How under reported is the problem of stalking, and what can we do about it?

As I write a blog called Morgan’s stalking it should come as no great surprise that I come in contact with victims of stalking – before this I would have never known this was such a hugely under reported crime.  Before Morgan was stalked, and murdered, yes absolutely and very shockingly murdered, Steve and I really did not know very much about stalking.  It was a word that had meaning, but in that far away sense, never to cross our universe.

Now it is different for me, the victims of stalking mean more than I can explain.  I have this drive now that compels me not want what happened to Morgan to happen to anyone else.  Is that such a bad thing?  I will never believe that it is, and I know that the solution starts with the truth.

First comes a change that must happen for all of us.  In a 2009 study by the Bureau of Justice on stalking in the United States, over 60% of stalking victims never reported the crime, I believe that, and suspect that today it is not very different.  Yet that is a number that has to change, drastically.

How does this happen?  Again, with the truth – stalking is a crime under the laws of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government.  Research it and read it, assume your stalker has already done the same.  Also, research the victim’s rights laws in your state, know them and expect them to be upheld.  I have no doubt that our stalker already knew all about the laws he was breaking, how else could he have done it so well?

Next, after you contact law enforcement, ask yourself a simple question.  Are they being reactionary?  Are they reacting to your calls about another stalking incident, or is there a plan of prevention being put in place?  If it is just reaction, don’t be surprised, that is the way law enforcement is taught.  Crime occurs – react.  Until every agency in the country has a protocol to step forward and seek to prevent your stalkers next step, instead of sitting back, and reacting – the stalkers have been given the upper hand.  And, unfortunately for us all, that is the situation that I believe far too many of us are saddled with today.  This is why education, as well as a change in existing protocols needs to be implemented.

Do I think for one second that our detective wanted to see Morgan end up dead, no of course not.  He has children of his own that he loves dearly, he was devastated the day Morgan was found.  For me to be frustrated that he came to our door without any of the right tools, when I thought he had all the answers is to be expected.  No matter what I am ever told, I doubt I will ever, as a mother, fully forgive myself for allowing my daughter to be murdered, and Steve feels exactly the same way.  It does not help, we know this, but if that is how we feel, don’t expect us to let anyone else off easy.

In what may be a very unscientific conclusion, all of the many victims that have contacted me, with the exception of two, feel that they are receiving the cold shoulder from law enforcement.  Do not be surprised if this is how you feel.  Two had their stalkers arrested, after proactively using cameras that were able to snap photographic evidence of their stalker – their LE agencies confronted their stalkers, as they had obvious proof, and the stalkers confessed. This is so wonderful – but trust me it doesn’t always happen like that.

I received some very good counsel from a very wise individual today, and it has helped me very much.  And let me share part of it with you, if you even think you may have a stalker, seek help, early and often.  Because if you keep silent and do not, then it is just you against your stalker, and what more could your stalker ask for?

Please – the time is now – Take Stalking Seriously!

September 25, 2011 – Day 55 of Morgan’s Stalking – We have a detective and a case number…almost!

We make plans to all go to Glenwood Springs, and do some good old fashioned shopping.  Morgan has a list of things she needs, and it promises to be a great little get away.  Steve goes out to clean my car, and finds all kinds of Morgan’s friend’s stuff piled up in the back.  He comes in to tell Morgan, and this prompts her to send a text to her friend Calder,  “Dude… You’ve got to stop leaving your **** everywhere.”  Problem solved!  If only everything were so simple.

After a successful day of shopping we come home, and I get a call from our new detective that has been assigned to Morgan’s felony stalking case, Garfield County Sheriff Detective Rob Glassmire, he introduces himself and we make plans for him to stop by the house the following evening, he said he works Sunday – Wednesday, and times will vary because of his work load, so he will usually be in the later part of the day.  We’ll go over the case in detail when he comes and he wants me to get together what we have so far.  Then we can go over it all while he’s at the house.

I hang up and relish the feeling for a moment, a detective, for our case.  We’ve never had a detective before, because we have never needed one.  I instantly thought that my information so far was lacking, that I had to spend the rest of the evening updating and organizing.  Steve tries to assure me that what we have will completely overwhelm the detective.  I don’t agree, and sit myself down to the task.

Before we go to sleep Morgan explains that she was way too on edge the other night when she rang the bell, and we both came running that she could not go back to sleep for hours, waiting for a repeat that never happened.  She wants to avoid that.  We compromise on her agreeing to send me a text when it happens and only use the alarm button in an emergency.  I will hear the text come through and then see the text, and we will have a record that is time and date stamped to give the detective.  It will all work out.

At 10:45 pm the motion alarm in the back goes off.  We think it could be anything (dog, deer, rabbit), and we wait to see.  Two minutes later I got a phone text from Morgan that a rock just hit her window.  Steve curses, and we both get up to review the cameras again.  And again there is nothing caught on camera.  The review takes us about an hour and we go back to sleep at midnight.

There was a clear pattern developing – it seemed like a quick hit and run.  I could almost picture him coming over the berm, setting of the motion detector, and minutes later being at Morgan’s window.  But he was not invisible, and how this was happening without anything showing up on cameras had to be answered. Much later when we find out how he was doing it things became clear – the motion alarm in the back of the house was the tip off…

At that time we thought the detective would know what was going on – he had to know…again, we were wrong.

Click here to read about the 56th day of Morgan’s stalking https://morgansstalking.com/?p=1346

(Police reports later show the “suspect” was not working this evening.  On 9.25.2011 he worked from 12:58 am – 6:04 am & then from 6:32 am – 10:24 am)

If they sweep Morgan’s stalking and murder under the rug will that keep your daughter safe? These type of perpetrators never stop…they just move on to the next victim.

I know I have already blogged about the following article, but I just wanted everyone to read it one more time, because since September 3rd when this article was submitted to the Post Independent Newspaper in Glenwood Springs, CO, and then never printed, our Garfield County Sheriff has come out on camera to say he will never reopen our daughter’s investigation – so the stalkers/murderers will still reside within our valley…or maybe he just hopes our daughter’s stalkers/murderers (all parties involved) will just move away and continue to terrorize, and kill somewhere else, because in reality these types of perpetrators do not ever stop…please know this.

To the Post Independent in response to an article written on Sept. 1, 2012 by Jon Colson:

As previously reported in both the Aspen Times and the Post Independent Newspapers, Garfield County and Pitkin County in western Colorado both have an extremely high rate of “suicide”, with Pitkin county at over three times the national average and Garfield County even higher. Yet both these superfluously ideal, recreational Colorado counties show an almost nonexistent rate of murder. In fact, in the State of Colorado more people die of “suicide” than they do by motor vehicle accidents or any other method.

Many theories abound on why this rate is extremely high but one logical theory is completely overlooked…that possible murders…are being called suicides by County Coroner’s and Law Enforcement agencies without either the investigative skills or the desire to fully investigate any death.

It often seems, and is the butt of many local jokes, the only time a death will be termed a homicide in this valley is if there are fifty witnesses to a point blank shooting or stabbing and a suspect stands holding his bloody hands out, begging to be arrested.

Any other scenario the majority of investigative effort seems to be put into finding excuses as to why a death is NOT a homicide rather than actually being investigated. If in doubt, local Newspapers are then used as tools of both the Coroner’s office and law enforcement to print misinformation in such a way as to sway the public and therefore the families of victims into a position of acceptance out of fear of  public ridicule. Families who insist on investigations or make any waves are publicly branded, by those who are paid to protect them, as being so overwhelmed by grief they are being ridiculous or ‘dramatic”, or even as downright enemies of the involved departments. And so, possible murderers…walk calmly on their way…safe in their own perfect killing grounds.

The case of Morgan Ingram is a prime example. Many factors have been overlooked in the investigation of Morgan Ingram’s death, including a lack on both the Coroner’s office and those who investigated the scene of death. Nothing in her life indicates any desire to commit suicide yet events leading up to her death present a classic preclude to murder.

Had Morgan Ingram simply been a confused, depressed teenager who’s life had fallen apart at the seams, then to investigate her death as a possible suicide or accidental death would be logical. But Morgan was not the atypical suicide poster child.

Morgan was a young woman who had her life by the proverbial balls with one minor flaw. In recent months she had been continuously terrorized and victimized by a stalker. Even IF her death in any possible theory could have been termed a suicide, it would still put responsibility on the criminal for driving her to this point.

But Morgan was NOT driven to this point of no return. In fact, she was ANGRY. Angry people do not end their own lives, angry people go after those who are stealing their  personal joy in life. In fact, the very night of her death Morgan had told a friend on Facebook “I love life!” in response to something silly from her day. Morgan steadfastly refused to let her terrorizer drive her from her home, school, activities or friends. Instead, she became annoyed with those who begged her to allow herself to be bullied into leaving her home to go into hiding.

Her stalking was not the figment of a young woman’s imagination. Her terrorizing was not only observed by others, but also recorded on security cameras placed around her home. The case was elevated to the level of felony stalking by the Investigators due to escalating events, not by Morgan or her family. In other words, evidence was there to prove a perpetrator existed.

There is a certain responsibility to reporting the news. One of those responsibilities is to not allow yourself to be used as a tool of deceit or coercion by elected officials for their own agendas.

There is a responsibility to know if you are reporting facts instead of what someone else wants you to report as in the death of Morgan. The reporter states “there were no signs of assault”. Does this reporter know this for sure? Was he there? Or did he simply take the word of those who never even LOOKED for any signs of assault? Assault is not always apparent by the naked eye and physical assault is not always a necessity or intent of murder.

Murderers are not all clumsy, in your face, messy murderers of passion. As many serial killer cases have shown and documented, there are killers who are intelligent, crafty, and very capable of covering their crime. These are the killers who move silently through our society, often enjoying long, full lives before ever being apprehended…if ever. Each success gives them more satisfaction in the knowledge they have once again outsmarted law enforcement. Unlike the portrayal in books and television, these killers do not all want attention or fame…some want only to engage in their own secret fantasies and get away with it for as long as possible.

The Post Independent reporter also stated the accepted uses of amitriptyline. What he did not state were the less desirable, nefarious uses of this drug…as a tool of not only date rape but also murder. Several high profile and many lesser reported cases throughout the world have documented the use of amitriptyline as a weapon against other humans. The reporter also failed to mention the reason for this particular drug’s use by rapists and murderers. Amitriptyline not only has the ability to produce fast results in subduing a victim (when administered in medically unaccepted methods), but also is easily available, not only on the street but via online shopping. In reality, the wide spread use of antidepressants by over zealous Doctors has guaranteed each one of us most likely know someone who has amitriptyline (or more commonly known as Elavil) in their medicine cabinet.

The Coroner’s office and the Sheriff’s office are negligent in their duties as employees of the people when they choose to label a death by drugs as a “suicide” when there is no evidence to support drugs were taken willingly by the victim or with a particular intent. “Morgan Ingram died from “amitriptyline intoxication” according to Kurtzman’s report.” This is not definitive of “suicide” and the only conclusion for the Coroner’s office giving this new diagnosis of death to the public, months after Morgan’s death, is the Coroner, in an attempt to stop any further investigation by the family & friends…decided to publicly discredit any information that was in direct disapproval or contradiction of his departments procedures and actions.

The Post Independent reporter was extremely negligent in his duty as a reporter of “news” by neglecting to mention the Coroner’s office only decided to reclassify the victims death in retaliation for her family and friends pushing for justice. The reporter was also negligent in his duty as a person attempting to write about an investigative matter by not fact finding, nor asking to see all pertinent documents pertaining to the circumstances prior to and after Morgan’s death…and instead, taking a hand fed story and running with it, regardless of damage said story could cause.

Morgan’s family has made great strides towards engaging the community and raising awareness of stalking and it’s consequences. With one reckless, ill written article the writer has attempted to destroy the Ingram families efforts.

None of us know how or even when the deadly dose of Amitriptyline was introduced to Morgan’s body. Not the Coroner, not the reporter, nor the public. Only the one responsible knows how this drug was utilized and for what purpose. The evidence is not there to support the victim willingly took the large amount needed to end her life (which was apparent by not only one but also two Coroner reports), and the evidence has never been sought to prove another human was responsible.

With this lack of evidence, Morgan’s case should remain open as should the minds of those in the public, including those we depend on to report accurate facts and news, and those we pay to protect and serve us.

All reports by the pathologist and Coroner’s office state Morgan’s death can once again be reclassified if new evidence presents itself…which means…just as in a Court of Law, reasonable doubt still remains. It is irresponsible by all parties concerned to then definitively state an intelligent, happy, talented young woman willingly gave away a life she herself said she loved.

 

Darcy Sautelet

Instead of implementing the suggested national protocol (cost $0) to stop stalkers, did our Sheriff really buy a tank for $400,000? And it sits in an underground parking structure somewhere?

This article is about our Sheriff – yes the same one that  said he will never reopen Morgan’s investigation – but he can justify his tank!
America’s most in-demand police vehicle is a 10-officer 16,000-pound armored tank that takes bullets like Superman and drives 80 mph. The federal government buys dozens each year for local police departments. Do America’s local police need tanks?

Published Time: Friday, March 4, 2011 at 11:39pm
And while I would agree that there” is no price tag you can put on the life of a police officer who is out there protecting you” what price tag was placed on the life of our daughter Morgan Jennifer Ingram?