Background

• Name: Rose Marie Bly
  
• Age at disappearance: 21
  
• Residence: St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
  
• Marital status: Married to Christopher Larson
  
• Children: Two daughters
  
• Marriage reportedly troubled

August 21, 2009, Rose Marie Bly left her residence in northwest Polk County believed to be on her way to Cushing, Wisconsin. She has not been seen or heard from since.

February 2009

• Rose Marie Bly and Christopher Larson are married.
• They already have two children together by this point.

June 1, 2009

• Rose Bly is arrested after a domestic violence incidence with her husband.
• Christopher Larson accused Rose of slapping him, and Rose accused him of putting her in a headlock and slamming her to the ground, according to police and court records

June 4, 2009:

• Christopher Larson files for divorce.

August 6, 2009

• A paternity case regarding Rose’s youngest daughter is dropped.
• Divorce proceedings are canceled.

August 13, 2009

• Rose reportedly falls from a horse
  
• She later complains of headaches to her mother
  
• Note: Her mother later suggests this may have caused confusion or disorientation

August 21, 2009

• Earlier: Rose and her husband, Christopher Larson, went to the mall to buy new cell phones. They stopped by a fast food restaurant and picked up dinner, which they ate at home
• 7:30 PM Rose leaves her St. Croix Falls home to meet her cousin at a bar in Cushing about five miles away
  
• 9:00 PM Rose reportedly calls her husband and says she will be home by midnight
  
• Rose never arrives at the bar
  
• She is never seen again
• Note: Her cousin later stated, that although Rose had asked her to cover for her and say she was with her on several previous occasions, she was not meeting her that night, nor did Rose ask her to lie for her then.

August 22, 2009

• Chris Larson reports Rose missing to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office
• Law enforcement opens an active missing person investigation

August 26, 2009

• Police asking public help locating Rose Marie Bly Source
• 7:00 PM The car belonging to 21-year-old Rose Marie Bly, was recovered in the municipal parking lot west of the Post Office in Grantsburg. “A Burnett County Citizen’s Patrol member, who knew about the missing woman and the kind of car she had, was driving by, saw it and called it in,” Grantsburg Police Chief Jeff Schinzing said. Source
• White 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix with damage to the driver’s side mirror and Wisconsin license plate 535-MAB.
• The Grantsburg police responded to the call, secured the vehicle and searched the car and the area for clues. The car was then taken to Polk County where it will be completely processed. “We are now looking for anyone who remembers seeing that car in that lot,” Schinzing said. “We are hoping that will give us a time frame to work with.”
• The car is found in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, approximately 30 miles north of St. Croix Falls
• The car is in an ordinary parking lot sometimes used by semi-truck drivers
• The keys are missing and have never been recovered
• FBI ViCAP becomes involved in case awareness

August 27, 2009

• Law enforcement interviews family, friends, and community members
• Police search the surrounding area
• A nearby small lake is drained as part of the search effort
• Polk County investigators publicly state that Rose is considered a devoted mother and unlikely to abandon her children voluntarily
• Chris Larson takes and passes a polygraph examination
• Law enforcement states he is not considered a suspect
• Authorities also state that no one is officially ruled out

September 2009

• Chris Larson files for divorce and legal custody protections Source
• This is his second divorce attempt. A prior filing occurred earlier in June 2009
• Court records document prior domestic conflict
• Rose had a pending misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge amended to domestic abuse before she disappeared
• A bench warrant had been issued months earlier
• That warrant remains unresolved due to her disappearance
• His attorney said Larson was concerned Bly would come back and take their children. Larson, 27, has since been granted temporary sole custody of the couple’s daughters, court records state. “I hope she’s OK, and I hope she gets a hold of somebody,” Larson said when reached by phone recently. Не wouldn’t discuss his wife’s disappearance further.

September 30, 2009

• The search for a missing Polk County woman takes investigators to Chetek, but that lead doesn’t pan out. The sheriff says there was a report that Rose Bly was spotted in Chetek, but investigators along with Rose’s mother reviewed a security camera, and they agreed it wasn’t her.

2010

• Chris Larson is granted sole custody of the couple’s two daughters

August 25, 2010

• Polk County Sheriff Tim Moore provides a public one-year update on the investigation into the disappearance of Rose Marie Bly. Source
• Moore states the investigation has been extensive but remains inconclusive
• Investigators conducted multiple subpoenas for phone records and computer data
• Countless interviews were completed and all known leads were followed
• The Polk County Sheriff’s Office sent the entire case file to the FBI in Quantico for review
• FBI missing persons analysts independently retraced the steps taken in the investigation
• FBI officials praised the quality of the work conducted by Polk County investigators
• The FBI did not uncover new evidence or offer strong new investigative directions
• Sheriff Moore says the FBI review “reaffirms what I think I know,” indicating confidence in the work already completed
• Chris Larson, Rose’s husband, underwent a polygraph and passed. Sheriff Moore states Larson has been cooperative and is not considered a suspect
• Larson has legally divorced Rose and has custody of their two children
• Numerous rumors have circulated since Rose disappeared but investigators state they have proven false

2015

• Polk County Investigator Pete Johnson states in an interview that foul play is considered a strong possibility
• Investigators maintain the case is not cold.

August 21, 2019

• Police Update: In an effort to bring this case back into the spotlight the Sheriff’s Office is taking a new approach in an effort to bring this case back into the news. Source
• The overall goal? Generate new conversation, and in turn, tips and information which will hopefully help us bring this case to a resolution. In addition to this video, which highlights Rose’s mom’s painful journey as she continues to look for her youngest daughter, a tip line has also been established at the Sheriff’s Office. Someone knows something; someone has the key. After 10 years, it’s time for Rose to come home. If you have any information on the disappearance or whereabouts of Rose Bly please contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 715-485-8300. Ten years is too long. Ten years is long enough.

August 23, 2019

• Polk County Sheriff released a video and an update Source
• On August 21st, 2009, Rose Marie Bly left her residence in northwest Polk County believed to be on her way to Cushing, Wisconsin. She has not been seen or heard from since. Ten years have now passed since Rose’s family and friends have seen their loved one.
• Since that day, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has received over 200 tips and have interviewed more than 150 people hoping to find the answer that everyone is searching for….where is she? This case has always been a priority and we continue to aggressively look into any and all leads as they come in. We will continue to do everything within our power to bring closure

March 4, 2021

• Candus Harer, posted on the “Help Find Rose” Facebook group that authorities are “not ignoring the case,” but haven’t been giving out details to the public. The evening she left home for the last time, Rose was dressed casually, wearing flip flops and light clothes. She had on a pair of blue jeans and a white tank top, along with a green sweater against the cool night. Nothing in her demeanor or behavior suggested she was taking a journey that would last longer than a single evening out.

June 15, 2021

• Rose’s niece Summer Wells age 5 disappears in Rogersville Tennessee
  
• Media attention returns to Rose’s disappearance because of the family connection
  
• Authorities publicly state there is no known link between the two cases

Current Status

• Rose remains missing
  
• She is considered endangered
  
• The FBI includes her case in ViCAP
  
• The Polk County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate
• The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says there is no evidence linking Bly’s disappearance with that of Summer’s.

• Missing Since 08/21/2009
• Missing From St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth 09/16/1987 (32) Age 21 years old
• Height and Weight 5’0, 110 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A white tank top, a green v-neck sweater, blue jeans and flip-flop sandals. Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown hair, brown eyes. Bly has a tattoo of red cherries on the outside of her right ankle; a photo of the tattoo is posted with this case summary. Her ears and navel are pierced. She frequently changes the length and style of her hair; at the time of her disappearance, her hair was cut in a chin-length bob. She may color her hair blonde or red.

Details of Disappearance: Bly was last seen in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. on August 21, 2009. She left her home in the 2300 block of River Road to travel four or five miles to Cushing, Wisconsin to meet a cousin at a bar.

She was driving a white 2001 Pontiac Grand Am with a Wisconsin license plate numbered 535MAB. Sometime that night, Bly contacted her husband and said she’d be home by midnight. She never arrived in Cushing, however, and has never been heard from again.

Bly’s car was found in a parking lot near a post office in Grantsburg, Wisconsin five days after her disappearance. The lot is normally used by semi truck drivers to park their tractor-trailers.

The car was undamaged, there was no evidence of foul play and the keys were missing. Grantsburg is about thirty miles from St. Croix and fifteen miles from Cushing.

Bly has family living there and she graduated from Grantsburg High School. Bly left behind a husband and two daughters under the age of two.

She doesn’t have any credit or debit cards, and she left home with very little money.

Bly’s husband filed for divorce three weeks after her disappearance and sought a court order to prevent her from returning and taking the children. They had married in February 2009. Their relationship was troubled and police were called to the home at least once to intervene in a domestic violence incident; Bly’s husband accused her of slapping him, and she accused her of putting her in a headlock and banging her head on the ground. He had previously filed for divorce in June 2009, but withdrew the filing after he and Bly reconciled. Bly’s husband passed a polygraph and he isn’t considered a suspect in her disappearance. His divorce petition was granted in 2010 and he has sole custody of their daughters.

Bly fell off a horse a week before her disappearance. She told her mother she was having headaches after the accident and her mother advised her to see a doctor, but there’s no evidence she ever did. Bly’s mother speculated her daughter became disoriented due to her injury and wandered away. There is no evidence to support any theory, however. Bly’s case remains unsolved.