The Disappearance of Marissa Carmichael
| Full Name | Marissa Kay Carmichael |
| Age Missing | 24 (would be 26) |
| Height / Weight | 5'4" / approx. 260 lbs |
| Hair | Long black and blonde braids |
| Distinguishing | Heart tattoo on face, butterfly tattoo near eye |
| Last Outfit | White Tweety Bird T-shirt, blue jeans, yellow sneakers |
| NamUs / NCIC | Entered January 14, 2024 |
Marissa Kay Carmichael
Marissa Kay Carmichael was 24 years old at the time of her disappearance and lived in High Point, North Carolina, approximately 25 minutes southwest of Greensboro. She was a mother of five children. Her mother, Sara Carmichael, has described her as someone for whom being away from her children without contact was entirely out of character, a characterization the Greensboro Police Department has echoed publicly on multiple occasions.
On the evening of January 13, 2024, Marissa got ready to go out and her mother saw her around 8:30 p.m. before she left. She went to the One17 SofaBar & Lounge in Greensboro with friends and later attended an after party at an Airbnb. At some point in the early morning hours of January 14, she was dropped off at the Exxon gas station on East Market Street. She called 911 at 3:46 a.m. and was gone when police arrived two minutes later. She has not been seen or heard from since.
Her family has searched relentlessly in the two years since her disappearance, checking creeks, lakes, rivers, abandoned houses, motels, wooded areas, and abandoned buildings across High Point, Greensboro, and Archdale. As of January 2026, Marissa has still not been found. Her five children are growing up without her.
What We Know
On the night of January 13 into the early morning of January 14, 2024, Marissa Carmichael went out with friends to the One17 SofaBar & Lounge in Greensboro. She later went to an Airbnb for an after party, and at some point during the early morning hours, she was dropped off at the Exxon gas station at 809 East Market Street. At 3:46 a.m., Marissa called 911. In the call, which has been obtained and verified by police, she told the dispatcher that a man had asked her to go inside the store and then drove off while she was inside, leaving her stranded without her phone and with no way to get home. She said she did not know where she was in Greensboro.
Guilford Metro dispatch sent an officer at 4:19 a.m. The officer arrived at the gas station at 4:21 a.m. Marissa was not there. Surveillance footage from the station showed her getting into a vehicle and leaving before the officer arrived. The Greensboro Police Department has confirmed that the driver of that vehicle has been identified and interviewed and is considered a witness in the case, not a suspect. The footage has not been publicly released.
Investigators have conducted more than a dozen interviews, obtained surveillance footage from Marissa's last known location, and have searched several areas including locations with abandoned properties. Marissa's information was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and the National Crime Information Center on the day she was reported missing. The case remains open and active. Police have declined to comment publicly on whether foul play is suspected or whether any suspects have been identified.
How It Unfolded
The Investigation
The Greensboro Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division has been actively investigating Marissa's disappearance since it was reported. In addition to the more than a dozen interviews conducted in the weeks following her disappearance, detectives obtained surveillance footage from the Exxon station and other locations, used technology and additional investigative resources to identify leads, and conducted area searches, including locations with abandoned structures. The driver of the vehicle seen picking Marissa up on the surveillance footage has been identified and interviewed and is currently considered a witness.
Despite the active investigation, GPD has provided limited public updates and has declined to comment specifically on whether foul play is suspected or whether any suspects exist. What is publicly known is that Marissa's absence is considered entirely out of character by both her family and law enforcement. She has had no contact with her children or any family member since January 14, 2024.
Marissa's case has been featured in national media, including Dateline NBC in March 2025, which helped amplify the public call for information. Her family has continued to conduct their own searches and community outreach for over two years. As of the two-year anniversary in January 2026, Marissa Carmichael has not been found.
Help Find Marissa
If you have any information about Marissa Carmichael's whereabouts or the circumstances of her disappearance, please contact law enforcement. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
Greensboro / Guilford Crime Stoppers: (336) 373-1000 — Anonymous tips accepted
Greensboro Police Department: (336) 373-2222
NamUs: namus.nij.ojp.gov — Marissa is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
She Is Not Forgotten
Marissa Carmichael called for help. She was at a gas station, alone, in the middle of the night, and she called 911. An officer was sent. He arrived two minutes after she left, and she was gone. That two-minute window is where she vanished, and it has not been closed in more than two years.
Her mother Sara has not stopped looking. Her sister Emma has not stopped looking. They have searched motels, rivers, wooded areas, abandoned buildings across multiple cities. They have spoken to media, to Dateline, to anyone who will listen. "Every morning when you wake up, it's the same," Sara said. "What kind of phone call am I going to get today?" Two years in, she is still waiting.
Marissa has five children. They are growing up without knowing where their mother is, or what happened to her. That is not acceptable. If you know anything, please call. Marissa Kay Carmichael is not forgotten.