Will not shift out of park

When you have the vehicle running check the neutral safety switch. There should be a place where you can put a screwdriver in a hole that releases the shifter. Check the wires going to the switch. Problem may be in the switch itself.

So the lever moves but the transmission doesn't go into gear. The first thing would be to look at the side of the transmission under the vehicle. Have someone move the shifter and see if the lever on the side of the transmission moves at the same time.
If it doesn't and the cable is connected to the lever, then it is likely that the shift cable has come loose at the shifter inside the console. The cable just snaps onto pins at both ends and the bushing inside the ends tend to wear or break and the cable falls off. The one on the side of the trans isn't hard to repair. The one inside requires the console be removed to get to the shifter.

Now if the shift lever on the trans does move when shifted, there is an internal problem with the transmission OR the transfer case is in neutral.

"The vehicle will start the shift"? What does that mean? If the shift lever can't be moved out of "park", check for proper operation of the brake lights. If they are not working, the fuse is likely blown, often due to a chewed-up trailer wiring harness. You need to press the brake pedal to shift out of "park", thanks to our over-educated politicians, and it's the same circuit that runs the brake lights that runs the shifter interlock.

In your case where the shift lever moves throughout its range, but the transmission doesn't go into gear, the cable going to the transmission is broken or became disconnected, usually AT the transmission. If the cable broke, it's because it frayed at one end. That would have given plenty of warning because it would have become harder and harder to move the shift lever. It's also possible for the cable's outer casing to slip in its anchor, again, usually AT the transmission end. Most commonly the symptom, at least at first, is you have to move the shift lever too far to get the desired gear, and / or the indicator might show the wrong gear. Showing the wrong gear can happen on older vehicles with a mechanical pointer. Yours should have a digital indicator in the instrument cluster. The clue then is it continues to show "park" when you move the shift lever.

Hi brother Steve. I never thought about the transfer case. Happy Sunday to you.

Good to know she has it repaired. Cable failure is getting to be much more common than it was when the companies used heavier parts.