'Where is Mary?'

MARSHALL - Yellow balloons floated into the gray sky as tears stained the cheeks of some people who let them go.

The balloons and the tears marked the third anniversary of the disappearance of Mary Marshall Lands. The 39-year-old woman was last seen March 12, 2004, after her boyfriend, Chris Pratt, said they argued and she walked away from their townhouse.

Lands has not been found and her family presumes she is dead.

"We know she is deceased but we want to keep her memory alive," Lands' mother, Anita Marshall, said Monday.

About 30 people joined Anita Marshall and her husband, Clifford, for a 1 p.m. ceremony at the Brooks Memorial Fountain in Marshall. A few people wore white baseball caps with the words "Where is Mary?" and one friend presented Anita Marshall with a small yellow rose plant.

With tears in her eyes, Anita Marshall told the crowd, "we appreciate every one of you," before they released 36 balloons, one for each month Lands has been missing.

"I don't know why they haven't solved this," Clifford Marshall said after embracing his wife.

The Marshalls and Jim Carlin, a Battle Creek private detective working for the family, have been critical of the investigation for months, complaining that police have ignored them and the information they believe will help solve the case.

But Clifford Marshall said since the first of the year the family is trying to put aside the bitterness and work with police.

"We decided to quit the bickering," Marshall said. "We are all working together."

Marshall said the family is still receiving tips about the possible location of Lands' body and expect to search some areas when the weather improves. He said all tips are turned over to the Marshall Police Department.

Police Chief Mike Olson, who attended the ceremony, said officers from his department and the Michigan State Police continue to work on the case.

"I don't know of a police department in the world which wants an open murder case, and we definitely don't want one," Olson said.

Finding Lands is critical, he said.

"When you don't have a body it makes it so difficult because you don't have a crime scene," he said.

Olson said he doesn't know if the case will be solved.

"I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell you," he said. "But if not, it's not because of a lack of effort."

Posters and billboards remain up around the county, acting as reminders that Mary Lands is still missing. Clifford Marshall said he is hopeful someone will provide information to help solve the case.

"We all felt this is the year," he said.

Trace Christenson covers crime and courts. He can be reached at 966-0685 or tchrist@battlecr.gannett.com.

Trace Christenson, The Battle Creek Enquirer