Car will not shift into park?

The car was in drive, when trying to shift into park the gear shift moved but the car remained in drive, it also shows it is in drive. Now the shift is stuck in the park position with the car in drive. I noticed a white wire leading into the shifter was severed, I do not know when this happened or if it is related. The vehicle is now off and can't be started since the vehicle thinks it is in drive but the key was removed from ignition. It is a 2002 Ford Escape. Please ask for more info if needed.

It is indeed the shifter cable that has broken. It will need to be towed somewhere and the cable replaced.

With fords there's a common problem with a loose column shifter. I don't know if you have a column shifter but here is how to fix it