In this week's edition of "The Missing," we will revisit the mysterious disappearance of Troy Spencer Marks, Sr., a 39-year-old resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who went missing in June 2006.
Troy Marks' family is desperate for any information on their loved one's whereabouts. Since his disappearance, his father has passed on and his mother has been diagnosed with colon cancer. Amidst this tragedy, Troy's wife, Ashley Marks, has had to try and comfort their two young children, Troy Jr. and Jacob, ages 4 and 6. Yesterday, I had a chance to speak with Ashley about the circumstances surrounding her husband's sudden and unexpected disappearance.
"Troy was working a concrete job in New Orleans, and on June 7, 2006, he had a friend drop him off in the vicinity of North Dourgenois Street," Ashley said during a telephone interview yesterday. "Troy never made it to work, and we have not seen or heard from him since."
In the wake of Troy's disappearance, his employer discovered that a vehicle Troy drove for the concrete company, a dark gray four-door Ford F150, was missing. Troy's boss notified police, who later recovered the vehicle in the parking lot of a Baton Rouge apartment building.
According to Ashley, Troy had a previous history of drug and alcohol abuse, something that she believes resulted in the local police department's reluctance to take his disappearance seriously. Ashley also claims local media outlets were not interested in covering the story because, as she was told by at least one newspaper, "many adults go missing by choice."
"Even when Troy was using, he never hesitated to call home," Ashley said. "He was always in communication. I am convinced something terrible happened to Troy. When his father died in November 2006, Troy was a no-show at the funeral. Troy had a very close relationship with both of his parents, and he never would have intentionally missed his father's funeral. Now, with his mother being diagnosed with cancer, we are even more desperate for answers. His mom doesn't want to go to the grave not knowing what happened to her son."
Troy's case was recently moved from the Missing Persons division of the Baton Rouge Parish Police Department to the Homicide Division. The detective working the case was unavailable for comment yesterday, but according to Ashley, the case was transferred because of rumors that Troy was murdered and his body was hidden in New Orleans or Baton Rouge.
"Aside from jailhouse and street rumor, we are at a standstill," Ashley said. "We need some answers. I need to know what to tell our children."
Troy Spencer Marks is described as a white male, 5'10", 175 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. He has a tattoo of the cartoon character Yosemite Sam on one hand and a football on the other. He also has a tattoo on his shoulder with the inscription "TSM 33" on his shoulder.
Anyone with information in this case should contact the Baton Rouge Parish Police Department at 225-389-2000.