Steve asked me a question today, he asked me what I thought Morgan would want the most right now, and I didn’t have to think long – in fact I really didn’t have to think at all, because it’s such a simple answer, for anyone that knew Morgan. Morgan would have wanted people to be safe from anything bad happening to them.
All the years I lived in Colorado I felt so safe, I felt like nothing bad could happen, very naïve I know, and then the most unspeakable tragedy that could ever happen, did happen…Morgan was murdered.
I believe it is not safe in some parts of Colorado, and it’s the brutal truth. Evil and danger can exist anywhere, but in some parts of Colorado the truth remains hidden, crimes are not reported as crime stats to the FBI, things are covered up, and the public is not informed, so they can’t take the proper measures to protect their families. Colorado does not have a mechanism for checks and balances, so if a sheriff and a coroner decide to cover-up a potential murder, then it will never show up as a homicide stat. Our family has had to learn that the hardest way you can since Morgan’s murder was covered-up. So what I want to do right now is warn other parents, and young women, about the dangers that are lurking in the seemingly peaceful valleys of Colorado, because they are sinister, and more dangerous than anyone wants to ever admit – darkness can not remain where there is light and truth. Colorado needs to shine a light on these crimes, in order to dispel the evil that lurks in their midst.
“The FBI clearance rate data, for their part, rely on information voluntarily reported by local law enforcement agencies around the country, and not all departments participate.” http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/01/most-violent-and-property-crimes-in-the-u-s-go-unsolved/
Why? Because when law enforcement conducts itself in such a way, that when these things can, and do happen, they keep people in the dark, it keeps our crime rate up, and it puts our citizens in danger. Morgan’s stalking was NEVER listed on any stat by the Garfield County Sheriff, but she was murdered during an active investigation into her felony stalking. Her suspicious death/murder was NEVER reported on any stat – instead the sheriffs, and coroner, sought to cover it up for the first 8 months as natural causes, and then when that decision was being challenged, they changed it to suicide…neither of these manner of deaths were correct, and they knew it, but continued the farce by refusing to ever answer her parents, doctors or any of the criminal and medical experts that sent information to them showing their conclusions were false. Their “protocol of silence” is the typical procedure for making things “go away.” And when they do not respond to calls, letters, emails, etc., and the family persists anyway, then the threats start…most families back down at that point. It is hard enough to live through a horrendous stalking for 4 months, and then wake up to find your daughter dead, and then watch as her murder is covered up…having to be your own investigator on your daughter’s murder is gut-wrenching, but as parents we do it anyway. Justice is a right – and backing down is not an option.
Horrible things can and do happen, but they can be stopped before they become lethal. If and when law enforcement reports crimes like stalking, and if they have a strong protocol in which to stop the stalkers course of action, before that action becomes lethal, then the crime of stalking can be stopped before a murder occurs.
Always be aware of the dangers in this world, but do not be fearful. Take action, educate and protect yourself, insist that law enforcement report all incidents. Make sure others know what is happening in your community. Empower yourself, whether it is with self defense classes, tasers, alarms, whatever you choose, but know that you are strong, and you need to be…not a victim, only a survivor!
