Hi, I'm Josh Mankowits with a preview of Dateline, Missing in America. In our podcast's third season, we share six new unsolved mysteries, and we hope somebody listening may have a clue that could help crack one of these cases. Could that someone be you? Here's Dateline, Missing in America. 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 Rutleages, TSU is a family affair. Both his parents 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 8:00 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 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 Dateline, 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 answers they are desperately looking for.

You think there's a chance Marcus is still alive and still out there somewhere?

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Thanks for listening. Search for Dateline Missing in America to start listening to Season 3, and follow us now. For ad-free listening, subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple or Spotify.

So many twists and turns.

There are more surprises on the way.

Dateline is on fire. I'm Andrea Canning. Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly, a new podcast covering breaking crime news around the country with the best reporters on the case. So in Santa Fe. Bbc news analysts and Dateline producers on the ground. It's fine prosecution. I'll dive into stories that are catching Dateline's attention this week. This is baffling investment. And get to the bottom of what you need to know. The question is, did you really think that you were going to get away with it? Dateline True Crime Weekly. Listen now and catch new episodes every Thursday.