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MURDERED: Marcus Rutledge

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MURDERED: Marcus Rutledge

A young father moves to Nashville chasing his college dreams, but in June 1998, 23-year-old Marcus Rutledge vanishes after taking his daughter to daycare. His disappearance reveals a life filled with secrets…and even after the discovery of his skull, his family is left wondering if they’ll ever know what really happened.

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Timeline

June 8, 1998
June 8, 1998
10am

Marcus takes his daughter to daycare.

1-1:30pm

Marcus and his girlfriend, Tawania, talk on the phone.

June 9, 1998
June 9, 1998

Charles experiences a home invasion and is shot 5 times. He also shoots someone.

June 30, 1998
June 30, 1998

A maintenance man reports that Marcus’s missing car has been sitting at Riverwood Apartments for several weeks.

February 18, 1999
February 18, 1999

Charles spends several nights at Athan’s home while Athan’s brother and roommate, Jonathan, avoids them.

February 23, 1999
February 23, 1999

Jonathan returns to his and Athan’s home and finds Athan shot to death.

March 1999
March 1999

Charles is charged with Athan’s homicide and turns himself in. The charges are eventually dropped.

December 8, 2010
December 8, 2010

A hunter finds a skull in some woods near Ashland City Highway and Pecan Valley Road.

2015
2015

Gerri, Marcus’s mother, passes away without ever knowing what happened to her son.

November 2024
November 2024

DNA from the unidentified skull is uploaded to CODIS.

January 2025
January 2025

The skull is identified as Marcus’s.

Where Marcus lived.

Contact Authorities with Info

If you have any information, please contact the Metro Nashvhille PD’s Crime Stoppers Division at 615-74-CRIME (6145-742-7463).

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Episode Source Material

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