Dive Team Joins Search for Missing North Carolina Mother Kelly Morris
Authorities in North Carolina are continuing their search for Kelly Currin Morris, a 28-year-old mother of two who went missing from her Stem, N.C., home on Sept. 3, 2008.
On Tuesday, a police dive team searched streams along around several Granville County bridges. Investigators will not say what prompted the searches; however last week a group of search volunteers did find a torn orange shirt and a yellow gas can near Robertson creek on Brassfield Road in Granville County. While nothing of interest was found during yesterdays search, investigators were able to rule out those areas as places of interest.
In addition to the search being conducted by the Granville County Sheriff's Office, Kelly's family and a group of local volunteers are continuing to conduct their own search for clues leading to Kelly's whereabouts. This past week they have been concentrating their efforts on an area the southeast of Creedmoor.
"Until [Kelly's parents] get some kind of closure, it's a nightmare they're not going to wake up from," volunteer Don Edmondson to NBC17.com. "The folks in this area have been coming out every day."
Meanwhile, the State today announced that they are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person(s) responsible for Kelly's disappearance. This reward is in addition to a $1,000 reward that is being offered by Granville County Crime Stoppers and a $30,000 reward that is being offered by Kelly's family.
On the morning of Sept. 4, 2008, firefighters with the Stem and Providence fire departments were dispatched to fight a fire at the Morris's house, located at 3220 Tump Wilkins Road. The house and much of its contents were destroyed; however no one was home when the fire broke out. Scott Morris was allegedly at his towing business in Creedmoor and the couple's two young children, ages 8 and 5, were in school at the time of the incident. It was initially believed that Kelly was in Raleigh, where she worked for Nationwide Insurance; however, investigators soon learned that she never showed up for work that morning.
Kelly's car, a burgundy 2005 Honda Accord, North Carolina license plate TXP-5917, was later found abandoned in an undeveloped subdivision, less than a mile from her home. Inside the locked car, investigators found Kelly's keys, purse, and cell phone.
When questioned by police, Scott Morris allegedly told them that he had not seen his wife since the previous night.
"He was the last person to see her alive on Wednesday night (Sept. 3) at their home," Granville Sheriff David Smith told NewsObserver.com. "She was allegedly going to find a pet dog that had got outside, we think, between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m."
According to Smith, the dog later showed up without her.
On Sept. 12, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the state Bureau of Investigation conducted forensic tests at the scene of the fire which, according to Smith, have revealed that the fire was the work of an arsonist.
Investigators will not comment on whether Scott Morris is cooperating; however, Kelly's friends have openly criticized him for not getting involved in the search effort.
Anyone with information about Kelly or Scott Morris is asked to contact David Lohr at davidlohr@davidlohr.net. Anyone with information about Kelly's whereabouts is urged to call the Granville County Sheriff's Office at (919) 693-3213.
Related Links:
Full Coverage: Kelly Currin Morris Case
Prayers to Kelly's family and especially her children, and to the searchers and law enforcement.
Can we hope that blogs like this will help to make would be perpetrators understand that information such as cellphone and landline records might be what ultimately puts them away? What little information Mr. Morris has given to law enforcement seems to either be unbelievable or untrue.
Posted by: Loretta | October 09, 2008 at 11:27 AM
According to the Texas EquuSearch site, they will be in NC next week to search for Kelly and also Jamie Fraley; missing 4/8/08. Godspeed.
http://www.texasequusearch.org/
Posted by: Loretta | October 12, 2008 at 11:23 AM