No contracts or. Peter Van Sant: What was the state of their marriage in those last months prior to Marsha's disappearance? As for the future of the case, Crump said his office is working to get the FBI's behavioral analysis unit to review Marsha Brantley's writings in her manuscripts, blog, journal and social media "to get a sense of what was going on in her mind.". She is believed by local law enforcement to have been murdered by her then-husband Donnie Brantley, but no direct evidence has ever been found to prove this. Peter Van Sant [outside court:] Hey Zach. He's had a cloud of suspicion hanging over his head for nine years. She kept a blog called "The Magpie's Nest" in which she unabashedly doted on Donnie Brantley and recounted small anecdotes of her day-to-day life. Press Esc. A friend reported Marsha missing in November 2009, after months without contact. Marsha uses P.O. For starters, her car was left behind. You have to understand [cries] this is my life. Crump raised the family's hopes that he could win a conviction in a case guaranteed to be an uphill battle for the prosecution, because Marsha Brantley had simply vanished. But a couple of months before Marsha disappeared, Reggie Jay says the writers group was stunned by a bitter email exchange with her. Elise Brantley: They got those dogs together. But they don't think she would have left. They are receipts for items Donnie bought around the time Marsha disappeared, including duct tape and plastic sheeting. Chattanooga Singles line. Prosecutor Steve Crump: That doesn't make sense. What's going through your mind, after all you've gone through, this is such a day of victory for you, [Donnie Brantley walks by without speaking]. Hunt's instincts convinced him to call the TBI -- the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. But just two days before Donnie Brantley's murder trial is set to begin, Prosecutor Steve Crump -- the man who four years earlier promised Marsha Brantley's family justice -- gives "48 Hours" some shocking news. But shortly after the newlyweds settled down, tragedy struck. "Family arrived at intervals throughout the day, meals were shared and then there was the big event itself It was great! She'd make sure she left the dogs with somebody who was gonna take care of them, no matter what, and that's Donnie. Surrounded by his defense team and his daughter, Donnie Brantlley tells reporters, "I look forward to putting this difficult time behind me.". Rent value for a two bedroom unit in the zip code 90404 is estimated at $2,170 a month. Marsha Brantley Podcast Episode 2019 YOUR RATING Rate Documentary Crime Add a plot in your language Stars Aaron Habel (voice) Justin Evans (voice) See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist Photos Add photo Top cast Edit Aaron Habel Self - Host (voice) Justin Evans Self - Host (voice) All cast & crew Marsha Brantley, 50 at the time of her disappearance, was originally from Illinois. "I felt compelled to find out what happened to her," DeLude tells "48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant. Was having severe depression.". The defense attorney asked to have the charges dismissed because there wasn't enough evidence. My parents raised their family here and their parents raised their family here! Donnie Brantley was indicted for first-degree murder in 2009, but the charge was dropped. She had the entire month of June planned out in her agenda and had just come in second place in a national competition for her short story, "Dirty Little Secrets." She had extended family spread across the country, but she hadn't spoken to them in years, friends and family said. Robin Terrero: She first came in 2004, in June of 2004. Lee Davis | Defense attorney: There's no blood, no fingerprints, no DNA no body. But the longer she was gone and when I talked to the TBI and they told me that Donnie had told so many lies, then I began to wonder that maybe she, maybe she wasn't gone away.". Davis says all that money could have been Marsha's gateway to a new life away from her husband and Cleveland, Tennessee. Marsha Jean BRANTLEY was born on month day 1945, at birth place, to Roy Franklin BRANTLEY and Kathleen W Wright BRANTLEY. Donnie Brantley has gone back home to Georgia, where he's spending time with a new love interest and his grandchildren, too. Despite the circumstantial evidence stacked against Donnie Brantley, Davis, a former prosecutor, has maintained that Donnie Brantley's guilt depends on the lens through which it's viewed. Robin Terrero [reading]: On 5/18 She was having mood swings, sleepless. Marsha K Atwood Mary Mull Russell P Mull Shaun P Painter Clarence M Painter . It was pretty traumatizing. He didn't elaborate on what is needed to close the case. Missing since May/June 2009 from Cleveland, TN, Marsha is an award winning author, loves bike riding and rescuing dogs. Det. 2020 Federal Gold Medal Match 4th. Prosecutor Steve Crump: This was delivered, we believe, the day after Marsha Brantley disappeared. Home; Books; Literature and Poetry "I don't know where she is, and if there's anything in this world that I want, it's to bring Marsha home," she said. It also includes a stunning ending that nobody including prosecutors saw coming. Despite seeming guarded, Donnie Brantley appeared to be more introverted than hostile or shy, Wills said. NEWS REPORT: Authorities have not located Marsha's body but were able to charge her husband with premeditated first-degree murder based on evidence. "Except for the roses your hubby gave you just because. Career history. They remembered around the time of the emails, Marsha, who had suddenly lost a lot of weight, said something that now seemed ominous. "She would generally, before this, not ask about what things cost. Det. Kelly DeLude: It struck me, oh, my goodness -- she's, you know, she's not been in, that is odd and I said, you know, she's overdue. Jana Wills: Oh yeah, I think about her every day. NEWS REPORT: When Marsha disappeared in June 2009, her husband Donnie Brantley did not report her missing. Marsha has lived in three cities, including Santa Monica, CA and Beverly Hills, CA. DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: Do you know how a card got in Stephanie Richardson's mailbox on the morning of June the 3rd, 2009? For days, she called again and again -- and no Marsha. But what is for sure is that Donnie Brantley told investigators the camper was at a campground. If Marsha Brantley had a secret, "48 Hours" contacted one of the only people she might have told. Davis said this was a misunderstanding. Right now that's open. And with no body to prove there even was a murder, the investigators' biggest hurdle in solving the disappearance of Marsha Brantley may have been Marsha herself. [5] In October 2016, Brantley was again arrested in Kingston, Georgia. Donnie Brantley claimed he hadn't reported Marsha missing because she had left him. Documents important to her. Dewey Brantley Obituary With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Dewey Brantley of Gardendale, Alabama, who passed away on September 16, 2020 at the age of 87. He was arrested by U.S. marshals in Cartersville, Ga., in December. Kelly DeLude: We're in their personal space, so people certainly-- share with us, probably a lot more than they would the clerk at the grocery store, you know [laughs]. Disappearance of Susan Smalley and Stacie Madison, Disappearance of Patrick Warren and David Spencer, Murder of Charlie Keever and Jonathan Sellers, Murder of Nathalie Mahy and Stacy Lemmens, Alexander Campbell (suspected Molly Maguire), Murders of Jourdan Bobbish and Jacob Kudla. She uses her tenacity, inability to hear no, and southern charm to shed light on past and present cases. But that hasn't happened, and the case has drawn national attention, including from the CBS News program "48 Hours.". Peter Van Sant [outside court]: "It's kind of a sad day for you. "In fact, it's the exact opposite. Peter Van Sant: And what did Donnie write on the inside of this card? In her 30 years as a hairdresser in Cleveland, Tennessee, Kelly DeLude says cuts, perms and parts are only part of the job. Completed is the world's first standardized rating system for all people in business. The housing market tanked in 2009, leaving him without much work in his home repair business, House Doctors. She was up and down. Reggie Jay: And she just made the comment, "I've been so depressed that I could hardly get off the couch." I must have missed when they found it. For DeLude, it seemed inconceivable that Marsha would suddenly leave the house her parents had built for her, leave behind her beloved dogs, and most of all, leave the husband she adored. Kim Shank: She was 5'10" Even though she seemed to kind of command the room she was probably one of the more shy people to be that commanding with her physical presence. Kelly DeLude: "I knew that something was very, very wrong.". The Yahoo Group had since been closed. But Bebb said they did look for her body at the landfill and in other areas. Lee Davis: She took with her a large amount of money, which was her money. Marsha lived in Cleveland, TN with her husband and several dogs. Friends said she told them the death of her parents was the most difficult point in her life. She didn't take her cellphone or clothes or any personal belongings. Memorial has been sponsored successfully. Maybe I should have seen this sooner. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2023, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc. In late 2009, Kelly DeLude, a hairdresser, noticed that it had been a while since Marsha Brantley, one of her regular clients, had come in. Type someone's name. By looking at the case only through the lens that Donnie Brantley is guilty, they will only find evidence to back up that theory. Lee Davis: And she -- she told Donnie that she needed some time to herself and time to think. Undeterred, DeLude turned to the best social network she knew: her customers. Find 55 people named Marsha Brantley along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. Asked if any other people were considered people of interest, Crump said no. The charges were dropped again in February 2018 due to lack of evidence. I knew that something was very, very wrong. Steve Bebb: the family had told law enforcement that they didn't feel good about going forward with it at this time and they wanted to try to get more evidence. 4.5 Victim Profile 1 - Who Was Marsha? Kelly DeLude: I came into work the next day and I called the Cleveland Police Department. The purchase and landfill trip, coupled with not having found Marsha Brantley's body, is proof of premeditation, Crump said. Jana Wills: She was beautiful She was always kind. The same sentiments were reflected on her Facebook account. They were upset by the chaos they found. One of the things that drew me to researching the case was the lack of information about Marsha. Two years after his 2014 election, District Attorney General Stephen Crump charged Brantley again with essentially the same evidence. But also, I'd like to thank my family for all their support during this extremely stressful period. Residents of 27262 pay approximately $950 a month for a 2-bedroom unit. She also told Shank that her husband had "surprised" her with a new cellphone. Her age is 48. Kelly DeLude: She seemed troubled. The happiest day of my life I was cocooned by family and friends.". And there was something else Marsha left behind that friends and family say she valued more than all the material possessions in the world. Peter Van Sant: What do you think happened to Marsha Brantley? Davis said Marsha Brantley had asked him to buy the phone and to change her number because "a strange man" kept calling her. It was updated on June 29, 2019.]. Prosecutor Steve Crump: Ultimately, I believe we will be able to do justice in this case. He's a keeper.". That's terrible. Peter Van Sant: To be charged with murder, dropped, charged with murder and dropped again, I'm sorry, I -- I just feel like there's some incompetence here. He was a divorced father of a teenage daughter. The email was part of a Yahoo Groups discussion board and the chain was forwarded to them, but the original email had been lost, even to the women in the group. Peter Van Sant: So this is from the case file? With Detective Pike guarding the evidence, Crump showed "48 Hours" what a jury never got to see. It's a case "48 Hours" has been working on for five years, and it raises questions about the challenges prosecutors often face when someone vanishes without a trace. Robin Terrero is a former pharmacist who worked with doctors to treat patients. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. The Times Free Press could not locate Shank for comment. The defense says Marsha wrote the email because she was about to leave town. His wife was reported missing in November of 2009. Judge: At this time, Mr. Brantley is free to go. Lt. David Shoemaker: There was a little bit of tension. He didn't say a word and went directly to a back room to change clothes. Jana Wills: Marsha loved her dogs. They shared hundreds of images showing broken windows, black mould, disabled smoke detectors, water leaking through a light fixture, crumbling walls and rusty appliances. She seemed a bit depressed," hairdresser Kelly DeLude says of Marsha Brantley during an April 2009 hair appointment, Hairdresser Kelly DeLude and attorney Jerry Hoffer, Marsha Brantley case: Evidence a jury never saw, A legal argument can convince judges to drop cases before they reach a jury. I always wondered how something that large could remain missing! "She's leaving me. Multiple investigations have failed to determine a cause of disappearance. One of the strangest things about this case is that for months, nobody reported Marsha Brantley missing. Prosecutor Steve Crump: There was no significant mental illness. "It was a big shock because when she formed this group, her one criteria was that, 'If you want to be in the group, you can't quit without a good reason.' Though a civil court ruled that Marsha is deceased, her name can still be found on the National Missing Persons website. Prosecutor Steve Crump: This is a receipt for for a torch kit -- for a welder. DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: Didn't have anything to do with her disappearance, did it? Within about a week of Marsha Brantley's disappearance, both defense and prosecution attorneys said, Donnie Brantley allegedly hand-delivered a card to Richardson. Marsha was last seen in Cleveland, Tennessee sometime in late May or early June 2009. "The quickest way to not find something is to not look for it," Davis said. But Marsha did her best to carry on. Jana Wills | Marsha's cousin: She was fun. Prosecutor Steve Crump: He may be the singularly most dishonest defendant I've ever dealt with. Is needed to close the case seen in Cleveland, TN with.! 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