Body of endangered woman last seen in February found in home, coroner says

CONWAY, S.C. (WPDE) — The body of a Conway woman who went missing in February was found in her home, according to Horry County Coroner Robert Edge.

Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Williard said Marianne Cecelia Marsh was found in her University Forest home where she lived alone.

"An autopsy will be conducted but information related to cause and manner of death will take 12 weeks to return. Nothing will be released until we receive those results," according to Williard.

Horry County police said Marsh was last seen near Birch Lane in the University Forest neighborhood outside of Conway on Feb. 14 around 9 a.m.

Marsh has a medical condition requiring medication and typically needed a cane to walk, and due to the near-freezing temperatures at the time, she was considered endangered, according to police.

Multiple searches were conducted and a Wilmington-based organization even joined the search.

Early on in the search, Marsh's daughter, Joy MacBay, had said her brother stopped by her mother's Birch Lane home on Feb. 14 and she was not there. Her cars were still in the driveway, but her cards, wallet, ID and newly bought carton of cigarettes were still in the home. This concerned all of her family.

In February, Marsh's daughter organized a search in cold and rainy weather. She and several other people gathered at the Seacoast Church in Conway, off of Highway 501, only a few miles from Marsh's home. They focused the search along the railroad tracks and headed toward Myrtle Beach.

At the time, one of the people who assisted in their search saw the ABC 15's Facebook post about the search happening that Thursday morning. Another person saw the information on Good Morning Carolinas.

"I don't know any of them," said Johnny Goebel, as he searched in February. "I would want somebody out looking for my mother or loved one if they were missing. So I said, 'hey, I'm going to go out and go.'"

MacBay had described the days as torture for her family and loved ones.

"We're exhausted. We are emotionally drained. It's a roller coaster of emotion," she said.

Horry County police had talked with businesses, canvassed some of the area and used their heat-sensing drone to search for Marsh.

MacBay had handed out flyers of her mother in hopes of spreading the word. They could be seen around town.

The family, neighbors, and officers had extensively searched the area desperately hoping to find her.