snipped from another poster {Yes, I agree with your profile of Mary's abductor -
he is (or was) powerful, dangerous, and very well organized. He may have been wealthy and well-connected, and he may very well have had criminal connections. At least two accomplices had to help the abductor in Mary's diasappearance: the second man in the car with Mary and the person who stayed behind in Atlanta and returned Mary's car to the Lenox Square parking lot during the day on Friday.}
I am currently stuck on the obvious phone calls, and roses, being 5. I'm wondering if she was involved with a college professor, who was in fact a predator, in a perfect position to control male and female students. I have not read the description of the man in Charlotte, and men in Raleigh. Between Charlotte and Raleigh is Greensboro where she went to college. The professor could have picked up a student to bring him along to further confuse LE. Theory of course, he steals a car, or has a student do it, weeks before the abduction-keeps tabs on the husband to find out when he is out of town-abducts her at opportune time, not in the lenox parking lot, hits her in the head, at some point removes her underclothes, plants them, tells student when to return car to Lenox parking lot, why? because that is where the last person she knew saw her. The other incident of the man with the low tire story could have also been the student, perhaps,or not, because the case is full of trickery.-ok, leaves the student in Altanta, - travels to Charlotte where he probably rapes and tortures her- travels to Greensboro to pick up another student-travels to Raleigh where she is seen with two men, not one.- drops off second student.- and who knows from there, but probably murders her.
These two students comply because they are meek, without good family support, need the grade to stay in school, graduate, not make their dad's angry etc. etc.
Mary dated her husband for 10 months before marrying him, and she was married for six weeks. That's 2 weeks short of a year. If the former lover lived in Atlanta, he would have known of her relationship with what was to be her husband. After she is married, she becomes empowered, and tells the chronic predator to back off, and leave her alone, kinda almost.
That the husband kept a log of her miles on the car coud be strange, or not. It was a brand new car. Some friends didn't come to the wedding because they didn't like him, also strange. Usually freinds are supportive, even if they don't agree with your choice, especially back then, I would think. They could have been jealous, or not able to afford the fancy dresses, gifts, etc pure speculation.
I would like more info on her personality...
ETA; the other woman who was murdered 17 months later who had had Mary's job after she disappeared, but was no longer employed there, that could have been another ruse. I don't know what the papers were like and how much pressure was on LE to solve the case. Also iirc, this was also in the same time span that Mary's mom called "a detective" and asked him to call off the investigation. Did the mom receive threats after Dianne Shields was murdered?
Did Mary have any siblings? Fear for other loved ones, or her daughter's friends may have compelled her to make a call like that. jmo