OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Friends of a missing 36-year old Overland Park woman are turning to prayer.
Marilane Carter, a mother of three and church pastor’s wife, hasn’t been seen in nearly a week. Her family told police investigators they last saw her as she set out driving her 2011 GMC crossover from Johnson County, Kansas to Birmingham, Alabama.
On Saturday, Carter’s friends and supporters participated in a unique online prayer vigil. It was organized in the Facebook group dedicated to the search for her return. Dozens of people scheduled times they’d remain in prayer for designated periods of time, ensuring they’d pray for Carter’s safe return for 24 hours without a break. Many participants don’t know the Carter family personally.
“Hope is what faith is about,” Melanie Hastings, a friend of the Carter family, said. “We believe God answers prayers. We have faith she’ll come home safely, and be found safely. God is faithful and our refuge and our fortress.”
Carter’s family said she’d been en route to Alabama to seek treatment for a mental health condition. She was last seen in the W. Memphis, Tennessee area. Several foot searches have taken place, as law enforcement officers sought her whereabouts.
“We pray for Marilane that she would be found safe,” Rob Munyan, another Carter family friend who participated in the prayer vigil, said. “I think of Psalm 139 that says — even the darkness is not dark to You, speaking of God. We are praying for Marilane and for her extended family, her husband and her three kids.”
Police in Alabama have requested that anyone with knowledge that could help in their investigation to call (205) 390-1003.