DETROIT – What happens to loved ones left behind when someone goes missing? They want answers and sometimes those answers take years to find.
The Missing in Michigan association connects those loved ones with resources and much-needed community. Since 2011, Missing in Michigan has been hosting events to bring families of the missing together.
Carlita Ransom is one of the loved ones of the missing who have benefited from the support of the Missing in Michigan community.
Carlita wasn’t even 2 years old yet when her mother, Darlene McKenzie went missing in 1975. Darlene was only 15 years old. Even though Darlene’s body was found days after she was last seen, she went unidentified for 41 years. Meaning Carlita spent all those years without answers.
Carlita spoke to us about how important the Missing in Michigan community has been to her journey.
“I was almost ashamed to tell people my mom is missing. My mom is missing. Because you don’t want to answer the questions. Because I didn’t have the answers.”
In 2015, Local 4 reported on Darlene’s case when she was still considered an unidentified Jane Doe. She has been murdered and left on the side of I-696 near Haggerty Road in Farmington Hills.
Darlene was identified in 2016 when investigators used DNA to confirm her relation to Carlita.
“My mother died of a tragic death, my mother was murdered. Her case has not been closed as far as the murder portion. However, the missing portion brought some closure to me and my family,” Carlita said.
It was only after her mother’s remains were identified that Carlita began to open up about what she was going through. Missing in Michigan played a big role in that.
“I started talking about it. And it changed my life forever. And it’s still changing my life to this day. And hopefully, hopefully, if I have an impact on others, we’ll be able to change their lives,” Carlita said.
Missing in Michigan holds an event each May where families with missing loved ones can meet up, share their stories, and make reports to law enforcement.
This year’s event is set for Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at Madonna University in Livonia.
If you’d like to attend, you need to RSVP to MissingInMichigan@gmail.com.