she had a heart of gold. what happened to this woman? my job is to be a truth teller and seek out the truth. i wanted to solve it. >> her case was a mystery for years. the mom with a tender heart and tough as nails career. >> she was part of the sheriff 's department. her ultimate goal was to try to get into the fbi. >> she found a new sense of purpose in the church. her pastor and his wife, like family. >> they had taken her in. they were helping her out. >> it's like, i'm proud of you. you're finding god. >> then, one baffling text and she was gone. >> i go, i know, i probably watch a lot of "law & order", but i have this really gut feeling. >> because i was a mom, i just knew she didn't leave on her own. there was no way she left that baby. >> two moms at opposite ends of a mystery. could one get justice for the other? >> this case for sure was an investigator's worst nightmare. >> soon, clues to a hidden life. >> a very amorous, romantic, wild relationship. >> it was lustful. oh, my goodness. >> there were secrets here. deadly ones. >> it hit me hard. i'm like, no, no, no. >> come to jesus moment? >> it was, yes. >> i was scared to death. >> hello and welcome to "dateline". marie carlson was a force of nature. enthusiastic, spirited, beautiful. but behind the radiant glow, she hid a darkness. for a while, marie drifted and then a pastor and his wife welcomed her into their life. it was a spiritual awakening which made marie's sudden disappearance all the more mysterious. it would take a detective with a special bond and some divine intervention to find out what happened to marie. here's keith morrison with "secrets on the emerald coast". >> how do you catch a dancing sprite? you put her in a bottle? can you package the joy she brings? can you keep it when she goes? >> she was like a gravitational pull. >> her name was marie. marie carlson. >> she was magnetic. >> when she was happy, she could make the hold world sing. >> lifted life to the fullest, is what marie would tell me. you know, you might not have tomorrow. >> and so, she offered herself, her goodness. gave her vulnerable heart and stored her secrets until -- what happened? but she was always that way. from the time of the very first secret in her life. she was born in the philippines to a single mother. then taken in by the family of an american serviceman. and it was really years later when she learned that kind serviceman was actually her father. which meant that esta bridges, the bright's best friend she grew up with, was also her sister. what was that like to find that out that she is -- actually your sister? >> i was happy. i was really happy. because i always thought she was since we were little girls. >> when they got older, esta moved to florida and lived together. the location, ideal. >> we chose an apartment that was behind a karaoke club. so that we could just go there all the time. we were stars. >> and she wore pink. always pink. >> it was her personality. it's full of life. >> and always trying to perk up everyone else with her favorite word, beautiful. >> my gosh, she so beautiful. you know, i want to be like her. but she always used to tell me no, you are beautiful. >> she loved that word. >> kay barber was like a mother to marie. her's the second family to take marie in when she was 18 and struggling. >> marie's nickname that i gave her was rosy. because she was always just peachy and rosy and happy. >> but she was when she met jeff carlson. and he fell hard. >> and it was like, instant. >> so, they married. and then they had a daughter named paris. and they thought their life together would be grand. marie got a college degree in criminal justice. became deputy sheriff. >> her ultimate goal was to try to get into the fbi. >> but then for all the love between them, there were issues. jeff learned there were more secrets. that as a girl, marie had been sexually assaulted. and sometimes her love and joy were chased into a darker place. >> the biggest issue was she didn't love herself. >> they tried, but the marriage didn't last. and after that, marie drifted a little. jobs fell through. she had to move frequently. jeff suggested paris, then three, would have a more stable life with him. >> she fought it initially, but she agreed that it was probably for the best. so, paris was with me. >> though she saw paris often, and called all the time. and then, marie finally found what her vulnerable, loving soul seemed to need. >> i was actually happy for her, because she found god. >> marie had found a spiritual home at the calvary emerald coast church. it was hardly a fancy cathedral. the place was in a strip mall. but fancy wasn't the point, salvation was. here, finally, marie felt right. >> jesus is saying, you know what? you are missing out. >> the pastor was a charismatic man named james flanders, who preached the bible four square. preached in jeans, sneakers. lived streamed and youtubed his sermons. >> it was a very happening place. >> jason anderson was the youth pastor. >> i fell asleep listening to his sermons. [laughs] >> but more than that, the pastor and his wife, james and tanya flanders were known for their big hearts, their charity. and that's when for a third time, a family took in marie. >> she saying that she was there until she got on her feet. >> but a whole year went by. and then, what was coming couldn't be hidden. the story floating around? there had been an abusive boyfriend who abandoned her and left her pregnant. and in july, 2011, marie gave birth to a baby girl and named her grace. the pastor and his wife took care of both of them. >> it was explained to me that they were helping her out. that she was down on her luck. >> she was by all appearances, saved. spiritually by faith, and practically by the pastor and his wife. so, imagine the surprise, when a strange group text message popped up on the phones of her family and friends. do you still remember the words of that mass text? >> she said that yesterday she left for long beach to do something that she always wanted to do. she didn't want us to try to stop her. her last words were i love and appreciate you all. >> but the biggest surprise? marie did not take her three month old baby. she left grace behind with the pastor and his wife. and right away, her sister esta sensed that something wasn't right. she called her family. >> i go, i know i probably watch a lot of "law & order", but can you find out what is going on? because i have this really gut feeling -- she said oh, you watched too many of those kind of shows. i'm like, no, this is different. >> it was the fall of 2011. the very same time that a detective named nesli suhi-moore became a mother. a fact, which as you will see, may have made all the difference. >> you get a better understanding of what it's like to love somebody to the end of the world and back. >> it was almost like fate intended to tie these two together. in a mystery of love and lies and loss. >> where had met marie carlson gone? the detective who had just become a new mom felt a special connection to the case. coming up -- >> the investigator said, we're going to open a case. which surprised me. >> the antenna must have gone up? >> it did go up. >> i just knew that she didn't leave on her own. there was no way she left that baby. >> when "dateline" continues. this is how it feels to du more with less asthma... ...thanks to dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. imagine that. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. who knows what you can do when you du more with less asthma. ask your doctor about dupixent. the most prescribed biologic for asthma. my active psoriatic arthritis can make me feel like i'm losing my rhythm. with skyrizi to treat my skin and joints, i'm getting into my groove. ♪(uplifting music)♪ along with significantly clearer skin... skyrizi helps me move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. skyrizi attaches to and reduces a source of excess inflammation that can lead to skin and joint symptoms. with skyrizi 90% clearer skin and less joint pain are possible. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to skyrizi, there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement... and that means everything. ♪nothing is everything♪ now's the time to ask your doctor about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. 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(vo) visit mytepezza.com to find a ted eye specialist and to see bridget's before and after photos. >> marie carlson had notified keith morrison (voiceover): marie carlson had notified family and friends she was leaving for fort walton beach and nobody could figure out why or where she went. and this was very strange. she left her three month old baby in the care of her pastor, james flanders and his wife, tanya, and not her family. not the woman she looked to as a mother figure, kay barber. >> it was heartbreaking. it was heartbreaking. >> marie's ex-husband, jeff carlson, got the text, too. didn't make sense to him that she would leave without calling her seven-year-old daughter, paris. kay called jeff and said she he should file a report. >> she said, i don't know what's going on but i think something happened. and i said, yeah i agree with you. >> and then just called the okaloosa county sheriff's office to report marie missing. >> the investigator said, we're going to open a case and investigation on this, which surprised me because she's an adult. she could've just left. >> because marie was very adventurous, she liked to travel. and when the mood struck her, sometimes she just took off for a few days on some whim. but some things seem to different this time. >> she would've never have left without talking to me about it and talking to paris. >> she'd been gone a week when the sheriff asked detectives keith matz to look into it. that text message, something off, said her family. >> this doesn't sound like marie. >> so when you got that one, the antenna must have gone up? >> the antennas did go up. >> detective nesli suhi-moore didn't hear about the case then. because -- on maternity leave. >> correct. and i came back two weeks after she was initially reported missing. >> and that's when nesli heard from other detectives about the case keith was working on. >> poor keith. had no idea that i was going to come bully my way into the investigation. >> and why did you want to bully your way into the investigation? >> i think the connection of just having a child. i just knew that she didn't leave on her own. >> so here they were, partners. the young detective who happen to be a brand-new mother, and the veteran who had seen just about everything. and who soon learned from friends and family that marie was deeply attached to both her daughters. >> she had a heart of gold and loved her paris more than anything in the world. >> but what happened in her life? and how did she end up with another baby? >> from esta, the detectives learned about the divorce and how marie had loved her lost her job. and how the pastor and his wife offered her a place to stay. but the questions about baby grace? said esta her relationship with marie was always supportive but not judgmental and when marie didn't tell her who the father was, she didn't push the subject. >> i never questioned her because will marie tell me in her own time. if she wants to tell me. i've learned with my sister, i never pry. >> but that was the job of the detectives, nesli and keith to pry. hopefully to find marie. one of their first calls was on her church pastor, james flanders and his wife. impressive guy, they discovered. james flanders. what was he like? >> very charismatic. i would say he was good at his job. >> i wonder what it would be like to listen to him preach? >> you can youtube him. >> yes, you can. >> we all at times forget the promises of god's word. >> the pastor grew there calvary emerald coast church from scratch. spread it through youtube. and by the time marie began attended tending, every service filled up. >> they were a tight-knit family, that church. >> but now with marie gone they were caring for little grace. so, did the flanders have any idea what happened to marie? perhaps they knew who the father was. and where that abusive boyfriend might be found. and oh, yes, there was a story all right. >> coming up -- questions mount and leads are running out. it was time running out too? >> he searched it but there was nothing to search. it was clean. this case for sure, was an investigator's worst nightmare. >> when "dateline" continues. some mental health meds. and it's unlikely to improve without treatment. i felt like my movements were in the spotlight. #1-prescribed ingrezza is the only td treatment for adults that's always one pill, once daily. ingrezza 80 mg is proven to reduce td movements in 7 out of 10 people. people taking ingrezza can stay on most mental health meds. ingrezza can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have thoughts of suicide. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including angioedema, potential heart rhythm problems, and abnormal movements. report fevers, stiff muscles, or problems thinking as these may be life threatening. sleepiness is the most common side effect. it's nice. people focus more on me. ask your doctor about #1 prescribed, once-daily ingrezza. ♪ ingrezza ♪ (carolers) ♪ iphone 15 pro, your husband deserves it! ♪ (mom) carolers? 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[crying] and with ring cameras, capture all the holiday magic. with ring, you're always home for the holidays. shop black friday deals now at ring.com. tiny, branch, poppy on another musical adventure. you see that button? yeah. press it. hold onto your cupcakes. ♪ ♪ ooh! too much hustle is a thing. look at that. keith morrison (voiceover): the calvary emerald coast >> the calvary emerald coast church of fort walton beach, florida church in fort walton beach florida was much more than a place to gather on sunday mornings. led by -- this place was a beacon of charity too. the pastor and his church sacrificed their own needs to send money to the victims of katrina. and when marie carlson needed help, they took her in too. >> that's what pastors do for the congregation. >> but now? -- >> i'm left with a missing person who's vanished off the earth. >> a week and a half after marie vanished, or drove away, or whatever she did. the detectives went calling on the flanders, who said that they fully expected that marie would return soon. and this was not the first time that she took spur of the moment trips. >> not to the point where she would be reported to law enforcement as missing though. she came back. >> although they told detectives they were quite worried about marie's state of mind. >> they said that it was a down ward that spiral. >> they said that she was depressed? >> yes. >> marie could have wild mood swings, they knew that she had a diagnosed mood disorder. did they tell you that she was bipolar? >> yes, told me that she was bipolar, that she was taking medication that she was off her medication probably because of her giving birth to the child. >> but there was another prescription bottle too. >> and they also showed us a bottle that was empty, that was linked to the fact that she had taken that medication and would use it to hurt herself. >> the day she left, james told detectives he was so worried about her state of mind, he stayed at home. >> james said that she was acting up and he didn't -- >> he was afraid the baby would -- >> yes. >> then, late that afternoon, said pastor james, marie said she was tired, went to lie down. tanya took the baby out shopping so marie could rest. the pastor said he waited around for a bit. talked to her briefly when she woke up and went out for a run. and when he returned, marie and her white mazda pick up truck were gone. strangely, the flanders said, marie had packed her bags but didn't take them. >> why would she take off and not take her bags with her? >> anyway, said the flanders, when she did not come back that day or the next, they drove around town looking for her. went to the airport. maybe she parked her car there? and flown away? did they find it? >> they did. james said that he found it in a long term parking. >> at least, part of the mystery was solved, said the pastor. she must of flown off to visit someone. they took her pick up home. so, the mazda. what did you do about that car when you got your hands on it? >> we searched it but there was nothing to search. it was clean. >> they went to the airport. >> we checked the airlines, there was nothing. she didn't fly out. >> so, why would marie's car be at the airport if she didn't fly out of there? of course, she could be trying to hide her tracks from snoopy friends and family. or, what if someone else took the car to the airport. someone who wanted to make it look like she'd left town. rather fishy. then the detectives had an idea. you know the machine that spits out tickets when you enter an airport parking lot? that very ticket goes back to the toll booth when you leave. >> keith and i went to the little toll booth where you give them your take it. >> maybe, thought the detectives, the parking ticket for must us -- mazda's would be there. but a more important question would be by whom. >> we were thinking it we would get a thumbprint, or a fingerprint, and we went through every single one of them until we found the one marie that's car had received. >> and yes, they got a print. but no, it