Rose Marie Bly of rural St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin was reported by her husband to have left her home at about 7:30pm on August 21, 2009. The 21 year old newly married mother of two reportedly left to go to Cushing, Wisconsin – a distance of just 5 miles – to meet up with her cousin. The stories vary on whether she was supposed to meet her cousin at her house, or at a bar.
Rose never arrived at her destination, according to her husband.
Rose’s mother has told people that the cousin said they had NOT made plans to meet that night.
Five days later, her undamaged white Pontiac Grand Am was found in Grantsburg (17 or so miles north from her house). The car was found in a parking lot that is often used by truckers to park their tractor trailers, and the keys were not found.
Unfortunately, the discovery of her vehicle did not lead to her whereabouts. Detectives did collect evidence and DNA from the vehicle.
Rose was wearing a pair of jeans, a green v-neck sweater over a white tank top and a pair of flip-flop sandals. Rose has a tattoo of two cherries on her right ankle, and her ears and belly button are pierced.
She enjoyed riding horses, and there has been speculation that she suffered a head injury due to falling from a horse about a week prior to her disappearance. The last time Rose talked to her mom, two days before going missing, she complained of headaches. Her mom told her to go to the doctor, but there is no evidence that she did so.
It was stated early on in the investigation that her husband passed a polygraph and is not a suspect in Rose’s disappearance. However, there is a new sheriff who deeply cares about the case and is trying hard to solve it. Claims regarding the husband’s innocence are noticeably missing from the more recent appeals regarding Rose. It seems that a few people close to her definitely suspect his involvement.
If this case interests you, the Facebook group entitled Help Find Rose Marie Bly has some incredibly interesting conversations between friends and family members that go back for the last decade – the husband has made comments on this page defending himself as recently as one year ago.
There are some allegations that Rose’s husband and sister were sleeping together when she went missing, that he failed to notify Rose’s mother for over a day after her disappearance, and that his dad (Rose’s FIL) is a truck driver who was familiar with using the lot in Grantsburg in which Rose’s car was found. Rose’s best friend, Nicole, has stated that Rose’s husband was controlling. Rose was not allowed to get a job or even leave her home to see friends or family.
Chris filed for divorce only 3 weeks after Rose went missing.
Rose’s husband had accused her of slapping him, and she accused him of putting her in a headlock and slamming her to the ground, according to police and court records. He filed for divorce in June, but they reconciled and he withdrew the petition. Rose’s family and friends state she was looking into divorce lawyers prior to her disappearance.
“I hope she’s OK, and I hope she gets a hold of somebody,” Christopher Larson said when reached by phone back in 2009 by a Twin Cities news reporter, shortly after his wife’s disappearance. He wouldn’t discuss the disappearance further.
The sheriff’s office has never identified any suspects or any possible motive.
Candus Harer, Rose’s mother, has never given up the search for her daughter. In a video distributed on social media by Polk County Sheriff’s Office in 2019, her mother states, “It’s just not a good feeling… I wish I knew where she was. My life will never be normal without knowing where my daughter is.”
Rose’s children were so young at the time that they have never known their mother.
To date, the sheriff’s department has investigated more than 200 tips and conducted over 150 interviews. Investigators scoured her phone records, drained a lake, and followed up on several reports of sightings.
“This mystery is solvable,” stated Sheriff Waak of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in 2019. “We just need to find that vital piece of information.”
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.
SOURCES:
https://www.missingpersons.doj.wi.gov/sites/default/files/missing-posters/bly-rose.pdf
https://wqow.com/2019/09/23/new-tips-coming-in-as-sheriff-tries-to-crack-rose-bly-cold-case/
missing people & true crime research 
Where was christopher Larsons dad? Did the father in law take a polygraph as well? If friends stated that the husband wouldn’t let her leave to see friends and family, why did he allow her to go drinking with her cousin that night after dinner? Could the father in law have driven her to the bar etc said he had to stop at the lot to get something out of his truck..or taken the truck that night instead? So many missed questions hmm
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Hi Tara – Great questions you have here. This case is shrouded in mystery, and I hope something cracks it in the near future. So many questions (as you pointed out!) left unanswered… 😦
Thanks for your comment!
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