just couldnt leave it there. The next time, she admitted something very, very shocking. And tanya said, well, we did it the oldfashioned way. Reporter james and marie had sex. Which tanya told the ladies was. And as months passed and marie started showing, there was a baby shower. But oh, no. Not for marie. This baby shower was for tanya. She put a balloon under her shirt for a funny photo with marie. But something here didnt seem quite right. The inner circle had to keep their secret. If the story got out . It could threaten everything she and the pastor had built. And as it got more and more and more into weird stuff, it was just that the stakes got higher. Right . Thats right. Imagine the secrecy that the inner circle, that tanya actually told the truth to, that its james baby. Reporter but, no room for secrets in an official investigation. The detectives invited james and tanya to voluntarily come in for a chat. But only tanya showed up. And here in this little room at the Sheriffs Office, she let it all come out. About that night of sake and sex, when grace was conceived. Yeah. Yeah. He had a little bit too. You were the only one that was sober . But, yes, i was there. Reporter yes. In the room. But of course she was, said tanya. And almost casually, she revealed the heresy that, should it ever become public, would surely ruin them. Marie was gonna move in and she was gonna be number two. A plural wife. Yes. Or whatever you call them. A sister wife, i think. Reporter it was, in short, polygamy. Or their home grown version of it. Tanya told detectives she understood the bargain very well. Ive always seen a relationship as its its not sex is not a relationship. A relationship is two people coming together. And sex is just a bonus. Reporter a very secret bonus, of course, kept from almost everyone. But inside the bubble of their relationship, tanya said, they were happy. She goes, you know what . I am so glad that youre gonna be raising grace. She said, and i am so glad that im gonna be able to be here to do that with you. And i thought, god, you know, how cool is that . Reporter but then, then marie gave birth. And it wasnt cool for marie. Not anymore. And certainly not adoption. Every time we started to broach the subject with her, she did get withdrawn. Reporter so maybe tanya wouldnt get baby grace. Maybe marie wanted it all, the baby and james, all for herself. Thats what this member of the inner circle believed. But i did i hear that from marie, that marie wanted james . Reporter did tanya strike back somehow . Fight for her marriage by getting rid of marie . Listen to how Church Members quoted tanyas words. She basically was like, james would never be able to do that, but i could. I told him, youre not capable of killing her. But tanya leans over and goes, well he couldnt, but i could. So wouldnt that lead you to, like a bloodhound, direct to tanya . She certainly would have a motive. She would. Reporter tanya, now the only mother figure in graces life. Did she know more than she was saying . Did she do something . Did someone in the church have a confession to make . Coming up, a confrontation in the congregation. This is a, forgive my saying, a come to jesus moment . It was the hardest thing i ever had to do. Reporter and divine intervention . A sudden, earthshaking tip. I can remember getting that tip and thinking no way. Reporter when dateline continues. At verizon, were building the most powerful 5g experience for america. Thats why the nfl chose verizon. Because they need the massive capacity of 5g with ultra wideband, so more screaming, streaming, posting fans. Can experience 5g all at once. This is happening in 13 stadiums all across the country. Now if verizon 5g can do this for the nfl. Imagine what it can do for you. So why not bundle them with esurance and save up to 10 . Which you can spend on things you really want to buy, like. Well, i dont know what youd wanna buy because im just a guy on your tv. Esurance. Its surprisingly painless. Enterprise car sales and youll take any tradein . Rom thats right great here you go. Well, it does need to be a vehicle. But i need this out of my house. vo with fair, Transparent Value for every tradein. Enterprise makes it easy. Just saying you need to really learn to think different. Reporter an attentive churchgoer might have noticed the intrusion of an odd idea in one of the sermons of pastor James Flanders. What do you think wed experience . Reporter when he mentioned a couple of verses in the Old Testament that seemed to approve, somehow, of polygamy. He wanted to justify his relationship to everybody else through a biblical sense. Reporter so he went to the Old Testament and and pulled up those few lines that suggest polygamy. Thats correct. Reporter a trial balloon . If it was, it quickly if it was, it quickly imploded. And the very practical polygamy in the home of the pastor stayed carefully under wraps. Reporter so if the news got out to the rest of the church did tanya worry at what might happen there . Thats what she was covering up. She had to protect james and protect their that was their world. Reporter did she do something to marie, to protect james . Two months after marie disappeared the detectives got permission to look at the cell phone records of all three of them. Would they prove tanya was with marie when she vanished and thus maybe did something to her . The cell phone tower information put her away from the area. Reporter no. No where near marie. So then they checked the cell towers for jamess phone, and what do you know. When marie sent that mass text message saying she was leaving town, both her phone and the pastors were pinging off the same cell tower two blocks from his house. And when maries mazda was dropped at the airport. Weve got James Flanders cellphone touching towers near the airport. Why would his phone be near the airport . Reporter well, either james innocently drove marie to the airport, and neglected to reveal that or he drove her car there to cover up a crime. No way to prove it either way. So they were stuck again. Which is when jason, the youth pastor, remember him . Out of the blue jason came to call. He had something the detectives needed to hear, he said. Reporter i mean, that would take a certain amount of courage. Absolutely. We wouldve never known about that if jason wouldnt have come forward. Reporter known what . The secret incident that got junior pastor jason involved. It happened soon after marie disappeared. When a very distraught james asked this church elder for help. He said, he goes, i need you to get me out of the country. I said whats going on . I said, does this have to do with maria marie . He said i cant tell you. Never once said anything to me else, just its bad. Reporter james seemed suicidal, said the elder. So he called a doctor friend. And the doctor committed the preacher to a mental hospital. For ten days. During which time jason anderson, took over preacher duties. But then jason heard things. Not about what happened to marie, but about polygamy. With other church leaders, he confronted james and tanya. Reporter this is a, forgive my saying, come to jesus moment . It was the hardest thing ive ever had to do, myself, personally, was to confront my pastor. Reporter this your mentor, your senior guy. Yeah, right. Sure. Reporter and james admitted it. He had been sleeping with two women, in the same house. But then, youth pastor jason told the detectives, in that cloistered setting, james kept talking, and told a terrible story. Him and marie had had a physical altercation before she went missing. And she had scratched him on his arms. Reporter james insisted marie was still alive the last time he saw her. I was just so in shock of everything. Reporter that was it. He could not continue as pastor. James would have to resign. He announced that he and tanya were leaving town. They were supposed to leave the followin morning to say goodbye to some Church Members. And lo and behold, around 12 00 or 12 30 theyd gotten in that truck and they hauled butt. They went to arizona. They fled. Reporter like thieves in the night with baby grace. It was a few days after they left when jason went to the police to tell his disturbing story. That they had a physical runin the day that she went missing. Reporter then a piece of luck. Before they left, maries friend kay had asked the pastor and his wife for maries belongings. They gave her maries computer. The bad news was it had been erased but i brought it into the Sheriffs Department for them to take a look. We had our forensic tech reanalyze the computer and it gave us a beautiful copy of her phone download that she had done when she backed her phone up. Reporter wow. But maybe it wasnt so lucky. There were thousands of text messages, but they were an unreadable jumble of symbols and words. This particular coin though look at this, marie shot this video that did survive. Showing the pastor hawking gold and silver online, apparently while running the church. Valuing this coin at over 500. Lemme tell you, thats exciting stuff. Reporter was james just a pastor . Or part time flimflam man . So this is where things stood when an anonymous tip came in. Startling. If true, it would solve the case. And in the tip, it says that james buried her in the backyard. Reporter thats some tip. Yeah. I can remember getting that tip and thinking, no way. Like, who would who would kill somebody and bury them in their own backyard . Reporter could be bogus, of course. Just another false lead. But nesli was hopeful. We brought cadaver dogs and Ground Penetrating radar and we didnt find anything. Reporter nothing . Nothin. Reporter no body. So what happened to marie . More months went by. Police kept trying to speak with james but got no response. Then after a whole year, they tried again and he picked up. I had been asked by our attorney not to talk to anyone without him there. Reporter but he did talk talked for two hours, in fact, from his car. At times, sounding like he was the victim. What emotions have i felt over the past year and a month, you know . Anger at marie for going and not letting us know whats going on, and then back to anger at myself for not making a phone call to get her help. And anger at myself for ever letting the relationship became what it became. Reporter the pastor said he knew he was the prime suspect. I am terrified of the prospect of marie taking her own life. And if she did, and i pray she didnt, i hope she did it very, very, very, very, very, very, very far away. Because if they find her one little bone that somehow could be connected with her, there its my fault. Im sure its the way people would look at it, its james. Do you know where marie is . No, i do not. If i did, i would go get her. Did you kill Marie Carlson . No. Reporter and that was that. They were stalled. Marie was missing and the case was getting very cold. Reporter coming up new revelations from the pastor. They were sending pornographic photos back and forth from the church. Reporter an answer at last to the biggest mystery of all, where was marie . I was pretty devastated. I felt like i missed her. Reporter unlike a fine beep goes off ] now that you have new dr. Scholls massaging gel advanced insoles with softer, bouncier gel waves, youll move over 10 more than before. Dr. Scholls. Born to move. Have a skincare routine. But what about a lip care routine . Pay your lips some attention. The chapstick total hydration collection. Exfoliate nourish naturally enhance your lips. Chapstick. Put your lips first. Sleep this amazing . Thats a zzzquilpure zzzs sleep. Our liquid has a unique botanical blend, while an optimal melatonin level means no nextday grogginess. Zzzquil pure zzzs. Naturally superior sleep. Here, hello starts with hi mple. How can i help . A data plan for everyone. Everyone . Everyone. Lets send to everyone [ camera clicking ] wifi up there . Ahhh. Sure, why not . Howd he get out . a camera might figure it out. That was easy glad i could help. At xfinity, were here to make life simple. Easy. Awesome. So come ask, shop, discover at your xfinity store today. Case doesnt get better with age. It just gets colder. What chance did you give it . I really felt it was a 50 50 chance to be solved. He put one of his most experienced investigators. I was not confident because i didnt have a body. And then, her computer revealed new things. Text messages. Graphic. Some things are hard to see. Ill spare you. No credit card or phone. That led me to believe she was dead. Her last communication. She wanted out. She wasnt going to leave her baby behind. Then this, just a month before she vanished. Whatever someone is backstabbing me, lying, you know what i want to do. My feelings say choke the life out of them. Is that what the pastor did to marie . The detectives spelled out their case, circumstantial, difficult but prosecutors bought it. He was charged with murder. We were four and a half years in. As the pastor waited in jail for trial, his attorney was optimistic. What did you think your chances were . I didnt believe the state had Second Degree murder. They didnt have a body. Maybe not but as they looked at evidence, just before the trial, they made a deal. The state reduced the charge from Second Degree murder to manslaughter and james agreed to tell them what he did to marie and where he put her. Her family grudgingly agreed. That was the hardest thing but i wanted to know where my sister was. As much as i hated to agree to it, i knew that was probably the only way. First, as part of the deal, the pastor told the story of marie. The polygomy arrangement. He was my other wife. He even had a name for their relationship. Marie called it a trouple. Throuple. He claimed marie was in a downward spiral and erupted after he told her she should be hospitalized for depression. I grabbed ahold of her and hugged as tight as i could. We fell down on the floor. When we hit the floor, we hit hard. I realized something wasnt right. I rolled her over and she wasnt breathing. A fatal bear hug. Not possible. She braced for the answer. Did you burry marie in the backyard. Is that where you buried her . Yes. At that point, the detective got up and left the room. Leslie passed a note that said i missed her. I was devastated. I was in that yard in 2012. Not like you didnt look. Human nature. You have the guilt. I could have found her six months after she was reported missing. The pastor insisted tanya wasnt around and new nothing. Did you get her buried before tanya came back . Yes. Do you wonder if tanya had more to do with this . That will always be in the back of our mind. Tanya was never charged. Her defense attorney said she was truly shocked by james confession. I can tell you from having to tell her what happened, she did not know. Later that afternoon, escorting james into his former backyard where he marked with little flags the spot he buried marie five years earlier. He fell on the ground and cried and told her im sorry. What an act. It took hours but finally, almost fivefeet deep wrapped in a blanket, they found marie. I was crying so much. I never cried so loud. It is my fault. Back in court that afternoon. James was sentenced to 15 years. With Good Behavior hell be out in 11, free to join tanya in arizona and grace whose mother he killed. Hes going to get to have a life. Marie is gone forever. She doesnt get a life, especially with her kids, which is for most mothers, the world. Jeff had to tell his daughter her mom was not coming back. What do you say . You dont know how to prepare them with the future of living with this. He deprived her of her mother. Later, maries family and others gathered for a celebration of life. They sang kareoke. When maries daughter paris comes to visit, the two sit down at the piano and play, make music just like their mothers years ago. And grace. I want to tell her all about her mom. I want to show you, your mother really did love you. Some day shell know about that uncontainable woman who brought joy. Marie. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Thanks for watching. Good morning, im joling kent in new york. 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