Episode 56: The Disappearance of Marble Arvidson
On Saturday, August 27th of 2011, Tropical Storm Irene was finishing its destructive journey up the east coast, and planting its last bit of mayhem in the state of Vermont. By the time the storm passed, there had been over 11 inches of rainfall in less than 24 hours- whole towns were cut off due to flooding, damaged roads, and bridges disappearing with the currents. The power had gone out, homes were destroyed, and the cost of damages grew higher than anyone could comprehend. On top of the uncommon devastation, one family was focused on something much more important… the disappearance of a loved one.
The same day Tropical Storm Irene hit, 17-year-old Marble Arvidson left his foster home at roughly 2pm, before the rain started. He was last seen by his teenage roommate, who reported that Marble left with a man in his mid-20s, whom he did not recognize. This seemed to be a planned outing, due to the fact that Marble left a note on his door saying he was hanging out with friends and he would be back in 30 minutes.
When the heavy rains started, and the winds continued to rip at tree branches and power lines, Marble did not show up back at home. He didn’t have his own cellphone, so it wasn’t completely weird that he didn’t call- his foster family assumed he was staying the night at one of his friends. When the morning came around, and the storm had cleared, phone calls were made to his friends and his girlfriend, asking if he had stayed the night at one of their houses. When it was discovered that Marble hadn’t shown up to seek refuge anywhere, his foster family became concerned and reported him missing.
11 years after his disappearance, Marble has never been seen again. Due to the heavy storm and all of the chaos that followed it, Marble’s disappearance didn’t get as much airtime as it needed to. Theories were thrown around… did he get swept away by the floods? Did he kill himself, his body lost to the weather? Was he abducted? Was he murdered by the man who showed up at his doorstep? Did he run away? All of these questions remain unanswered as his loved ones keep searching Marble, not giving up hope that he is out there somewhere.
At the time of his disappearance, Marble had shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. He was 6’2″ and weighed around 165 pounds and was last seen wearing black pants, a black button-down shirt, black hiking boots, and a black fedora. He has noticeable scars on his arms and body from self inflicted cuts.
Anyone with any information on the disappearance of Marble Arvidson is asked to please call the Brattleboro Police Department at 802-251-8188.
Image sources:
charleyproject.com - “Marble Ace Arvidson”
pottsmerc.com - “Irene’s biggest mystery: Where is Marble Arvidson?”