Marie Delly, 34: Vanished After Leaving Job At Wal-Mart In 2010
The person of interest connected to the missing person case involving Marie Delly is in prison, but she has yet to be located. Marie worked at Walmart in Naples, Florida, back in 2010, a job that she held for five years. Her supervisors reportedly described her as a responsible and reliable person, a sentiment held by many who knew the 34-year-old mother of four.
A Husband Tells Police His Version Of Events
The last time anyone saw Marie Delly, a Haitian immigrant who had lived in the United States since 1984, was on May 17, 2010, when she left her job after clocking out of work. Her husband, Mathnald Dareus, would later tell authorities that he dropped Marie off at work at 8:30 that morning, but he did not know who picked her up. Walmart surveillance cameras reportedly captured Marie leaving the store, but they did not show outside, so it could not be determined who, if anyone, came to get her. Marie reportedly did not have a driver’s license. Her husband reported her missing two days later.
The marriage between Marie and Dareus was said to be a volatile one. It is reported that she spoke of being physically abused by her husband, and her family told authorities that their arguments were frequent. The weekend before Marie went missing, she and Dareus allegedly got into one of their fights, but he reportedly denied the accusations of violence.
Marie’s Son Says Her Husband Abandoned The Family
According to Marie’s son, Lavanda Warren, Dareus abandoned Marie’s children not long after she went missing.
“He just left. He moved to Orlando and we never heard from him again,” said Lavanda. Now a young man, Lavanda was 14 years old when his mother went missing. He went on to become a wrestling and football star at Golden Gates High School in Naples, and later, he competed on the wrestling team at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, where he majored in criminal justice.
Marie Warned Her Son About Potential Danger
Lavanda claimed that his mother shared an ominous message with him before she disappeared.
“My mom told me, ‘Lavanda, if I ever die, just know that Ken Ken killed me,'” he said years ago while using Dareus’s nickname. At the time, Lavanda also held out hope that his mother would one day return home alive despite people telling him the odds were very few. “It’s been too long just wondering, you know? When’s the answer going to come in? We need to know.”
Although Marie had previously, on two occasions, left town without alerting Dareus, her family insists that she was a dedicated mother who would never up and leave her children. Since she vanished, there has not been any movement on Marie’s bank accounts. Dareus remains a person of interest in this case.
The Husband Takes A Polygraph Test
According to reports, Dareus underwent a four-question polygraph test and failed two of the questions. His accounts of his activities when his wife went missing were also said to have been contradictory—he told authorities that he dropped her off at work but later stated that she did not go to work that day. Surveillance footage shows a car similar to his in the Walmart parking lot on the afternoon his wife went missing, and later, a highway toll booth captured his vehicle making its way to Miami. His phone records reportedly showed that he was in Miami for a short time.
Mathnald Dareus Arrested For Murder—But Not In Marie’s Case
In October 2015, this case took a turn when Dareus was arrested on murder charges. It was then that a man visited a Hyatt Regency in Orlando, shot and killed 49-year-old Cedilien Forestal in his car on the fifth floor of the hotel’s parking lot, and drove off in a red vehicle after pointing a gun at and threatening Michael Biagioni, a hotel employee.
Police later found Dareus sitting in a vehicle with a gun and blood on his hands. He also reportedly tested positive for gunshot residue.
“Come on. You’re going to do life for murder,” said Lavanda in 2017, adding that his family always suspected Dareus was involved in his mother’s disappearance. “Now’s the time. If you know something, say something. We need to know.”
“There isn’t any closure,” Marie’s sister Bobbi Lene said years ago. “She’s missing, and you can’t really cope.”
Marie Delly: What To Know
At the time of her disappearance, Marie Delly stood 5 feet 9 inches tall to 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 210 to 220 pounds. She had black/dark brown hair and brown eyes. She has two tattoos: the name “Tyrese” on her right shoulder and the “Manthnald” on her left shoulder. Marie was prescribed diabetes medication, but it is unclear if she had it with her. She was last seen wearing a dark blue polo shirt and khaki pants. She may go by her middle name, “Chantal.”
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at (239) 252-9300, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477) for anonymity, or their local authorities. The agency case number is 13706-10.
Please share this story about Marie Delly to help bring resolution to this case. She is our sister, and her life matters.
Sources
NamUs
Naples News 1 & 2 & 3
Collier Sheriff
The Charley Project
