College is such a special time for any young adult, filled with new experiences and new relationships. Sometimes where you go is also where you find out who you are and what you want out of the world. For Marcus Rutlidge, that place of discovery was Tennessee State University in Nashville. David Rutlidge is his dad.

It's a special place, a place where not only academic learning takes place, but also social learning.

Home of the tigers, TSU is a historically black university and counts Oprah Winfrey among its most famous alumni. Marcus proudly wore his royal blue and white, and for good reason. For the Rutleges, TSU is a family affair. Both his went there. And when Marcus started as a freshman, his sister Felicia was a sophomore. Back then, she had some big sister advice.

I remember when he first registered, and my mom was like, Oh, you should take an eight o'clock class. And I told him, You do not want to take an 8:00 AM class.

In the spring of 1998, Marcus was set to graduate, and the family was excited to see their youngest son wear that cap and gown. Except Except that never happened. Because on June 8, 1998, Marcus Rutledge disappeared. And for 26 years, his family has been living with that mystery. It's possible that at the time he disappeared, he was involved with people that you didn't know anything about. I'm not going to say keeping a secret from you, but that he just wasn't talking about.

I wonder whether or not Marcus was actually into something that was bigger than he was, and he was actually trying to get away just to leave and leave no trace.

I'm Josh Mankowitz, and this is Dateland, Missing in America. This episode is Missing in Music City. Please listen closely because you or someone you know might have information that could help solve this case and give Marcus's family the the answers they are desperately looking for. You think there's a chance Marcus is still alive and still out there somewhere?

Absolutely.

Life for Marcus, of course, didn't start on the buzzing campus of Tennessee State. His parents, David and Jerry, raised him and his sister in Ipsalenti, Michigan, just a few miles east of Ann Arbor. Tell me about Marcus growing up.

Marcus was a vivacious baby.

That's Marcus and Felicia's father, David.

His mom, who was an elementary school teacher, she would constantly be in conversation with his teacher case. Then in 2020, Detective Filter took over as lead investigator. And what he uncovered about Marcus was about to deepen this mystery and seriously surprise the Rutledge family.In recent conversation with this detective, I mean, I've learned things that I didn't know before.Marcus's secrets were about to come tumbling out.Hi, I'm Ashley, and I'd like to let you know about a brand new season of the award-winning podcast, The Missing, which has come to North America for the first time. Every Monday, we tell the story of a long-term missing person in the US and Canada. We hear from their loved ones, and we explore the potential leads, clues, and last sightings, and we invite you, the listener, to get in touch. Can you help piece these clues together or provide the information which might lead to these cases being solved? Come and join our community of listeners on The Missing and become part of the search. The Missing is out now wherever you get your podcast.The podium is back with fresh angles and deep dives into Olympic and Paralympic stories you know, and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.I did something in '88 that hasn't been beaten.Gosh, the US Olympic Trials is the hardest and most competitive meet in the world. We are athletes were going out there smashing into each other full force.Listen to The Podium on the iHeart app or your favorite podcast platform weekly and every day during the games to hear the Olympics like you've never quite heard them before.Marcus Rutledge had been missing for 22 years when Detective Filter first opened the case file. And through his investigation, he confirmed at least one of the family's suspicions. Marcus was keeping certain things from them.I think he was telling his family he was a senior at TSU, Tennessee State University. And the detective that was on the case early on discovered that he was no longer enrolled.That's right. Marcus had dropped out of TSU and was lying about it to his family. What was he actually doing?Well, not completely sure exactly what he was doing with occupying his whole time. We do know that he was involved in the sale of marijuana.Marijuana. In 1998, smoking or selling it was illegal in all 50 states. So he was selling an illegal drug.Right. I don't believe that he was like some big mover. He was just like a street level a guy in selling probably to a lot of college kids and stuff.Valencia confirms that. She says it was all about providing for their son, Darius, and she remembers trying to talk Marcus out of it.I just remember for him. It was, this is helping me to be able to help. I'm going, well, of course, I need you to help, but not to the point that you are neglecting school and you're doing This isn't what you need to be doing.The weight of caring for Darius wasn't the only thing on Marcus's shoulders. There was another secret he was keeping from his family. He had another child, a daughter, with his girlfriend, Tawanya. His daughter, Jaila, was two years old when he went missing. Marcus was actually with her on the morning he disappeared.He was taking his daughter to school or daycare.Bare an adult himself, Marcus had two young children and needed to take care of them. That's why Valencia believes he dropped out of school and started selling marijuana. Every facet of their son's secret life came as a surprise to the Rutleages. Marcus sounds like a guy who was a good son, and I'm not going to say he never gave you any trouble, but it feels like he was on his way in life and you weren't super worried about him.When this guy was in our presence, every single time we go down to visit him, everything was spiffy, good, clean, good to go.He cared what you thought, David and Felicia.Yes.He knew our values, our values system. And he knew our hopes and dreams for him as an individual.And he didn't want to disappoint you. Right. The Rutleges say they understand why Marcus did not tell them about dropping out of school. Maybe he planned to go back before they could find out. And given his reluctance to tell them about his first child, they're also not surprised he kept the second child a secret, too. Okay, but selling weed? That's a side of him Marcus probably knew would disappoint his family. Tell me how you guys picked up on the fact that he was selling marijuana.The marijuana sales was information that was gathered by people that knew him that knew that he was selling. And of course, one of those was Ethan Gibbs.Ethan Gibbs, Marcus's best friend, and the man who was murdered just months after Marcus vanished. Detective Filters says Nathan was also selling weed. So did whoever killed Nathan go after Marcus first?Right after Nathan was killed, the detectives thought that there might be a connection there. But But when comparing, looking at the cases, there's nothing obvious that they can say that Marcus's disappearance is connected with Nathan's murder.Somebody was charged with Nathan's murder, but not convicted.Yeah, the charges, for some reason, were dismissed. I don't know why. I could never find an answer to that question. When I look at Nathan's case, a lot of the evidence in it was circumstantial. So I'm not sure if the district attorney at the time just didn't feel that they could win that case, and so they dismissed the charges.So Ethan Gibbs murder is officially still unsolved?Yes. Yeah, it is.And so I guess there's still a possibility that it has something to do with Marcus's disappearance.There's nothing concrete to back that up, but certainly it is something that's worth keeping in mind knowing how close Marcus and Ethan were.Detective Filter has his theories.The way the investigation looks is as though the marijuana sales and some confrontations that he had had in months prior to his disappearance, in my opinion, are likely what led to his disappearance.The detective did not want to elaborate on what those confrontations might have been. Marcus's family believes he may have been no match for the criminal characters he could have encountered when selling what was then an illegal drug.I wonder whether or not Marcus was actually into something that was bigger than he was, and he was actually trying to get away. And his way of getting away would have been just to leave and leave no trace.The idea that Marcus, scared and over his head, chose to disappear is in some ways better than the alternative. The Rutleges don't know what happened, of course. They do believe Marcus may still be alive.We used to get these phone calls where we would pick up the phone, nobody would be there.Phone calls, they say, started shortly after Marcus's disappearance.These calls would happen once a month, once every two months.And maybe that's Marcus It's just calling to hear your voice.Yeah. It got to the point where we answer the call and nobody would be there. Jerry, his mother, would say, Hey, no worries. That's just Marcus checking in.And no answer.Click. Phone dead.Valencia says she received similar calls.They would just call and hold the phone. They'll be like, We're fine. Your son is good. Still love you. I want you to come home.The calls continued even up until Marcus and Felicia's mother, Jerry, passed away in 2015. She died of a rare brain disorder, which leads to dementia. David says his wife never gave up trying to find Marcus, and neither will he.We learned that there's a whole culture of people out there who've gone through similar situations to us. One individual was a pastor of a local church who told me his son disappeared for six years before he showed up at their doorstep. So things like that also give me hope, Josh. Absolutely. Look, I- I have to give it up. Hope that Marcus is out there somewhere.I mean, look, I don't want to take away any hope that you have, but I mean, he wouldn't get in touch with one or the other of you?It depends on how- It's on what the the circumstances. How deep he had to go in terms of concealing his identity.Maybe Marcus Rutledge is still out there, living in the shadows and watching his family from a distance. His family says they cannot rule anything out. What's it been like all these years without him?I mean, it's missed birthdays, missed holidays.And missed time with his son Darius.I mean, his dad wasn't there, but he was there. He was always being talked about. He knew who his dad was.Darius is 30 now, seven years older than his father was when he disappeared.It's amazing how you grow up without a parent, but you can be exactly like that person anyway. His mannerisms, his behaviors, the goofiness. He is his dad all over and looks identical to his father.Marcus has missed a lot of time with his daughter, too. She may not remember, but she was one of the last people to see her father.That is something that aches my heart. Your kids have not had an opportunity to be a part of you, be a part of their life.Like so many families in their position, The Rutlages say all they want is to know the truth.It has never been a day that I don't think about him. Somebody know something. Just say something.We don't care now about whether anybody's brought to justice. We just want to understand and have some closure.In 1998, David Rutledge saw his son's face for the last time. He says the in the last 26 years have taught him a lesson.One of the things that I'd like to have us be careful of as parents is every chance you get, put your arms around your kid and hug him and tell them that you love them.Detective Matthew Filter says he is doing everything he can to get to the truth of what happened to Marcus. You think this is going to be solved someday?I'd like to hope that would certainly be my goal, would be to solve it. But at minimum, I would certainly like to get the family some answers, even if I can't bring anybody to justice, even just to give them some answers about what happened. I think a family deserves at least that at a minimum.Getting those answers may require a lucky break for you.With this case, yeah, a lucky break is what often happens.Here's where you can help. At the time he went missing, Marcus Rutledge was 6 feet tall, about 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He had his name, Marcus, tattooed across his stomach. Anyone with information about Marcus's disappearance is asked to call the Metro Nashville Police Department Coldcase Unit at 615-862-7329. To learn more about other people we've covered in our Missing in America series, go to datelandmissinginamerica. Com. There, you'll be able to submit cases you think we should cover in the future. Thanks for listening. See you Fridays on Dateland on NBC. Missing in America is a production of Dateland and NBC News. Keanu Reid is the producer of this episode. Bruce Berger is the audio editor. Bradley Davis is senior producer. Paul Ryan is executive producer, and Liz Cole is senior executive producer. From NBC News Audio, Sound mixing by Bob Mallory. Bryson Barnes is head of audio production.Friday, a dateland mystery to solve.Where do I start?With a knife and a note, a racetrack in trouble, or a blast from the past?This is a crazy twist to the story.I couldn't believe it. Dateland Friday at 9:8 Central, only on NBC.

case. Then in 2020, Detective Filter took over as lead investigator. And what he uncovered about Marcus was about to deepen this mystery and seriously surprise the Rutledge family.

In recent conversation with this detective, I mean, I've learned things that I didn't know before.

Marcus's secrets were about to come tumbling out.

Hi, I'm Ashley, and I'd like to let you know about a brand new season of the award-winning podcast, The Missing, which has come to North America for the first time. Every Monday, we tell the story of a long-term missing person in the US and Canada. We hear from their loved ones, and we explore the potential leads, clues, and last sightings, and we invite you, the listener, to get in touch. Can you help piece these clues together or provide the information which might lead to these cases being solved? Come and join our community of listeners on The Missing and become part of the search. The Missing is out now wherever you get your podcast.

The podium is back with fresh angles and deep dives into Olympic and Paralympic stories you know, and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.

I did something in '88 that hasn't been beaten.

Gosh, the US Olympic Trials is the hardest and most competitive meet in the world. We are athletes were going out there smashing into each other full force.

Listen to The Podium on the iHeart app or your favorite podcast platform weekly and every day during the games to hear the Olympics like you've never quite heard them before.

Marcus Rutledge had been missing for 22 years when Detective Filter first opened the case file. And through his investigation, he confirmed at least one of the family's suspicions. Marcus was keeping certain things from them.

I think he was telling his family he was a senior at TSU, Tennessee State University. And the detective that was on the case early on discovered that he was no longer enrolled.

That's right. Marcus had dropped out of TSU and was lying about it to his family. What was he actually doing?

Well, not completely sure exactly what he was doing with occupying his whole time. We do know that he was involved in the sale of marijuana.

Marijuana. In 1998, smoking or selling it was illegal in all 50 states. So he was selling an illegal drug.

Right. I don't believe that he was like some big mover. He was just like a street level a guy in selling probably to a lot of college kids and stuff.

Valencia confirms that. She says it was all about providing for their son, Darius, and she remembers trying to talk Marcus out of it.

I just remember for him. It was, this is helping me to be able to help. I'm going, well, of course, I need you to help, but not to the point that you are neglecting school and you're doing This isn't what you need to be doing.

The weight of caring for Darius wasn't the only thing on Marcus's shoulders. There was another secret he was keeping from his family. He had another child, a daughter, with his girlfriend, Tawanya. His daughter, Jaila, was two years old when he went missing. Marcus was actually with her on the morning he disappeared.

He was taking his daughter to school or daycare.

Bare an adult himself, Marcus had two young children and needed to take care of them. That's why Valencia believes he dropped out of school and started selling marijuana. Every facet of their son's secret life came as a surprise to the Rutleages. Marcus sounds like a guy who was a good son, and I'm not going to say he never gave you any trouble, but it feels like he was on his way in life and you weren't super worried about him.

When this guy was in our presence, every single time we go down to visit him, everything was spiffy, good, clean, good to go.

He cared what you thought, David and Felicia.

Yes.

He knew our values, our values system. And he knew our hopes and dreams for him as an individual.

And he didn't want to disappoint you. Right. The Rutleges say they understand why Marcus did not tell them about dropping out of school. Maybe he planned to go back before they could find out. And given his reluctance to tell them about his first child, they're also not surprised he kept the second child a secret, too. Okay, but selling weed? That's a side of him Marcus probably knew would disappoint his family. Tell me how you guys picked up on the fact that he was selling marijuana.

The marijuana sales was information that was gathered by people that knew him that knew that he was selling. And of course, one of those was Ethan Gibbs.

Ethan Gibbs, Marcus's best friend, and the man who was murdered just months after Marcus vanished. Detective Filters says Nathan was also selling weed. So did whoever killed Nathan go after Marcus first?

Right after Nathan was killed, the detectives thought that there might be a connection there. But But when comparing, looking at the cases, there's nothing obvious that they can say that Marcus's disappearance is connected with Nathan's murder.

Somebody was charged with Nathan's murder, but not convicted.

Yeah, the charges, for some reason, were dismissed. I don't know why. I could never find an answer to that question. When I look at Nathan's case, a lot of the evidence in it was circumstantial. So I'm not sure if the district attorney at the time just didn't feel that they could win that case, and so they dismissed the charges.

So Ethan Gibbs murder is officially still unsolved?

Yes. Yeah, it is.

And so I guess there's still a possibility that it has something to do with Marcus's disappearance.

There's nothing concrete to back that up, but certainly it is something that's worth keeping in mind knowing how close Marcus and Ethan were.

Detective Filter has his theories.

The way the investigation looks is as though the marijuana sales and some confrontations that he had had in months prior to his disappearance, in my opinion, are likely what led to his disappearance.

The detective did not want to elaborate on what those confrontations might have been. Marcus's family believes he may have been no match for the criminal characters he could have encountered when selling what was then an illegal drug.

I wonder whether or not Marcus was actually into something that was bigger than he was, and he was actually trying to get away. And his way of getting away would have been just to leave and leave no trace.

The idea that Marcus, scared and over his head, chose to disappear is in some ways better than the alternative. The Rutleges don't know what happened, of course. They do believe Marcus may still be alive.

We used to get these phone calls where we would pick up the phone, nobody would be there.

Phone calls, they say, started shortly after Marcus's disappearance.

These calls would happen once a month, once every two months.

And maybe that's Marcus It's just calling to hear your voice.

Yeah. It got to the point where we answer the call and nobody would be there. Jerry, his mother, would say, Hey, no worries. That's just Marcus checking in.

And no answer.

Click. Phone dead.

Valencia says she received similar calls.

They would just call and hold the phone. They'll be like, We're fine. Your son is good. Still love you. I want you to come home.

The calls continued even up until Marcus and Felicia's mother, Jerry, passed away in 2015. She died of a rare brain disorder, which leads to dementia. David says his wife never gave up trying to find Marcus, and neither will he.

We learned that there's a whole culture of people out there who've gone through similar situations to us. One individual was a pastor of a local church who told me his son disappeared for six years before he showed up at their doorstep. So things like that also give me hope, Josh. Absolutely. Look, I- I have to give it up. Hope that Marcus is out there somewhere.

I mean, look, I don't want to take away any hope that you have, but I mean, he wouldn't get in touch with one or the other of you?

It depends on how- It's on what the the circumstances. How deep he had to go in terms of concealing his identity.

Maybe Marcus Rutledge is still out there, living in the shadows and watching his family from a distance. His family says they cannot rule anything out. What's it been like all these years without him?

I mean, it's missed birthdays, missed holidays.

And missed time with his son Darius.

I mean, his dad wasn't there, but he was there. He was always being talked about. He knew who his dad was.

Darius is 30 now, seven years older than his father was when he disappeared.

It's amazing how you grow up without a parent, but you can be exactly like that person anyway. His mannerisms, his behaviors, the goofiness. He is his dad all over and looks identical to his father.

Marcus has missed a lot of time with his daughter, too. She may not remember, but she was one of the last people to see her father.

That is something that aches my heart. Your kids have not had an opportunity to be a part of you, be a part of their life.

Like so many families in their position, The Rutlages say all they want is to know the truth.

It has never been a day that I don't think about him. Somebody know something. Just say something.

We don't care now about whether anybody's brought to justice. We just want to understand and have some closure.

In 1998, David Rutledge saw his son's face for the last time. He says the in the last 26 years have taught him a lesson.

One of the things that I'd like to have us be careful of as parents is every chance you get, put your arms around your kid and hug him and tell them that you love them.

Detective Matthew Filter says he is doing everything he can to get to the truth of what happened to Marcus. You think this is going to be solved someday?

I'd like to hope that would certainly be my goal, would be to solve it. But at minimum, I would certainly like to get the family some answers, even if I can't bring anybody to justice, even just to give them some answers about what happened. I think a family deserves at least that at a minimum.

Getting those answers may require a lucky break for you.

With this case, yeah, a lucky break is what often happens.

Here's where you can help. At the time he went missing, Marcus Rutledge was 6 feet tall, about 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He had his name, Marcus, tattooed across his stomach. Anyone with information about Marcus's disappearance is asked to call the Metro Nashville Police Department Coldcase Unit at 615-862-7329. To learn more about other people we've covered in our Missing in America series, go to datelandmissinginamerica. Com. There, you'll be able to submit cases you think we should cover in the future. Thanks for listening. See you Fridays on Dateland on NBC. Missing in America is a production of Dateland and NBC News. Keanu Reid is the producer of this episode. Bruce Berger is the audio editor. Bradley Davis is senior producer. Paul Ryan is executive producer, and Liz Cole is senior executive producer. From NBC News Audio, Sound mixing by Bob Mallory. Bryson Barnes is head of audio production.

Friday, a dateland mystery to solve.

Where do I start?

With a knife and a note, a racetrack in trouble, or a blast from the past?

This is a crazy twist to the story.

I couldn't believe it. Dateland Friday at 9:8 Central, only on NBC.