Episode 3: The Roommate

Lilly Craig

Mariah’s roommate

Also age 22

Interrogation happens at 2pm on October 4th, 2005

Detective: Lilly when was the last time you saw Mariah?

Lilly: The morning of the 27th. I remember because we had an argument about evacuating. I asked if I could ride with her and she said no.

Detective: That must have been upsetting.

Lilly: Yes, I got pretty upset and yelled at her. Which I feel real bad about now. I can’t believe someone would do this to her.

Detective: Do you know where she was heading?

Lilly: To her parents back home I guess.

Detective: Her parents’ home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi?

Lilly: Yes. I was just so frustrated she could take the dog but wouldn’t take me.

Detective: Why didn’t Mariah want to evacuate together?

Lilly: I think she had just gotten to the point she didn’t want to see me any more than she had to. I was annoying to her, roommate she had to have just so she could say she lived on her own. I don’t even think she saw us as friends anymore.

Detective: So Mariah left the apartment to head home on the 27thof August then? Two days before the storm hit?

Lilly: Well she left the apartment that morning. I didn’t leave till lunch and I didn’t see her again, so I mean, I guess that’s where she went. I didn’t know any different until a couple weeks ago when I had ten voicemails from her parents. My phone stopped working the day the storm hit and really didn’t act right for days. I called her mom back and wasn’t able to get her so I just left a voicemail told her I thought Mariah was there. I didn’t know where she was. I haven’t talked to them though other than that.

Detective: How was your relationship with Mariah?

Lilly: Well, we’re just roommates. We met at school and only moved in together to save on rent. To be honest, I knew living together was a mistake after a month or two. She liked to act like she was so much better than me. But I paid my bills same as her. She loved to complain about me working nights and having people over.

Detective: How did she act like she was better than you?

Lilly: Well she thought her job was better for one. She was still just a server same as me. I just worked on Bourbon street and she worked in Kenner. But heck I prob made better tips. But I still paid my rent.

Detective: Was that all? She thought she had a better Job?

Lilly: no, she hated all my friends, she didn’t like when I had people over. Especially if they slept over. She would be rude to any of my guests if she saw them.

Detective: Would you have people over often?

Lilly: maybe a time or two per week

Detective: Same people or different people?

Lilly: It would depend. I think that’s what bothered her. But I should be able to make my own choices. She isn’t… wasn’t my mother.

Detective: Did Mariah have any enemies?

Lilly: I don’t think so. I can’t imagine she found any trouble. She didn’t even smoke -- she was always ragging me to smoke downstairs instead of in the apartment.

Detective: What about boyfriends? Was Mariah dating anyone?

Lilly: No. she did have an Ex. Spencer Boyd. But they broke up on good terms from what I could tell. They still hung out all the time. I only ever heard them bickering never anything just out of the way crazy. I’ve had bigger fights with people over what to watch on tv than they ever did.

Detective: Do you have his number? I’d still like to talk to him.

Lilly: Yeah its in my phone I can give it to you.

Detective: Is there anyone else? Was she seeing anyone new?

Lilly: Not that I know of, but we really weren’t talking much. I don’t even know why really.

Detective: Did she have any problems at work?

Lilly: She loved her boss George! But I don’t know much about anyone else. I guess it was good.

Lilly: Did you guys find her car?

Detective: No we haven’t. Do you know where it might be?

Lilly: no I don’t. I was just wondering. We fought a lot about the car. I only just got a car so I used to borrow it a lot. She used to say I was mooching off her.

Detective: Her parents gave us the info on it to be on the look out for it but there were so many misplaced and abandoned because of the storm I’m not expecting much there.

Detective: Can you think of anyone who would have wanted to hurt her?

Lilly: no. I can’t. I’m so devastated about this.

Detective: Well we will want to come back by the apartment and take a closer look, see if we can find any clues as to who might have done this.

Lilly: ok, I haven’t gone in her room since you guys came by yesterday to see me and i hadn’t been in it since the day she left. She didn’t like that.

Detective: ok, we’ll be in touch.