marie carlson was a force of nature. enthusiastic, spirited, and beautiful. behind the radiant glow she hid a darkness. for a while, marie drift. then a pastor and his wife welcomed her into their lives. it was a spiritual awakening which made marie's sudden disappearance all the more mysterious. it would take a detective with a special bond and some divine intervention to find out what happened to marie. here's keith morrison with "secrets on the emerald coast." >> reporter: how do you catch a dancing sprite? do you put her in a bottle? can you package the joy she brings? can you keep it when she goes? >> she was like a gravitational pull. >> reporter: her name was marie. marie carlson. >> she was magnetic. >> reporter: when she was happy she could make the whole world sing. >> live life to the fullest, is what marie would tell me. you know, you might not have tomorrow. >> reporter: and so she offered herself, her goodness. gave her vulnerable heart, and stored her secrets until, well, what happened. but she was always that way -- marie, from the time of the