Having the chance to say goodbye to our loved ones before they transition into the next realm is healthy for all parties. Sometimes people have a hard time letting go, even once they’ve realized their time has come. Having family members reassure them beforehand can help make the process less scary for the person dying. For those who will be left behind, having the chance to say a final goodbye and express everything they felt for the person helps in the grieving process.
With that in mind, one grandson decided to drive across the country to say goodbye to his dying grandmother. Sadly, he never made it.
Marcus Anthony Taylor, 31, was driving from Fort Worth, Texas, to Wisconsin to see his grandmother, when he seemed to completely vanish, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. His family filed a missing person report, but it still took law enforcement weeks to find his body. On April 8, 2025, authorities in Hamilton County, Iowa, found the wreck of Taylor’s Hyundai Santa Fe. No one was in the car. At the time, police didn’t know what caused the crash or why the vehicle had been abandoned. They didn’t know Taylor was the owner.
They searched the area extensively looking for someone who might have owned the car, but they were unable to find anyone. Eventually, on April 25, authorities did find Taylor. Detectives found his body at a “nearby acreage, that was roughly 1 mile away from the original crash site/search area,” the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office reported on its Facebook page. Taylor’s body was inside a closed structure. They believe he traveled there seeking shelter after the crash. Authorities do not suspect foul play.
Taylor’s grandmother died in Wisconsin Rapids on April 18, only 10 days after authorities found his vehicle. Taylor’s journey from Texas to Wisconsin was approximately 1,100 miles. The site of the crash was just 65 miles from where his grandmother died.
A relative who had been posting about his disappearance on social media also updated her followers with the tragic news. “He was a bright, young man, who had so much life ahead of him,” Lori Taylor wrote on Facebook. “We are saddened by this loss, but comforted that he joins his mom Maria and recently passed Granny in heaven! Rest in peace Marcus!”
