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E142: Sherry Lynn Marler
4.8k Plays3 years ago
There is something bittersweet about growing up. For the child, they step into new roles with new responsibilities. They learn to earn trust from the adults in their lives. In return, the adults have to let go just a little of the baby they have raised. They watch with tears in their eyes as some of the innocence of their child slips away into a teen and one day adult. It’s hard, but it is life. We never think it’ll be my child. That’s what made it so unbelievable for 12-year-old Sherry Marler’s mother and step-father to think that their “little farmer” had simply disappeared from their quaint, small town.
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Transcript
Introduction & Sponsorship
00:00:00
Speaker
We are excited to announce that this episode is being sponsored by Zencaster, our very own podcast recording platform. Make sure you listen for more information in the middle of the episode and take a look at our show notes to know exactly why we love Zencaster so much and how you yourself can get a discount.
Podcast Recommendation: Dirty Money Moves
00:00:21
Speaker
Whenever Maggie and I find a new podcast that we know you will love, we want to share it with you for all of your binging pleasure. The podcast we wanted to share with you this week fits the bill perfectly. The host of this podcast should be a familiar name, Jamie Rice. That's right, the host of the true crime podcast, Murderish. She's back in action with another podcast.
00:00:45
Speaker
Her new deep dive podcast is called Dirty Money Moves, and it is one that you do not want to miss. With multiple episodes already out in season one, it's the perfect time to binge. Here's a little bit about the show from Jamie herself.
00:01:01
Speaker
It was 2018 in Los Angeles, California, when a wealthy heiress walked into a bank and essentially walked out with almost $15 million, never to be seen again. I'm Jamie Rice, and on the first season of Dirty Money Moves, Women in White Collar Crime, I'm taking you on a deep dive into the life of female hustler, Mary Carol McDonald. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Childhood Independence & Sherri Lynn Marler
00:01:31
Speaker
There's nothing better than the moment you gain that tiny bit of independence. You know the moment. The first time your parents let you stay home alone while they run to the store. The first time you were told that you could go to another store inside the mall while your mom was shopping at JCPenney. The first time you got to walk across the street to the library while your mom was at the post office. The realization that you've finally reached the precipice of adulthood is unmatched when you're 12.
00:01:56
Speaker
For me, I remember thinking I had made it to the big time when my mom finally agreed to let me stay at the public library while she went grocery shopping. I felt like such a grown up. I was free to roam the rows of books, play on the computer, do puzzles, or whatever else I wanted for that sweet 30 minutes that my mom was in the local shop wise.
00:02:16
Speaker
For me, I knew how I had officially become a grown-up. For my mom, I'm sure she worried herself sick in those 30 minutes. But that summer, my saves at the library became the norm while my mom ran her local errands. There's something bittersweet about growing up. For the child, they step into new roles with new responsibilities. They learn to earn trust from the adults in their lives, and in return, the adults have to let go just a little bit of the baby they've raised.
00:02:41
Speaker
They watch with tears in their eyes as some of the innocence of their child slips away into a teen and one day an adult. It's hard, but it's life. With that newfound freedom and that little bit of grace to walk next door while mom looks at shoes in the mall comes risks. We never think it'll be my child. But when a child disappears, it is someone's child. And that realization changes them completely.
Introduction to Coffee and Cases Podcast
00:03:03
Speaker
This is the story of Sherri Lynn Marler.
00:03:41
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:03:51
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families with each case. We encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, coffee and cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee and listen to what's brewing this week.
Listener Engagement & Social Media
00:04:19
Speaker
y'all we are so happy to be back from vacation but let me tell you we're struggling today it has been an adjustment we're getting tongue tied and then we get tickled and yeah add words that aren't fair yeah but it's fun yeah yeah we've really missed you and we hope you enjoyed
00:04:44
Speaker
the Patreon episode that dropped today. Make sure if you haven't yet. And if you ever miss us like we miss you to go to patreon.com slash coffee and cases where we have all kinds of bonus content that you can access for just $5 a month. Yes. And the episode that dropped today is a crazy one that has deception. It has letters. It has DNA craziness. So make sure you check it out.
00:05:11
Speaker
So now let's get down to business. We have several love notes to get caught up on as a result of our vacation. Which is exciting. Yes, I so hope that I have not
00:05:27
Speaker
forgotten anyone and that Maggie doesn't forget anyone as we are giving these shout outs. If we did, please let us know kindly because I will make sure to put your name in the next episode. But love notes are going out to Michelle, Jerry, Janine, Dawn, Jennifer, Sarah, and Brittany for recommending us or suggesting a case on Facebook.
00:05:54
Speaker
and Love Notes are going to Brooke, Savannah, and Jamie for reaching out with case suggestions to our email and to Ted. And this is Ted that's been with us from the beginning. Yes, this is Ted who has been with us for a long time.
00:06:08
Speaker
Yes. For being the first to guess which episode Allison mentioned where I got so scared that I had to move from the basement to upstairs to be near Anthony. And that was the Cindy James case. Yes. I recall fondly. Yeah. And some extra special love notes to our new five star written review writers, Sunshine Jewels.
00:06:32
Speaker
Tanya or Tanya, I don't know which, Janine and her daughter Allie, who she mentions in the review. Yes. And Marie Jess, I guess is how we pronounce that one. And to all of those who went to podcastawards.com, registered and voted for us for the best female hosted podcast and for people's choice.
00:06:57
Speaker
So to piggyback off that before I start, I am going to ask one more time. If you haven't yet, please go to podcastawards.com and vote for our show. We probably won't win because there's some really big name pods on there, but it would mean a lot to us and show that heart can beat out money any day of the week. So
00:07:22
Speaker
with that shameless plug. Let's go ahead and start into the episode.
The Disappearance of Sherri Lynn Marler
00:07:28
Speaker
Okay, I'm ready. Allison, like many of our episodes, I think I identify so much with little Sherry. Sherry was called the little farmer by those who knew her best.
00:07:42
Speaker
I know. It's a cute little nickname and she bought that nickname because everybody in her small town of Greenville, Alabama knew that she was a tomboy who loved being outside particularly on the farm now.
00:07:58
Speaker
Despite how I am today, you know, being allergic to the outside, preferring to stay indoors unless I'm at the beach. That was not how I was when I was small. I was always in the garden with my puppy in the summer or spring to helping plant vegetables or harvest them and like
00:08:17
Speaker
being really careful not to step on the roads that he had just planted. I was making mud pies. I was riding my bicycle. So just like Sherry, at that age, I was happiest when I was outside. Pre-allergies. Yeah, pre-allergies. Pre-six allergy medications a day. Yes.
00:08:38
Speaker
Sherry grew up in a very, very small town. Greenville, Alabama, and every time I see that, I want to say Greenbow, Alabama from Forrest Gump, which I know is in a real place, but whatever. Greenville had a population of only about 7,600 people at the time. So like we always say, it was completely safe. Or so we thought. Right.
00:09:05
Speaker
People felt safe letting their kids walk from store to store in town. Kids rode their bikes to friends' houses because, you know, what could possibly happen in a small town like this one where everyone watched out for everyone else's kids? And Greenville really felt like that safe town until the morning of June 6, 1984.
Rural vs. Urban Safety Discussion
00:09:27
Speaker
I feel like we have been talking a lot. Actually, I feel like it's been a really long time since we talked because you all Sleuthounds don't know this, but we were actually ahead quite a few weeks, which was really nice because then when we got overwhelmed with some stuff that came up this summer, we didn't feel like we were going to drown. So I feel like I actually haven't talked to you guys in a long time.
00:09:54
Speaker
Um, the past couple episodes, anyways, I feel we've been talking about, um, small towns and every single time we say like these cliche things, like this small town was a town where everyone knew everyone. It was a town where you felt safe letting your kids play outside.
00:10:12
Speaker
You can lock your doors. Exactly. And so that made me wonder, because we say that so much, if that is really true. And the internet is actually full of articles that tell us the opposite of this preconceived notion that we have regarding this article. Really? Yeah, which was really surprising to me. I guess maybe because you're not vigilant. Like you're not on guard or cautious.
00:10:40
Speaker
I think that's part of it. And I think it's because so many people like us just automatically assume because you're in a small town, you're going to be safe. So you kind of like let your guard down. Whereas in a big city, you know, you're always kind of making sure. Yeah. There's also the added benefit, I guess, if you're in a big city for crime to happen, there are going to be multiple witnesses. The more rural you are, then the fewer witnesses there would be. So that's true. Good point.
00:11:11
Speaker
I found in one online journal publication, a research paper entitled, Safety in Numbers, Are Major Cities the Safest Place in United States? And in that paper, the authors explored this idea. So according to this paper, they said, quote, Many U.S. cities have experienced population reductions, often blamed on crime and interpersonal injury.
00:11:34
Speaker
Yet the overall injury risk in urban areas compared to suburban or rural areas has not been fully described. We began to investigate this evidence gap by looking specifically at injury-related mortality risks, determining the risk of all injury deaths across the rural-urban continuum." And they found in this study something I didn't expect. In the study, they found using total injury death rate as an overall
00:12:04
Speaker
metric that US urban counties were safer than their like more rural county counterparts. And that injury increased steadily as counties become became like smaller. I wonder if it's for those reasons we just talked about, which kind of freaked out that I live out in the country. I know. I know. And I thought, you know, the good
00:12:31
Speaker
English teacher in me said, maybe this one source is just biased.
00:12:41
Speaker
got to do a little more research. So I did and I dug a little bit further and found a study from the University of Pennsylvania. Okay, so credible sense. And researchers again looked at this commonly held preconception that rural small towns are safer than big cities. And this study said, quote, contrary to popular belief, cities do happen to be the safest place you can live. And this was from their lead author,
00:13:10
Speaker
Dr. Myers, a pediatrician and researcher at Penn. This is what he told in an interview to NBC. The study shows that the risk of death from an injury including shootings, vehicle accidents, drowning, falls, and other accidents is more than 20% higher in small towns and larger cities. Guns, cars, and drugs are the unholy trinity causing the majority of injury deaths in the United States.
00:13:38
Speaker
What you said there is super interesting because yes, I mean I was talking about like violent crime and they're not being witnesses but you're right the more rural you are if you're in a car accident even getting you to a hospital
00:13:52
Speaker
is much more life threatening. Or we talk about it all the time. Unfortunately, especially in the Appalachian area where there's a drug epidemic, if there is something like say a drug overdose or something like that, again, getting that person to a hospital, you're traveling greater distances. So this does make logical sense.
00:14:19
Speaker
But it's not something that we want. So I guess, are we really right to say the cheesy sayings we catch each other saying almost week after week about small town America? Maybe some next time we're just going to say this this happened in a really unsafe and deadly small town in America. That's what we'll start saying.
00:14:47
Speaker
Yeah, we just need to start changing the way we move the world. Nowhere safe. Yeah, nowhere safe. Exactly.
The Day Sherri Disappeared
00:14:54
Speaker
So this seemingly safe town
00:14:59
Speaker
changed on that June morning because when Shari's mom, Betty, woke up early for her 7am shift at the Waffle House and saw her daughter sleeping peacefully, she had no clue it would be the last time she would ever see her sweet daughter alive. Oh gosh. Yeah, those are like, you don't understand the importance of each moment.
00:15:24
Speaker
I know. And I've actually really started to try because you guys know I have no memory. And so I've started saying to myself, like, remember this moment. Like, when I unplug my straightener, like, Maggie, you're unplugging your straightener. I'll say, Maggie, remember this moment. Like, I don't know if it's gonna help. We'll see. But that morning, Sherry was actually sleeping on the couch because
00:15:48
Speaker
her aunt had come to visit and Sherry had willingly given her room for her aunt for the duration of her stay. Which is a big deal. Yeah. I know. Did you say at the beginning, you compared Sherry to yourself when you were 12? So is she 12? Yeah. Okay. That's sweet. And you have a, well, she's older than 12. She's 13 now.
00:16:12
Speaker
But we at that age, yeah, appreciate the prophecy of our own room. So that's a big deal. So this meant that because Sherri was sleeping in the living room, she was in the heart of the daily morning commotion.
00:16:28
Speaker
Unlike Betty, who had, you know, gingerly walked by the sleeping Sherry, the rest of the family was not as considerate. And this makes me think of like, multiple beach vacations where I slept on the couch. And as soon as everybody else is up, you know, you're up too. You have to be up. Yeah.
00:16:44
Speaker
Around 9am, Sherry was awakened by the sound of her stepfather, Raymond, moving around the house. And he was actually getting ready to leave to go to the bank. And at the sound of that, Sherry ran to see if she could also tag along. Okay, so they must have a good relationship because if she's wanting to go with him versus staying at the house.
00:17:06
Speaker
Yeah, and she's getting up that early because, you know, it's summer vacation, so her nights are probably a little longer than normal. Right, exactly.
00:17:15
Speaker
Allison, I know that you used to work at a bank during college summer vacations. But as a kid, I always loved going to the bank with my mommy. Where she banked, they always had Smarties in a bowl by the counter for kids to snack on while they waited. And I would always grab one. And sometimes if she or my mom were going to be in that bank a little while, they would let me walk down the street to the library. So it was like a really special treat for me.
00:17:44
Speaker
Yeah, because not only do I love candy and not only did I love the library, I got to spend time there and I got to feel like a grown-up because I was able to walk the 100 feet from the library to the bank by myself.
00:18:00
Speaker
Right. And felt like you were, oh my goodness, rock star status probably. Yeah. Yeah. Snacking on my smarties, walking to the library. I can picture you. Sources say that Raymond and Sherry arrived at First National Bank around 930. Raymond was there to sign some papers and Sherry, I'm sure, was there to just get out of the house for a few minutes.
00:18:24
Speaker
As the pair was walking to the bank, Sherry told Raymond that she was really thirsty. And Raymond knew that he would be inside for a few minutes handling all the business that he had in there. So he gave Sherry a dollar and told her just to run across the street to the Chevron station to buy something to drink. Okay. I mean, that's totally something I would do with my slew town and she's 13. I mean, I would say, okay, if it's right there, yeah, go ahead, go get something to drink.
00:18:53
Speaker
As I remember, we've talked about all the crazy places we've recorded, but when we recorded in Starbucks parking lot, sometimes she would go in the Starbucks and get some drinks. So I feel totally, that's a totally normal thing. And of course, Sherry is like, yes, give me this dollar. So she gets the dollar. She starts heading towards the gas station and Raymond goes into the bank. Okay. So I'm sure when my mom or my grandma, let me walk,
00:19:21
Speaker
to the library from the bank. They felt fine about it because I would have been within the side of several other businesses. So on my solo trips, I would have had to walk in front of the bank, then in front of the post office.
00:19:36
Speaker
up a tiny hill to the library and all three buildings could have been seen from the funeral home across the street and the other bank that was just down the road. So a lot of people could have seen me and Sherry's journey was really similar. It's not like, you know, they're literally in the middle of nowhere. She would have had to cross a couple parking lot or like the parking lot of a general telephone company.
00:20:01
Speaker
A furniture store was also on the way to the gas station, so she would have also been in the view of several businesses. And we know that she did follow that path through the General Telephone Building's parking lot past the furniture store because we have lots of witnesses that would later report that they did see her walking along that way to the gas station.
00:20:31
Speaker
I'm guessing she doesn't walk back with the way you're talking. Yeah. I never saw anything where they talk about her starting to walk back or even really talking about her at the gas station, which makes me a little, I'm sure she, I know she made it there, but I don't think she left the way she came. Okay.
00:21:01
Speaker
Okay. Raymond was only in the bank for about 15 minutes. But Allison, 15 minutes was all it took for Sherry to quite literally seemingly disappear into thin air.
Community Search Efforts
00:21:13
Speaker
So as Raymond walked out of the bank, I'm pretty sure he would expect to see Sherry standing there, pop in hand, ready to go, but she was nowhere to be seen.
00:21:23
Speaker
Raymond is trying not to panic like we always talk about you know, it's the all-town She probably ran into someone she knew she liked to chat a friend of hers is in there and they decided to drink their soda inside the gas station Something right. Yeah anything except the worst, right?
00:21:45
Speaker
You know, he even says, I bet she got tired of waiting on me and walked to the waffle house to see her mom. So he's like, I'm going to give her a little bit before I start freaking out. And he did, he waited. So even the waffle house was pretty close then. Yeah, I think it was all right within walking distance for her. To me, I picture like
00:22:11
Speaker
Pikeville where I grew up and you would have to walk a pretty big distance from the bank to Waffle House. But in this town, I'm assuming it's all pretty close because I don't think otherwise he would have been like, she probably walked to the Waffle House a couple of miles away. Yeah. Why would that even cross his mind? Yeah. So he actually does allow her the few extra minutes. I read somewhere he waited like it was either 15 additional minutes or 30 minutes. I can't remember, but a pretty good amount of time.
00:22:40
Speaker
And when she wasn't back, then he knew, okay, something is wrong. Right. So he immediately goes back into the bank and asked to use the phone and he called the Waffle House to see if Sherry had stopped by to see Betty, her mom. And Betty said that she hadn't seen Sherry since she left their home that morning and Sherry was still asleep on the couch.
00:23:07
Speaker
So Raymond's like, well, crap. So again, trying to remain calm. He's like, you know what? I'm just going to walk to the Chevron gas station because like you said, she's probably there drinking a pop with a friend has lost total track of time because she's 12 and she's going to be fine. So he walks over there and doesn't see her. He's like, OK, Sherry likes to talk to people. Everybody knows a little farm. So I'm just going to walk to all of these local stores
00:23:36
Speaker
and see if she just popped. Yeah. So the tractor shop, the feed store and any other business he thought Sherry may have walked to, but she wasn't at any of them. Oh my gosh. And I bet, I bet that's one of those instances where you're like, should I be scared or are you angry? Because you're like, I told my kid to come straight back here.
00:24:02
Speaker
and she didn't listen. You know what I mean? And then your panic rises every story you go into and she's not there. And I've often thought about that. As a parent, how would you react? I'm sure to make sure both being relieved and angry that they're safe and not where they were supposed to be. Right.
00:24:25
Speaker
So Raymond at this point knew that he and Betty needed more help searching for Sherry. So at 11 46 a.m. Sherry was reported missing and the police did respond. So actually quite a bit of time was passed. A little over two hours. But I mean that's him. I think it's realistic because I think at first he was waiting and then he was looking. So. Yeah. And that's what I was going to say. It's not like he just was sitting on a truck and waited two hours. You know he's looking at other stores and stuff.
00:24:54
Speaker
Unlike many cases that we cover where the police don't take the family seriously when a child's reported missing, you know, they ran away, they're playing with a friend, all that stuff. That wasn't the case for the Greenville police. So nearly two hours had passed since 12 year old Sherry was last seen crossing those parking lot towards the Chevron filling station. And police always said no time with any of those excuses. Instead, they jumped head first into searching for Sherry.
00:25:24
Speaker
Bravo for them. Bravo. Yeah. Yeah. I feel that should be the norm. I think we should just assume worst case scenario in every case. And then if we find them playing down the street with little Tommy, then that's great. Yeah. But at least we took all the precautions that we needed to do. Exactly. Yep.
00:25:43
Speaker
I'm sure it comes to a money thing. It's probably too expensive to do that every time. Right. But they do begin a massive search that was executed by volunteers, friends, and family. So they even had the Crenshaw Flying Service conduct aerial searches. Missing posters were distributed all over town and even into neighboring counties.
00:26:09
Speaker
but Sherry never showed up. And all these years later, we still don't know what happened to Sherry.
Theories on Sherri's Disappearance
00:26:16
Speaker
And although we don't know what happened to Sherry, Allison, we do have several theories that I'm going to present to you. And once we've discussed the theories, I'll tell you a few updates we have on the case to see if your thoughts change any. Ooh, okay.
00:26:35
Speaker
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00:27:00
Speaker
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00:27:26
Speaker
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00:27:44
Speaker
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00:28:11
Speaker
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00:29:05
Speaker
Allison and I find it hard to record together these days with everything going on in our lives. That's why we began looking for a recording platform that would allow us to record the same quality, crisp audio that we could have in person. Allison made it her mission to find the best recording platform for doing just that, and that's when she discovered Zencaster. Zencaster is what Maggie and I use each week to record our episodes, and it is extremely easy to use, even if you've never used a recording platform before.
00:29:33
Speaker
You don't have to download a thing. I go to the website zencaster.com, create the session for which you can record audio, video or both, and then email Maggie the link. She clicks and that's it. We're ready to hit the record button and start.
00:29:49
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:30:55
Speaker
Your story. Okay, Allison. So we're going to talk about theories now, which is your favorite part. And I think we have a couple, like maybe four or so that we're going to talk about with her. So the first one is the theory one is Sherry ran away. Nope.
00:31:22
Speaker
I'm already saying no. As bad as we hate to think of her running away, it is a theory that we do have to talk about. So according to, as bad as I don't want to, I don't want to. According to true crime files in 1984, the Department of Health and Human Services reported to Congress that the number of runaway youth in the United States was more than 1 million. That's a quote.
00:31:51
Speaker
quote more than one million. Oh my. I know.
00:31:56
Speaker
That's a lot of people, children. In an article posted on kidshealth.org, because when I read that, I was like, okay, that's a lot. The National Runaway Switchboard, an organization that takes calls and helps kids who have runaway or who are thinking of running away, one in seven kids between 10 and 18 will run away at some point, which I think is a huge. It seems like a lot. Yeah. Yeah. It's a big number.
00:32:24
Speaker
And there are 1 million to 3 million runaway and homeless kids living in this like on the streets in the United States. I just want to love all these babies. I know. That's big numbers. So now I'm thinking if Sherry did run away from home because statistically it's pretty possible she did. Why did she run away from home? Right. Right. Were there any reasons or any signs?
00:32:52
Speaker
So most kids when I was researching run away due to problems with their families. So some kids run away because of maybe a terrible argument they had with a parent or sibling. Some even decide to leave without ever actually having.
00:33:09
Speaker
the argument, but they anticipate it, so they run away. They might have done something they're ashamed of and they're afraid to tell their parents. Like we said, Sherry would not have been out of the norm to run away from home, but her parents don't think she's a runaway. Most kids who run away do so because there's abuse in the home, family financial worries, so they think
00:33:34
Speaker
My family struggling financially if I run away that's one last thing they have to worry about paying for that's so sad I know it's these are all sad They run away because the birth of a new sibling problems at school or even peer pressure But Sherry's mom says that none of those things were happening in Sherry's life. It was summer vacation. So school and this like Bullying at school or peer pressure wouldn't have really been an issue her home life was good. There was no
00:34:04
Speaker
Real problems there nothing that would have made people believe she was being abused. She had a loving mom She had a loving stepdad. I didn't read anywhere about her biological dad, but regardless sherry did seem very happy. Mm-hmm I mean from just the description of her she doesn't sound like right. Yeah kid who has a lot going on I mean, they are really good at hiding my name, but right
00:34:29
Speaker
Most of the time I have come to realize, so I didn't think there would be a huge shift moving from freshman to seventh grade, but there is a huge shift. They tell you a lot more in seventh grade than they do when they're freshmen. I think they confide more in friends as freshmen. And then as 12 year olds in seventh grade, they still want that adult to confide in. So I think
00:34:56
Speaker
I think if something was going on, she would have told some trusted adult. Yeah. Betty has always insisted that her daughter was happy and she was content. She had no significant issues beyond what any 12 year old girl would have. She says that Sherry had absolutely no reason to leave home. Sherry was excited about plans she had made for the day she disappeared. She was going to watch her favorite TV show and visit her grandma. So by all accounts, Sherry
00:35:25
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, a fantastic day back in not 24. Heck yeah. The very best. So by all accounts, Sherry was the top of kid who did what she was told. And if her stepdad had said, take this dollar, go get a pop, meet me back in the truck, she would have done that. Right.
00:35:47
Speaker
She didn't take any belongings with her when she headed into town. I read that she literally ran down their driveway barefoot with her feet and like her shoes and hand like, wait, Raymond, wait, I want to come. No, she didn't really have time for her pair and she's never contacted any family member in all of these decades that she's been missing. Yeah.
00:36:14
Speaker
So I just don't buy it. She seemed to be a very smart girl. She's used to the outdoors and would have known that she would have needed to take things along with her if she was going to successfully run away from home. I think she would have at least packed a small bag with some clothes, some snacks and some water, but nothing was missing from her room or her family home. We know she didn't have money because she had to ask her stepdad for a dollar to get a pop. Right.
00:36:43
Speaker
And Raymond told the police that the only thing Sherry left with, like I said, was the shoes that she had on and she had them in her hand when she ran to catch up with the pickup truck in their driveway. Okay, yeah. Oh, I'm not feeling this. I'm not feeling this theory. Theory one is the best. Theory two is that Sherry was objected by a stranger. Okay. And Allison, I think that we
00:37:10
Speaker
always jump to this theory, not we, specifically you and I, just we as a population in general, because we can make it fit most scenarios and we can manipulate it to fit most any circumstances, you know? Right, right. Or we want to say, well, nobody who we know could be responsible for something that's horrific. Yeah.
00:37:33
Speaker
nobody in her family could do that to her, you know, or whatever. Stranger abductions are actually very rare in the United States, which I didn't really know, but I read in one article that fewer than 350 people under the age of 21 have been abducted by strangers in the United States per year since like 2010, according to the FBI.
00:37:57
Speaker
Yeah, that is not a lot of people. I think the lowest was like 303 in 2016 and a high of 384 in 2011. And there's no real like directional trend. So, but around the mid 300s probably. Yeah. On average. Yeah.
00:38:16
Speaker
Right. So I mean, it's definitely possible that Sherry was kidnapped as she was walking across the parking lot to get the pop from the Chevron station. It only takes a few seconds for an adult to snatch up a 12 year old like Sherry. So it is definitely possible. But something I did not know, but read a few times in my research, and maybe you know this and I'm just dumb, but the soda machines in 1984 didn't give change.
00:38:43
Speaker
Did you know that? Oh, no, I didn't know that. I've always said soda machines give change. But in 1984, I was only five. So I wasn't buying soda.
00:38:55
Speaker
true. So some people say maybe the pop was 50 cents and Sherry only had a dollar and if she knew she put that in it would keep her change, right? So Sherry's mom theorized that maybe Sherry approached a stranger and asked for change and that's when the abduction happened. Okay, I mean that's a legit reason why she might have approached a stranger.
00:39:22
Speaker
Yeah, but I just think if Sherry was going to ask for change, in my mind, it would make more sense to wait until I got to the gas station, go inside and say, hey, I have a dollar. Can I have this in quarters? Or better yet. And not approach a stranger. Better yet, ask at the bank. Yeah, I hadn't even thought about that. Before you walked across. I hadn't even thought about that. Yeah, so you're right.
00:39:50
Speaker
There are problems, flaws with this theory. I just don't think that the smart Sherry that we have come to know would have not used the gas station or the bank. I mean, she was really friendly and it's a small town. So maybe she didn't feel like she was approaching a stranger when she asked for change, if we believe this. Right. But I just, I don't know. This one's just hard for me to commit to.
00:40:20
Speaker
Theory three is that Sherry was kidnapped and killed by someone she knew, and we hate, again, we collectively as a population, hate thinking that somebody close to the victim could have been responsible for whatever happened to them, but obviously we have to talk about this theory. Okay. So Raymond was of course questioned by police because- He's the last one who was with her, yeah.
00:40:47
Speaker
Right. What kind of police would they have been if they didn't question him? He is the last person to talk to her when she disappears. So that's the first person they're going to look at. Raymond did refuse to take a polygraph test, which we know means nothing, but it looks a little sketch. Even though I'm torn on whether I would take one or not, because it's one of those that you're doomed to either way.
00:41:15
Speaker
I think I would fail one if I took it because I'm just so naturally anxious. They would be like, is your name Maggie? Well, is your name Maggie Damer? And I'd be like, yep. And they'd be like, lie. Yeah. Do you have a Santa Fe? Yep. Lie. Lies. So Raymond refuses. Do we know why he would have refused? Like,
00:41:40
Speaker
He in all the research that I did I could not find why he refused to take the polygraph Maybe it's kind of like you and you're just kind of screwed either way. Yeah. Yeah It does make me feel better though that sherry's mom says with 100 positivity that ramen would not have harmed sherry and I feel like The mom is obviously gonna really know her daughter and really know her family situation. So she
00:42:09
Speaker
said he did not harm her. She even said that Raymond never got over the fact that Sherry was with him when she vanished. And I do think that would be hard. Yeah. You know, I have a lot of, I mean, I said at the beginning, I think it says a lot about their relationship and how good it was that, you know, she's got all this family in, but when he runs to town, she wants to run with him. Yeah. Cause I know we had an aunt
00:42:37
Speaker
that lived in Oklahoma and she always came in around Christmas time and there was not a single thing you could have asked me or my cousins to do that we would have left my grandma's house when she was in. Right. Yeah. So I think that does speak volumes of Raymond that she would leave when her family is visiting.
00:42:59
Speaker
Just before Raymond died in April of 2003, he told his wife from his hospital bed, and this is so sad, quote, Betty, I wish I could go get Sherry and bring her home to you, but I can't because I don't know where she is, end quote. And really, I have to side with Sherry. Those words don't sound like the words of someone who wanted to, or I have to side with Betty because those words do not sound like the words of someone who would want to hurt.
00:43:28
Speaker
Sherry. They sound like someone who loved her very, very much. So if we are sticking with the It's Someone She Knew theory and Raymond didn't do it, then who else could it have been? We'd have not met a lot of people in the story of Sherry.
00:43:50
Speaker
But I read in an article by True Crime Files that was published in 2018. The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina said that Sherry had stayed with her stepsister and her stepsister's husband in St. Stephen in 1983. So we're meeting some new people. So we're meeting stepsister and stepsister's husband. The authorities had received a tip that Sherry was spotted in that area after she was reported missing in 1984.
00:44:20
Speaker
Oh, so they're thinking did the stepsister come pick her up? Yeah, so she stays with them in 83. They receive a tip after she was reported missing that she was spotted in that area. So this makes me question if maybe they're involved in her disappearance. So this would be
00:44:40
Speaker
they kidnapped her, right, essentially. So they would have had to drive from their home in South Carolina to Alabama to abduct her. And this seems a little over the top for me, because when I looked it up on Google Maps, the drive would have been a little over seven hours. Wow. Yeah. And what's the motive?
00:45:00
Speaker
Right. If they were so insistent upon abducting a little girl, why did it have to be Sherry? Why couldn't I have just been somebody closer to home? So some people wonder if maybe the Sips sister and her husband maybe aided Sherry in her running away from home. Like she ran to them. I don't know. Yeah. The distance from point A to point B really plays a big part in the believability of that for me.
00:45:30
Speaker
And if they did help her run away, how is it possible they hid that for as long as they have? Right. I just feel like somebody would have talked by this point. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I agree. Okay, so theory, theory four. The last one we're gonna talk about is a little out there. Okay.
00:45:54
Speaker
Theory 4 says, Sherry was pregnant due to incest pedophilia. Okay, that came out of left field. I was not prepared. I wanted to bring up all the theories that I read about in Sherry's disappearance because who knows what can struck a chord with someone, but this theory comes from the Inquisitor, so take it as you will.
00:46:17
Speaker
The Facebook page, Sherry Lynn Marler's Still Missing was created in 2012 by Ryan Anderson to keep Sherry's case alive and give people a place where they could share theories and ideas of what they think may have happened to her because, you know, really, I guess, don't need things out of the realm of possibility.
Unconfirmed Sightings
00:46:36
Speaker
Right. And if, like you said, if anything sparks a memory in somebody, then it's been beneficial, even if the theory was off the wall.
00:46:46
Speaker
Anderson has gone as far as to go out with other volunteers and collect evidence which he has given to the police to test. The group has thousands of members that weigh in on photos, they weigh in on information, and one post from the group's creator read, quote, based on the incredible mass of truly disturbing information we've received over the years from so many sources who are extremely credible but unwilling to lead to publicly expose themselves.
00:47:16
Speaker
We believe Sherry was murdered and dismembered by someone she knew very well, not her set father, and thrown into a hog pen in Butler County. We believe the person who murdered her is deceased." These people believe Sherry was the victim of incest pedophilia, which means this was someone related to her, and was pregnant at the time of her disappearance. And to cover all of the pedophilia up,
00:47:45
Speaker
She was dismembered and fed to pigs. Wow. Yeah. Wow. So let's say that is the case. And this says due to an incredible mass of information we've received over the years. Yes, which means it's not just a random theory. This is multiple people who are saying this. Right. And
00:48:15
Speaker
Again, I think more credible people than, you know, if you and I were to say something about Sherry because we don't know her. This makes it seem like it's coming from people that were close. Okay. If this group has that type of information, information that could convict someone of the kidnap and murder of Sherry, why have they not given names to the police?
00:48:42
Speaker
Why, if they are dead, are no names being said? Right. If the persons they're getting this information from are credible, why aren't they coming forward anonymously to the proper authorities to get the case closed? Why are we telling people in a Facebook group? I mean, I know we've seen a lot of breakthroughs in cases, you know, with social media, but why not go to the police? Unless they have and they're not believed. I don't know. Okay. That's what I was going to say.
00:49:12
Speaker
You know, if we're trying to look at the other side, maybe they have in their claims were just, you know, dismissed like, Oh, that's such a, how we work. That's such a, you know, out of left field, crazy away. I mean, maybe. So Alison, I want to hear what you think about these theories, but I also want to present you with some other information to see how your opinion forms.
00:49:42
Speaker
Okay. Do you want me to give it as of right now or do you want to tell me the... Let's do it as of right now. Okay. I don't think... I don't want to believe that she ran away. I also don't necessarily want to believe that she was abducted by a stranger because I feel like then she would have screamed or there would have been some sort of activity where people looked. I'm more leaning toward theories three and four.
00:50:13
Speaker
My my heart doesn't want to give in and say that it could be theory four though. My brain is saying They're saying that a lot of people have come forward with similar information, but it could just be a rumor So maybe theory three, but I don't know who it would have been who kidnapped her Right and maybe theory four is so crazy it is what happened right exactly yeah, so those are the two i'm torn between our three and four
00:50:42
Speaker
Okay, so let's see if this changes anything for you. So according to Unsolved Mysteries, since Sherry vanished, there were three different sightings of her each time she was seen with an unidentified man. One witness saw her at a truck stop in Georgia, while another saw her at a mall in New Orleans. Each time she appeared upset, disheveled, and dazed.
00:51:08
Speaker
Her family believes that she was abducted by this man, even though her case remains unsolved. These sightings are unconfirmed, but each reported seeing Sherry with a man of about 50. The man that was seen with her after she disappeared was described as 50, about 5'8".
00:51:27
Speaker
a husky build, a weathered complexion, and crow's feet around his eyes. At the first sighting, a truck driver in Georgia said he overheard Sherry calling the man BJ. The last sighting was in a mall in New Orleans, Louisiana and later
00:51:44
Speaker
in 1984 with that same husky man. But this B.J. has never been identified. So what are your final thoughts? Oh, I'm always so torn on these sightings, especially if people didn't hear the person called by name or anything like that, because we've covered so many cases where there were quote unquote sightings. But it was just someone who looked similar to. Yeah.
00:52:14
Speaker
The victim, I do think that whoever this girl is, who is in this situation with BJ is seemingly in trouble. If every time she's seen, she looks upset and dazed, but I'm not sure, I'm not sure in my gut if it's actually Sherry.
00:52:39
Speaker
Sherry went missing in 1984. Time is not on our side. But if there's one thing I know about small towns is that people like to gossip. And maybe that gossip can be on our
Community Involvement Plea
00:52:51
Speaker
side. People love to talk. We just covered a case on Patreon that was solved because of poolside gossip. Maybe if we're lucky, that will happen for Sherry too.
00:53:00
Speaker
I want to leave you with a partial post from the creator of that Facebook group and call you to care enough about Sherry that you share her story and that even when known as watching, you help those in need.
00:53:13
Speaker
Quote, The older I get with every passing year, despite the never-ending new worries and depression and sadness I experience with what life throws me, every year that passes, I become more and more aware of the profound importance of helping and loving others. When I was young, I was astounded by how rewarding it was to help someone. How privately accomplished and proud of myself I felt behind closed doors.
00:53:36
Speaker
It does feel good to help people, but wisdom comes with age and throughout the years I've noticed that those personal feel-good feelings have disappeared. I don't feel rewarded or proud anymore and haven't for a long time. The more I've helped others, the feel-good room in my mind and heart I've kept for myself began to shrink until it didn't exist anymore. What replaced it was at first
00:54:00
Speaker
a kind of awkward small black hole of something like hopelessness, failure, shock, borderline denial, the more I helped people who shared the unbearable secrets and shames of their lives with me, and I was unprepared of how incredibly horrific truths of just how evil life and people truly can be. I wasn't raised in an environment that ever prepared me for the true pain and horrors of what others less fortunate than me survived.
00:54:26
Speaker
As I grew older and overcame the shock and found healthy ways to absorb and listen and help in healthy ways, that place in my heart and mind became an endless open space filled with a determination and drive to help others solely for them and their feelings of reward and confidence and relief. And somewhere along the way, I realized a true failure of helping people who get to the point where they ask for help because most people don't get to that point. I stopped waiting for opportunities to help people who were affected by drugs.
00:54:54
Speaker
The single mothers who already had their children removed, people who are suicidal because of physical and sexual abuse, they somehow survived in childhood. The older I get, the more I realize and understand the profound importance and the ultimate true meaning of what we are really supposed to do as humans, while loving and helping others really means and entails
00:55:12
Speaker
We all have the incredible ability to feel so many emotions. It's our duty and responsibility to each other to observe everyone around us and recognize sadness and fear and desperation in others instead of ignoring it. It's our core purpose to recognize red flags and bad unhealthy situations others are living in.
00:55:31
Speaker
And when we ignore that what we observe out of fear of getting involved or social association or risk of personal drama or accept the failure justification that our problems are not our own, then at some point we must realize that our failures and that we absolutely have zero right to complain about anything in our community and society. I'm 45 years old and I have so much to learn about life and what I'm writing about.
00:55:55
Speaker
The more I help people, the more I realize and understand that the true meaning of helping people is proactive and should be actively offered instead of just being available."
00:56:06
Speaker
Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Twitter, at casescoffee, on Instagram, at coffee cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com. Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon.
00:56:36
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.
Conclusion & Zencastr Praise
00:56:59
Speaker
The previous episode was created using Zencaster. Use the coupon code linked in our show notes to start podcasting today.