The Search Continues for Missing Mother of Two, Kelly Currin Morris

November 15, 2008

It has been two months since the disappearance of Kelly Currin Morris, a 28-year-old mother of two, who went missing from her Stem, North Carolina, home on September 3, 2008. There have been no new leads in the case, and police have scaled down their investigation. Nonetheless, the search continues, and Investigation Discovery is back on the scene.

I am in Creedmoor, North Carolina, tonight, preparing for a weekend search effort with Kelly's family, friends, volunteers, and members of Texas EquuSearch. For all intents and purposes, I could be within 10 miles of Kelly as I sit here and type this. That is not a very pleasant thought, and knowing that eats at me like a cancer. I hate these cases. They are the worst of the worst. I hate not knowing, and I hate the fact that people suffer because of that.

I never knew Kelly in her life. I would not have known her if I passed her on the street, and yet I feel a strong connection to this young woman. There is a rule in this job, and I have mentioned it before: DO NOT GET EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED. Perhaps that works for some journalists, but I can't do that.

The day a missing person case becomes a job to me is the day I hang up my hat. How can I not get emotionally involved in these cases? I have sat down with Kelly's family for dinner, I have heard the stories that they have shared about her, I have spoken with her best friends, and I have searched side by side with her father, Pat Currin. I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into the search for this young woman whom I have never met. Why? Because I have to. Sure, I could sit at home and report on this from a distance. I could place a few calls, click on a few news links and be done with it. I could do that, but that is not who I am. Anyone who knows me will tell you that. What I do is far more than a 9-to-5 job. It is my passion. I feel for the families of the missing, and I suffer watching their pain. As often as I can, I set out to join in these searches, to get down and dirty in the field and give them the coverage they deserve.

Sadly, Kelly's case never had much of a chance in the media. Had she gone missing four or five months ago - prior to the Caylee Anthony case - she might have stood a chance. But as it stands now, the nation continues to look on as this family struggles to get volunteers to help them find their missing loved one. This family needs answers. They need to bring Kelly home. Knowing her father like I do, I don't think he will ever get the closure that he seeks until he is able to do that.

Actually, scratch that. "Closure" is a very deceptive word. It leads us to believe that all could be well again. Who gets closure in a case like this? That is an overhyped media word designed to make us think that things could go back to normal again. The fact is, the only way things could be "normal" again would be if Kelly were to be found safe. Unfortunately, that is not a very likely scenario. Hence, the term "closure" is not very fitting. Perhaps I should have said that Kelly needs to be found so her family can live a more "bearable" life.

Read: "Daddy's Little Girl," Kelly Currin Morris, Needs You!

What upsets me most about the case is the fact that there are people out there who can bring this case to an end - but choose not to. Apparently, they have no problem sleeping at night while this family suffers. I hope that those individuals lead a miserable life. I hope that they think about it every second of every day. I hope the knowledge eats away at them. I honestly don't know how they can sit back and watch the Currin family go through this living hell. I wish they could spend five minutes in Pat Currin's shoes. I wish they could stare out the window like he does - wishing and hoping - but knowing that their loved one is not coming home and that there is a possibility they will never get the answers that they seek. Think about that. How would you like to live your life that way? How would you like to wake up every morning of every day, knowing that your child, sibling, or parent may never be found? How would you like to see one of your own family members go through that? These people need to think about that, and they need to do the right thing. They need to come forward and bring this family's suffering to an end.

In the meantime, the search for Kelly Currin Morris continues. New areas of interest have been identified and volunteers are asked to come to a temporary command center on Sunday, November 16, at the Berea Fire Department, located at 1213 Hwy 158 W, Oxford NC.

The family has also established a new email address at helpfindkelly@gmail.com. We are asking that anyone that owns property within a 40 mile radius of Stem, NC, where Kelly lived, that has an abandoned hand dug well on their property, please contact them at the above email address. You can also contact the Kelly Currin Morris Search Command Center at 919-812-2310.

The family of Kelly Currin Morris is offering a $30,000 reward for information on her whereabouts. Anyone with information is asked to call (919) 812-2310.

You can also visit a Website about Kelly's that has been set up at: www.kellycurrinmorris.com and also a MySpace page devoted to her case that is located at: Myspace.com/kellycurrinmorris

Discuss The Kelly Morris Case

Related Links:
Full Coverage: Kelly Currin Morris Case

Photos courtesy of the Currin family

Comments

[Searching4theLost]

Thanks David, for the wonderful article. As always, your story on Kelly has brought me to tears. This is a wonderful family, and I count them among my friends now. Unfortunately, it is only due to Kelly's disappearance that I got to know them. Like you, I am having a very hard time not getting emotionally involved. I am deeply involved in this case, even more so than others I participate in.

Kelly's family deserves answers. "Closure" for them would strictly mean the closing of one chapter in life and moving to another one, far different than all they have known in life to this point. Until they find Kelly, they are stuck in a nightmare cycle of dark days and darker nights, wondering and wishing. Wondering where their dear daughter is and wishing things were different. Wishing their 2 granddaughters did not have a lifetime of pain ahead of them. Wishing they could hold Kelly one more time. Wishing for the old life they loved with Kelly.

I'll be there this weekend. I'll be with the family emotionally forever. I'll walk with them through whatever storms are ahead, and hold their hands when needed. I wish I could do more.

Thank you for bringing light to the world of pain that the loved ones of the lost and missing live in every day. Thanks for caring.

[Ben Thar]

That is well-written and appropriate. You make me wish I could travel there and help.

Unfortunately, there are other cases right outside my front door. I fear your wishes about conscience will not be realized. (Just yesterday I saw an example of a killer totally without remorse.) We need to prevent people from becoming monsters before they do such things, because we simply do not have a good record for dealing with monsters. We need a better criminal justice system. The steady drumbeat of such news is unendurable, for any decent human.

When I was young, I often thought about the fantastic world after the year 2000. Never, in my wildest nightmares, did I imagine it would be covered in yellow-and-black crime-scene tape.

I hope people can forgive me for even alluding to the notorious case which has drawn attention away from the search for Kelly Currin Morris. I won't mention the name, but I will say the last search in which you participated had a flap about a cross, which I have heard was placed there in memory of Nicole Ganguzza, (whose body was found, though the killer remains at large.) That search also inspired hope of a break in the case of Jennifer Kesse. We are all but tripping over murder victims, very few of whom generate a storm of media coverage.

I would like to propose that a portion of the profits from coverage of notorious cases be set aside for use in cases like that of Kelly Morris, which, for some reason, do not attract the media the same way. I would like to see foundations established to study prevention of such terrible crimes. I would like to raise the probability people responsible will be caught and convicted. They must never get the chance to repeat such heinous acts.

If our response as a society does nothing to reduce the incidence of these crimes, what does that say about us?

[Loretta]

When the number of crime victims you pray for daily begins to approach the number of beads on a rosary, it's a frightening thing. And in no small part due to the fact that so many victims are not in the public eye; there is simply not enough airtime or "en" space for them.

Thanks for the update and Godspeed. God bless Kelly's family and especially those children.

[pak31]

We all support your wonderful efforts!! How can you not get attached? You are human, right? There are some people that are able to block out their emotions but personally, I feel that your emotions help drive you harder. If anything, I think that being able to feel a connection toward someone you don't know is incredible. I know I have heard people say "how can you be sad that this person died, you didn't even know them personally?". I have heard people say that, that you can only feel bad about someone dying or what have you, if you actually knew that person, otherwise you are foolish. I don't believe that at all. You "know" her through the people that know her, that to me shows how powerful your heart and mind are. Keep on doing what you do, I know the media isn't there much, but I am sure her family appreciates it.