Mom of 5 Called 911 and Said She’d Been Robbed, Then Disappeared. She Hasn’t Been Seen in 2 Years

The family of a North Carolina mother of five, who disappeared two years ago after placing a distressed 911 call, continue to search for answers and hold out hope.

“Seeing everybody that is praying for her and sharing her pictures gives me some hope that she’s not forgotten,” Sara Carmichael, the mother of missing woman Marissa Carmichael, told CBS affiliate WFMY this week.

“People are still thinking about her, they say they think about her all the time, and that really touches me,” she added. “I still have hope.”

On Jan. 14, 2024, Marissa made the emergency call from an Exxon gas station in Greensboro, N.C., saying that she had been robbed and didn’t know where she was, PEOPLE previously reported, citing an incident report from the Greensboro Police Department. It was the last place she was seen before she vanished. 

At the time of her disappearance, Marissa’s family said she went to the gas station after leaving a nearby nightclub, according to the Greensboro News & Record and Fox affiliate WGHP.

The High Point resident made the 911 call from the gas station around 3:40 a.m, the News & Record reported. She said a person in the car with her instructed her to go into the Exxon and “grab some s—t,” and while she was inside the store, that person disappeared.

“I just got all my stuff thrown out the car,” Marissa, then 25, said on the call, according to the outlets. “He took off with my phone. I have no clue where I’m at.”

A police officer arrived at the gas station to check on Marissa around 4:20 a.m., and a clerk said that she “had gotten a ride from another customer,” the News & Record reported.

Less than a month after Marissa went missing, the Greensboro Police Department said detectives had conducted dozens of interviews, obtained surveillance footage from Marissa’s last known location, and explored numerous leads. The department also appealed to the public for information.

A police spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that “in surveillance footage obtained by our department, Ms. Carmichael was seen getting into a vehicle and leaving the gas station.” 

Back in 2024, police said in an update that “detectives have identified and interviewed the driver of that vehicle, who is currently considered a witness in this case,” according to ABC News. 

When asked by the outlet if they had identified any suspects or suspected foul play, the spokesperson declined to comment.

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Two years later, Marissa’s whereabouts remain unknown.

In a recent interview with ABC affiliate WXLV, Marissa’s sister, Emma Villegas, maintained that her sibling did not intentionally disappear.

“I just want everyone to understand that she did not willingly go missing,” she said. “She would never willingly go missing.”

On the second anniversary of the disappearance, the Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers shared a missing person bulletin about Marissa, and in an email to PEOPLE on Thursday, Jan. 15, a spokesperson for the Greensboro Police Department said that while there are no public updates at the moment, the investigation into her disappearance remains active.

“We know that not being home with her children – and not having any contact with her family – is out of character for her,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the absence of her daughter weighs heavily on Sara, who wants closure for Marissa’s kids, WLXV reported. 

“Every day I wait for what call am I gonna get,” Sara added, per WFMY. “That’s my baby. I’ve always done everything for her. I’m supposed to protect her. I’m supposed to take care of her. It’s a part of me, and I can’t quit for my family and my grandkids.”

Those with information about Marissa’s whereabouts are encouraged to call Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000 or submit an anonymous tip at p3tips.com.