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North Carolina police looking for woman who made distressed call to 911 before she vanished

By Deena Zaru, ABC News Feb 1, 2024 | 5:07 AM
Greensboro Police Department

(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — A 25-year-old mother made a distressed call to 911 before she vanished in Greensboro, North Carolina, and police are asking for the public’s help in locating her.

Marissa Carmichael was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 14 at the Exxon on 809 East Market St. in Greensboro, according to police.

ABC News obtained a copy of a 911 call that Carmichael made to police from the Exxon gas station.

During the two-minute call, Carmichael, whose name is bleeped out when she identifies herself, appears distressed and asks for the non-emergency line.

She tells the 911 dispatcher that a man has asked her to pick up some things at the gas station but has driven off while she was inside and she has no way of getting home.

“I don’t know where I am in Greensboro. I just got all my stuff threw out the car, he took off with my phone. I have no clue where I’m at. I have no numbers,” Carmichael told the dispatcher.

Asked if she is hurt and needed an ambulance, Carmichael said “No, I’m not but I mean, like you told me to come into the store and grab some s— and like, took off on me and I don’t know where I’m at. I’m in the middle of Greensboro. He took my phone. I don’t have my phone.”

She does not provide a name for the man but refers to him as a “he.”

She is then asked what she is wearing so officers can identify her when they arrive.

“I’m wearing some blue jeans and a white shirt with some yellow sneakers,” she said, but added, “That’s not gonna help my problem though, ma’am. I’m stuck all the way in Greensboro and I don’t know where I’m at.”

“In order for me to get back home, I don’t have any of my contacts,” she said.

According to an incident report obtained by ABC News, when police arrived at the gas station Carmichael wasn’t there.

Asked if Carmichael has been located or if any foul play is suspected, a spokesperson for the Greensboro Police Department (GPD) told ABC News on Tuesday evening that “officers are actively attempting to locate Ms. Carmichael.”

“The investigation indicates Marissa Kay Carmichael was last seen at 3:46 a.m. Jan. 14 at the Exxon,” the spokesperson said.

“Detectives are continuing to actively pursue all leads in this case,” the spokesperson added. “Because this is an ongoing investigation, additional details are not being made public at this time.”

According to a missing persons report obtained by ABC News, Carmichael is a resident of High Point, North Carolina, which is approximately 25 minutes south of Greensboro and was reported missing on Sunday afternoon by Sara Kay Carmichael, who has identified herself to local media as Marissa’s mother.

Per the missing persons report, Sara Carmichael also provided the name of a man to police who she claims could be involved with her daughter.

“To maintain the integrity of this active investigation, certain specifics of the case – such as who has been interviewed – are not being released at this time,” a GPD spokesperson said.

According to the police advisory, Carmichael is described as a 5-foot-4 female and is approximately 260 pounds with long black and blonde braids.

She also has a heart tattoo on her face and a butterfly near her eye and was wearing a white Tweety Bird T-shirt, blue jeans, and yellow sneakers when she was last seen.

Police have posted multiple advisories on social media over the past two weeks urging the public for help in locating Carmichael. They ask anyone with information regarding her whereabouts to call Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000.

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