The Criminal Report Daily : Investigation Discovery

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.

Kelly Morris Disappearance Timeline

Sept 3, 2008 – According to William "Scott" Morris, his wife, Kelly Morris, goes outside to look for their dog at 9:30 p.m.

Sept 4, 2008 – At 11:19 a.m., a 911 caller reports a fire at the Morris home, located at 3220 Tump Wilkins Road, Stem, North Carolina. The house and much of its contents are destroyed; however, no one is home when the fire breaks out. Scott Morris is allegedly at his towing business in Creedmoor, and the couple's two young children, ages 8 and 5, are in school.

It is initially believed that Kelly is in Raleigh, where she works for Nationwide Insurance; however, investigators learn that she never showed up for work that morning.

Kelly's car, a burgundy 2005 Honda Accord, North Carolina license plate TXP-5917, is found that afternoon abandoned in an undeveloped subdivision, less than a mile from her home. Inside the locked car, investigators find Kelly's keys, purse, and cell phone.

When questioned by police, Scott Morris allegedly tells them that he took a shower and went to bed while Kelly was out looking for their dog on Sept 3.

Friends of Kelly tell investigators that Scott and Kelly Morris had been having marital problems and that they slept in separate rooms. Investigators are also informed that Scott Morris allegedly has a bad temper, and that, in the past, he has punched holes in walls and thrown a computer through a window.

Sept. 10, 2008 – Investigators obtain Scott Morris's cell phone records, which indicate he had placed a phone call to his parents on Sept. 3 at 9:45 p.m.

Sept 12, 2008 – The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the state Bureau of Investigation conduct forensic tests at the scene of the Morris house fire that, according to police, reveal the fire was the work of an arsonist.

Police question Scott Morris's father, Jimmy Morris, who states that he received a call from his son on the night of Sept. 3, allegedly requesting that he come over to babysit the Morris's two children so that Scott could look for Kelly.

Jimmy Morris said that when he arrived at his son's house, Scott Morris allegedly never told him the story that Kelly had left to look for one of the family's dogs. Instead, he allegedly suggested that he suspected Kelly was out, cheating on him. Jimmy said that Scott then drove off in his green 1996 Toyota pickup, North Carolina license plate SPM-4848. Cell phone records indicate that Scott had received a call from his father at 10:59 p.m. The records further indicate that Morris' phone had utilized a Creedmoor cell phone tower. Morris called his father again at 11:56 p.m. It remains unclear what time Morris returned home; however, it is known that he took his children to school the following morning and met with a tow truck driver at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Sept. 4.

Police question Kelly Morris's daughter, who informs them that when she awoke on Sept. 4, both of the family's dogs were locked in crates inside the house.

Police name William "Scott" Morris a "person of interest" in his wife’s disappearance and in the arson fire that destroyed the Morris home.

A search warrant is reportedly secured in the case; however, it is sealed under a judge's order.

Possible Evidence Found in Case of Missing North Carolina Mother Kelly Morris

With all the media attention on Casey Anthony and her missing 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony, only a handful of media outlets have been providing updates on the case of Kelly Currin Morris, a 28-year-old mother of two who went missing from her Stem, N.C., home on Sept. 3, 2008.

Over the weekend, a group of search volunteers found a torn orange shirt and a yellow gas can, which may be directly related to Kelly's disappearance. Both items were reportedly found not far from Kelly's home, near Robertson creek on Brassfield Road in Granville County.

According to a source close to the investigation, the shirt, which had been purposefully cut up to remove a name above the breast pocket, is allegedly similar to shirts that Kelly's husband, 34-year-old William "Scott" Morris, wears while working at his towing business in Creedmoor. The gas can is also of interest, given the fact that an arson fire destroyed the Morris home after Kelly's disappearance.

Investigators have yet to officially comment on the validity of the finds; however they have taken both items into custody and they are currently being examined at the Granville County Sheriff's Department.

This latest news comes on the heels of last week's revelation that investigators had obtained two search warrants in connection with the case. Unfortunately, both of those warrants - one obtained on Sept. 12 and another on Sept. 16 - have been sealed under a judge's order.