Wednesday, August 31, 2011 – the 30th day of Morgan’s stalking

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It is beyond my comprehension that this is now the 30th day of the stalking and I have no idea what to do! It is a sick feeling and yet we are all still trying to go about our daily lives, trying so hard not to let this darkness in, but it is becoming frightening and all consuming.

We all wake up in the morning, and go about our business.  I start work in my home office, Steve leaves for his shop, Morgan takes off for school.  At 12:45 pm Morgan sent me a text, “Graph paper, shampoo, and conditioner (that Moroccan oil one if possible, the long term relationship red herbal essence if not.)  Bobby pins, and a pair of black tights if they have them.  Thanks!  You’re the best :).”  She wanted me to pick her up some stuff at the store after work today.  Everything seemed like life was normal today – at least we wanted it to be, even if only for one day.  I think your mind tricks you into believing the worse is over (on a daily basis), so you can emotionally survive to face another day…anyway that is what I have come to believe.

Later in the afternoon, after work I am standing out in the street talking to a new neighbor that just moved in down on Equestrian Way.  She had stopped her car to introduce herself.  As I was talking to her, a silver car with blackout windows (I later find out it was Keenan’s car) drives into the cul-de-sac, and parks in Brooke Harris’ driveway.  When the person gets out of his car my grandson Jarred notices the guy is wearing shorts, with purple shoes on his feet – he runs over to look at his shoes, with the excuse that he would like to know if he’d like to have his lawn mowed.  Jarred notices that this guy is wearing purple “Etnies”, (Jarred’s mother is out front on our lawn, looking in the direction her son just ran, and notices the shoes too).  I remember at the time I was so excited that we now know someone that lives right here on our block has the same type of shoe as the shoe prints under Morgan’s windows, so I think to myself, this should be easy for a sheriff to go over to that house, ask to see the shoes, and compare them to the shoe prints – but I guess that only happens on TV.  I told the sheriff’s about this, but they said as soon as this case has a detective assigned to the case (felony stalking) they can do those sort of things, but for the moment the patrol officers are not allowed.  Later that night the silver car is gone, and the next day a little lime green Ford Fiesta is now parked in its spot, with paper plates.  (if any of the readers of this blog happen to have a picture of this person wearing purple Etnies, please let me know – you can contact me through the tip line on this website.  You will see it at the bottom of the home page on the site)

At 7:47 pm I sent Morgan a text, “Can we pick you up in about 10 minutes?  We are in Carbondale, and too tired to drive home & back again.  Thanks.”  I didn’t hear right back from her so I sent another text, “M???”  Morgan responded back at 8:28 pm, “I’m so sorry.  I left my phone upstairs.”  I texted back, “Call me please”  Morgan responded, “K. Now I’m ready. :)”  I sent her another text, “Where should we pick you up?  We will be there in 10 – 15 minutes.”  Morgan texted back, “I’ll just walk to Calder’s”  I responded, “By yourself?  I can pick you up where you are right now.”  (I guess you can all tell I am afraid to have her walk down the street with her puppy at night by herself – I keep imagining this stalker following her, and seeing her alone…who knows what might happen, Morgan texts back, “It’s all good.  I’m already going.”  I said, “OK”  We drive home.  Later when we arrive home I have a talk with Morgan.  I let her know how I feel about he being alone, while this stalker is still out there.  Morgan tells me she is really making an effort to always have someone walk with her when she is in town, but this was just one of those times that it didn’t work out and it was just one block away.  I told he it could only take one time if someone is watching you so please keep trying your best to stay in a group and always pay attention to your intuition.

In the backyard, the master bedroom motion light goes on, and then the master bedroom side motion light goes on – no noise heard.  Morgan is still sleeping in the closet.

It has now been a whole month of this terrorization going on and I Steve and I are arguing more and more about what direction to go in with this. When your in the middle of something that you have never been exposed to before, and there is not much direction from authorities on the subject, you kind of make it up as you go.  We now know this is not a good way to do that – there were authorities on the subject out there, but we hadn’t found them yet and our local authorities didn’t have the correct information or protocol.

Today (a year later) we know that significant incidents, containing lots of evidence, have been posted in the last few blogs, but at the time last summer we missed very important things that were going on right in front of our face.  Later on today after work I will post another blog, and try to connect all the dots.  Now a year later, and after all the things we have learned it is much easier to see…I guess that’s what they mean about hindsight.

Click here to read about the 31st day of Morgan’s stalking. She is no longer safe during the day either! https://morgansstalking.com/?p=913

August 30, 2011, the 29th day of Morgan’s stalking – The neighborhood begins to find out the truth

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Not sure if we slept more than an hour last night and Steve and I are feeling the effects as we get ready for the day.  I want to share the picture from the wee hours of the morning with everyone I can, but the officers have repeatedly told us to not do or say anything.  When I asked why, the answer was variations of: this guy probably lives nearby, and we don’t want to tip our hat just yet.  I don’t want to go against the deputies wishes, but it is so against the way I do things I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it up.  Besides, at this point everyone sees or has heard about the varying numbers of patrol vehicles at out house all hours of the day and night, they know something is up.  Before this stalking, one patrol vehicle on Corral Drive would have been at least a weeks worth of neighborhood gossip.

Morgan gets a text from her teacher this morning, “There will be class tomorrow…just so u know. :)”  I am so unnerved by the web camera pictures I am pacing the hall watching Morgan’s door and the yards, I expect him (the stalker) again at any second.  As soon as Morgan is up I tell her what happened, and show her the picture of the stalker.  She is quite visibly upset.  I ask her if she wants her father to drive her to school, and she actually thinks about it before saying no, she’ll be fine.

A sheriff’s deputy shows up unannounced, he’s heard all about last night’s activity, and just wants to have a look around in the daylight.  This is the first time I don’t have to tell the whole story from the beginning, he already knows, and I am thankful for that.  We walked around and I recount last night for him, pointing out the locations where the camera was, where it started in the rear yard, the trails over the berm, on and on.  I tell him that Steve and I believe there are only three people that would match the body in the photo, Steve insisted on discounting the head completely as it was so distorted, all we had from the head was hair color – light, I did not agree, but we were going with the three for the moment, so I point out where they live and what their names are.

The deputy is standing out in street, staring at the houses and nodding.  He really wants Morgan to think about anyone who could be the stalker, anyone at all.  He says he is going now and I thank him, look up and see Elliott, our neighbor across the street, approaching, more like marching, he looks angry and won’t even look me in the eye. I’m thinking wonderful, like this is all my fault?  He demands to know what is going on from the deputy, he sees the sheriff’s trucks constantly, he has two young daughters and he deserves to know.  I could not agree more, and I wait for the deputy to explain how they would like it kept quiet for the moment, but he tells Elliott we have a stalking situation going on here, and they are trying to apprehend the stalker in the act.  I feel relief, now I can tell everyone.  Elliott wants to know what we know about it, and what he should be on the lookout for.  The deputy tells him we have very little to go on, but they are working on it.  I’m thinking of the pictures from last night, the shoeprints, which were perfectly clear, the trails on the berm, the description of him on our porch, and I’m wondering what do they want, for him to leave his drivers license pinned to the door?  This is so upsetting.

Elliott wonders if I can call him later, he’s very upset that he has been kept in the dark, wonders how we are so sure this guy is not after his daughters too.  I welcome the chance to explain it all to Elliott, but I also have to get back to work, and I excuse myself and leave them to talk.

Now a year later I feel like there was no lack of advice at the time, or at least opinions, as to what we should do, from the sheriffs.  Most of the advice from other people, not law enforcement, was very good and well meaning, but some was what I would call aggressive, many people said if they were me they would shoot him – then I would answer shoot who?  It is pitch darkness when we run outside to try to catch this stalker.  We can’t just shoot off a gun into the darkness.  Now I take it much better, but at the time it would cause such anger, I felt like I was in a fight with the whole world.  Our family lived the dangers of a stalker first hand, and we really thought we were doing the best we could.  What we did was also not good enough, what the sheriffs did was not good enough, and what the coroner did . . . – well that horrifying story is coming up soon.  We can never bring Morgan back, but we can rise above this, we can ALL admit our mistakes, we can ALL improve.  We should ALL be able to look at a group of girls at the school bus stop and think, they are safe here.  We ALL have a way to go for that to be true, and I guarantee denial will not get us there.  Last night, when the viewers reading Morgan’s story went over 6,000 for the day, Steve told me, it may be hard to see, but I am really making a difference.  I really hope that is true, but until I have justice for my sweet baby, I don’t think I can agree with that.

Later that day I go next door to talk to our neighbor Rhonda, I show her a grainy print out of the pictures, and that was enough to get her very upset, and extremely creeped out.  She offered to have the sheriff’s patrol officers set up their surveillance of Morgan’s windows from her dining room window any time they wanted – at least they would be warm, while laying low watching for the stalker.  I immediately passed on this suggestion to the deputy who had just left.

I then went over to Elliott’s house to show him the picture from the web cam.  I went in Elliott’s house.  When he looked at the photo he became excited.  He points at the picture and says, Toni this body type is very unique, and I can only think of 3 people in this whole neighborhood that it could be.  He named off his next door neighbor Peter, Brooke’s dad, James Harris (he leases a house just 3 houses down from us), and Brooke’s boyfriend, Keenan.  I have never seen or heard of this Keenan before, and I tell Elliott that I did not know anyone other than Brooke was living in the house with her dad.  Elliott tells me that Keenan had just moved in to Brooke’s dad’s house at the end of July.  This would be just before the stalking started!  I point out in the photo the long sleeve shirt the stalker is wearing and tell him I think it is unique and not something a younger person would wear.  Elliott disagrees and immediately runs upstairs in his house and grabs a shirt to show me.  It looks like the exact same shirt in the photo – Elliott tells me he has the same shirt in black and it is a very popular shirt, many people have them that like to do things in the outdoors so of course younger people wear them.  We make plans to stay in contact about what is going on, and he offers that Morgan can come over anytime she’s home alone or feels any danger, in fact he wants her to call him and he will come over and escort her to his house.  I told him I do not ever plan on leaving her alone at home, but thank you so much for the offer.

Morgan came home from school with a group of friends she wants to show the pictures too.  They all, one by one, are “freaked out”.  I desperately wish the picture had a clearer face on it.  After her friends leave I tell Morgan that the deputy that came over this morning (while she was at school) wanted to know anyone she could think of who might do this, and what Elliott had told me later. Morgan turned white as a ghost when she heard about Brooke’s boyfriend.  She said Brooke’s boyfriend Keenan drives a big truck, and she hadn’t seen that in our neighborhood, so she had no clue he was living with Brooke.  She also said back in February she had walked into her friend’s house and seen him there with Brooke, and she had gotten a creepy feeling from him, so she just turned around and left without speaking a word.  After that she had asked her friends who he was, and how does Brooke know him, they all said he’s not a good guy (and then went on to describe how bad he was), they warned her not to have anything to do with him, and she never did, so now she is very upset that he is in our neighborhood, living just three houses down from us.

Morgan takes the deputies’ card from me and says, “I didn’t know anyone before, but now I do!” Then she sends the following email to the deputy:

Morgan's email to Deputy J

Morgan sent this email to a deputy in response to his question earlier about possible people she might know that would be capable of doing this to her.

That evening, Morgan goes to see her friends and sends me a text when she is leaving to come home at 7:32 pm, “On my way”  I sent back, “Ok, I’ll be waiting.”

Then nothing is heard tonight – it was quiet.  Morgan goes back to sleeping in the closet, which is upsetting to me because I know her back hurts, but I understand her fear.  I feel its safer for her this way too.

Click here to read about the 30th day of Morgan’s stalking https://morgansstalking.com/?p=899 – CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WILL BE 30 DAYS TOMORROW AND IT IS JUST GETTING WORSE? WE ARE BESIDE OURSELVES AND DON’T KNOW WHERE TO TURN!

Monday, August 29, 2011, the 28th day of Morgan’s stalking. First picture of the stalker!

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Morgan is starting a new semester, just picking up those last few credits, and taking two dance classes per day at Colorado Mountain College. After spending the night at a friend’s house she arrived home at 6:30 am, had breakfast and dressed for her first day back at college. The last few days were quiet, no stalker, she was bubbly and happy, not a mention of the stalker, plans for the future filled the air.

After Morgan and Steve left it was quiet and calm as I worked. Steve had filled the bird feeder and they were singing outside my office window, I loved it and couldn’t help but smile.

Late afternoon Steve and I were in the yard discussing where to put the camera, we only had one, and I felt we had to make it count, I wanted it outside Morgan’s windows. Steve felt nothing was happening on her windows, and the trail over the berm needed a night of surveillance. Our discussion deteriorated, and then we were arguing with all of our bottled up frustration. With no agreement in sight I held the ladder, and we hung it over the front door. There was a spot on the trim where it didn’t stand out like the proverbial sore thumb. I said this would be a good test, and tomorrow we’ll put it somewhere that it will do some good. We didn’t talk for hours, Morgan was in her room singing, and we went to bed. Morgan felt like now with school starting she was determined to sleep in her own room and not be afraid of this stalker anymore.

At ~ 11:00 pm it started, he didn’t elude the new placement of the motion detectors, four total, and each receiver was lined up on my dresser with a post- it stuck on that had the location written on it. Steve announced he’s over on Rhonda’s side (where Morgan’s bedroom was in our house), and was pulling on clothes, grabbing his things, and heading for the front door. I stayed in the room this time so I could watch the receivers, and know where he was. I was going to call Steve with updates until I saw his cell phone lying on the nightstand. We had to get better at this.

In what was becoming a horrible disheartening sequence of events the motion detector in the front went off, that was Steve, then lights went on along the side yard, then the motion detector on the back corner, Steve, moving around the house. I waited for another set of alarms. One that would belong to the stalker, but it didn’t happen. I went out the back door and sent Steve to the front while I tracked him down in the back. We both came up empty, then argued about how we can’t both leave the house, Morgan is alone then, even if we lock up on the way out, it is just not safe.

This all repeats itself over and over, I lose track of how many times. I call dispatch and as night turns to morning (it is now after midnight on 8/30/2011), we are standing in the house at a quarter to 1 am with three deputies who have come up just as empty as we have in this desperate fight to catch him. They are going now, and hope they have scared him off, hope it’s going to be a quiet evening for us now. I’m wondering about the catching him or making him just go away. I’m so tired that scared away sounded good. But, I know that is not the solution.

We go back to bed and just as I’m drifting off to sleep I startle. The wildlife cam! I shake Steve, the camera, the test, we have to look at the images, we should at least have the Deputies leaving caught on camera – otherwise it is worthless. Steve gets dressed again and goes out to get it down. The motion detector tells me he is in the drive.

It’s our first time using this camera, and it takes a while to get the card out and into a computer. It has taken 12 pictures, little thumbnails on the screen, most are nothing, until we get to the last four. And . . . here, date and time stamped, are those four – depending on your browser you should be able to click on the picture for a larger version.

The first Deputy to leave –

First Deputy leaving after searching for stalker

First Deputy leaving after searching for stalker

Then the next two Deputies –

Last two Deputies leaving after searching for stalker

Last two Deputies leaving after searching for stalker

Then we see the stalker, leaning against Steve’s truck, and watching the Deputies leave. An authority on stalkers refers to behavior like this as “thumbing their nose at law enforcement”, and believes this is at the top of the list of danger signs, but at the time we did not know that, and we were not told this bit of information. As for the picture, the upper left corner would be the street, so you would turn left at the end of the drive to leave our block. And quite a few experts in disseminating images have had a look at this, and a remarkable amount of information has been uncovered, but we welcome any observations. Either leave a comment or, if you prefer, the tip line on Morgan’s website for more privacy.

Stalker watching the Sheriffs Deputies leaving

Stalker watching the Sheriffs Deputies leaving

Next is the desperate attempt to knock down the wildlife cam that just took his picture, it is spinning to face down the street toward the end where the sheriffs trucks were depart ing from. If, as we believe the two streaks in the upper right are lights on the Deputies truck, the stalker was that close!

Stalker trying to knock camera down, it's mounted over 12 feet high on the house

Stalker trying to knock camera down, it’s mounted over 12 feet high on the house

The stalker never expected a camera and in what was a rare event was caught off guard. The cameras that can take low light photos glow red as they are taking a night picture. Animals, supposedly, are unable to see this red glow, this animal obviously did noticed it, as you can see him. as we believe, spinning his face back to the camera, to be caught as a blur. He obviously knows just what is happening, as just after this image is captured, the next is him trying to destroy the black box mounted 12 feet high over the front porch. While his attempts to knock it down fail, he does succeed in breaking it. I called dispatch and the Sheriff’s call me back, they can’t believe he was right there the whole time and popped up as soon as they were leaving. Two of the Patrol Officers are coming back right now. The officers are visibly upset and look at the first three photos again, and again, they want copies which we give them on a jump drive. Then they checked everywhere outside again. This time he really has left for the night.

Steve and I look at the photos ourselves for a longest time after the Deputies have left. Mercifully Morgan has slept through it all, he was focused on our closet and he doesn’t know she is back in her room. We just have to stop him somehow, and maybe we can’t positively ID him from this photo – but, as Steve points out, our list of suspects, which had been growing, just got very short.

Click here to read about the 29th day of Morgan’s stalking https://morgansstalking.com/?p=859

August 27 – 28, 2011 – the 26th and 27th days of Morgan’s Stalking, we go to Steamboat Springs

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Saturday, August 27 – This morning Morgan, Steve and I drove to Steamboat Springs to spend the night.  All three of us were in desperate need of sleep, and thought if we all got away, even for just one night, it would help.  We are extra cautious, and make sure that none of us mention the trip to anyone, just having learned how stalkers will follow you for years, and through multiple moves, anywhere in the country my vigilance only grows.       

Morgan’s puppy Wylah, and our Newf, Tessi came with us, and we make a pact to not talk about the stalker during the trip.  Steve’s older brother’s family are all there, with all of their dogs – 15 including our two, we were quite a crowd wandering along the river.  Morgan was taking pictures constantly, for possible Christmas cards, all the pooches together, and a lot of smiles.  Morgan even put everyone out in the shallow river, with the dogs, for just that perfect picture, she got some great shots and funny expressions. It was fun and light-hearted, and a good time for all. 

Not talking about the stalker didn’t last long as everyone wanted to hear about it.  They were all worried about Morgan.  Everyone in the family wanted to help with suggestions and their suggestions were all very good, but one in particular seemed to make a lot of sense to Steve…a wildlife camera that we could hang outside.  We had no experience with one, but it’s a camera that is meant to be strapped to a tree out in your happy hunting grounds, and then triggered by motion, it will take pictures of any prey that should happen by.  Some take pictures day or night, and that sounded perfect.  Maybe if we could just get a picture of the stalker the sheriff’s could confront him, even arrest him, maybe just knowing his picture had been taken would cause him to stop. The idea was quite a ray of hope.

The cabin we stayed in was 2 floors, but tiny.  We all slept upstairs, mattresses on the floor and it was happily quiet and safe.  I could not help but wonder out loud if Morgan was on a second floor at home if she would be safer (we lived in a one story home at the time), no one could stand at her window if she was on a second story.  Steve thought that with all our detectors outside no one could get near her window.  Morgan reminded us we weren’t supposed to be talking about the stalker on this trip.  It was hard to leave him behind us.   

One of the 15 dogs our family had with us in Steamboat Springs today

Sunday, August 28 – The second day we were there Morgan sent a text to her friend at 10:52 am, “Please God tell me you’re free tonight/late afternoon.” I don’t think Morgan wants to sleep at home tonight – she was really happy to be away for a night with us in Steamboat, and I think she is hoping if she stays at someone else’s house tonight she might be able to be rested up enough to have energy for her first day back at school on Monday.  Morgan gets a text message from her friend Cooper at 12:51 pm, “We never did Kirstie’s picture thingambob!”  Morgan says, “Dam”, He asks, “When did you say you were coming back?”  Morgan answered, “I know! I’ll be back in a few hours.  Probs like five or six? You left already right?”  Cooper says, “No I’m leaving tomorrow.”  Morgan said, “Oh duuuuuude!  If I bring my computer and camera into town tonight can we do that?!”  At 1:01 pm Cooper said, “Yes piz”  Morgan answered, “Yay!  I’ll call you when I’m on my way in. :)”  Cooper said back, “Much love.”  Morgan sent a text back to him, “:)” 

Morgan was constantly trying to go and be with her friends, taking pictures of her friends, graduation pictures, their pets, going away parties, all the fun stuff.  She listened to her friends, giving them a shoulder to cry on at times, and at times like these, crying on their shoulders as well.

On our way home, on Sunday the 28th, Steve has a question for us to ponder before answering.  Do Morgan and I really want to catch this guy or just stop him?  We don’t have to think at all before answering that catching him is the outcome we want.  Steve agrees that that is his wish as well, he just thinks it is more dangerous.  We are using that word danger more and more these days, before it meant being barefoot and stepping on something sharp – now it has an entirely new meaning.  Morgan and Steve went into Walmart on the chance they had a wildlife camera, and they did, one that took pictures at night.  Morgan is very excited and they also get more motion detector lights to better cover the yard.  It’s late when we get home and Morgan sends a text to her friend Cooper, “I just got home!  I’m gunna take the quickest shower ever and then nab you?  Where are you at?”  Cooper texts back, “With Calder over at his house.”  Morgan says, “Yay! I will be over shortly, with wet hair!”  Morgan sleeps at her friend Calder’s house tonight, to keep the peace and quiet going.

At 2:00 am (it is now after midnight so it is August 29th), Steve and I are woken up by 3 loud knocks on the master bedroom window – inches from my head.  Morgan’s not home – it’s just Steve and I.  Now our procedure is to grab our flashlights, along with our new pepper spray that dyes the skin on contact, and Steve goes out the front door, with me taking up position to watch out the back.  Bright lights go on, then off, and alarms beep in our room as Steve covers the yard.  Somehow the stalker did not trip the alarms, and motion lights we don’t know, as we would not have seen them in our sleep.  After a search of the neighborhood Steve reports that only the usual lights are on.  He’s wondered how the stalker picked his way up to the house without setting off an alarm, he’s going to get more and start moving them to new locations every night.  There is also something else he is noticing, before we thought the stalker showed up very shortly after Morgan came home, now he seems to have changed up and is just showing up with or without Morgan’s arrival.  Tonight Steve had Morgan drive his truck, and leave her car at home.  Was that enough to have fooled the stalker?  Because if it had that supported the theory that he was not here for hours, just minutes at a time and/or he or she was watching for the car that Morgan always drove and that car was in the driveway, as though she was home. 

Steve had wanted to hang the wildlife cam earlier, until he found out Morgan had all of the memory cards with her when she took the camera bag with her.  Two months ago if someone had told me they were putting a wildlife cam up in hopes of catching the stalker in their yard – I don’t think I would have known what they were talking about.

Click here to read about the 28th day of Morgan’s stalking & the first PICTURE OF THE STALKER! https://morgansstalking.com/?p=845