Tag Archives: Truth for morgan

Exonerate? Does the map of the march around our house implicate?

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Footprint trails caught by a sudden snowstorm

Footprint trails caught by a sudden snowstorm

On November 1st, 2011 the March around three sides or our house took place at 11:51 pm.  Not only did the trail, left in the sudden snowstorm, completely avoid the side of the house where Morgan’s windows were it was also silent.  No banging on windows at all.  But it was caught on the video surveillance system, and as for the silence – that would change very soon.

Our neighbor Elliott filled me in on the fact Keenan was gone hunting with his grandfather.  The original blog about this march around the house can be found back in the blog at – November 2, 2011 – Day 93 of Morgan’s stalking – the mysterious march, what does it mean? –

It was a hectic time, and the video of the march was not reviewed for a few days, but the footprints were reported to the Garfield Sheriffs department the day they were found.  Steve came home, drew a crude map of just where the trails of footprints seemed to start and stop for the Sheriff’s Deputy while they both walked around and followed the footprint together, and gave a copy to the deputy.

Now as I go through the Sheriff’s reports, doing my best to reconcile the reports with all of the hard evidence we have, filling in the gaps as I go, the very first thing that comes to light about this stalking incident is… there is no report!  None at all that I have been able to find.  And the map Steve drew, and gave the Deputy, that I have not found in the “complete set of Morgan’s Stalking” reports either.  Not the first time by any means, but this was an important one.  At least we still have the video.

Detective Glassmire and Detective Alstatt were at the house four days later on the 6th of November, but the footprints were melted, and gone long before.  Steve drew another map for them and that one did find its way into the official reports, in fact here it is just so you can see my frustration that the original seems to be lost, and it was evidence in a felony stalking case.

So as you look at the map there are three things I would like to point out.  First – notice how one trail of footprints starts at James Harris’ house (where Brooke lived) and stops before the Sheriff’s camera’s location.  When Steve first saw the footprints he thought they looked like someone had walked to a point and then backed up in the same prints all the way to Jim’s house.  He pointed this out the Deputy, as they both walked alongside those prints.

Second – notice were the prints go from the Sheriff’s camera straight to the corner of the house, and then straight back over the berm.  Most of the “V” made by that foot trail to the corner of the house is not caught by our video.  And right in that corner of the house is the tree we think Keenan used to climb up on the roof.  So now I have to wonder aloud, was this march intended to show just how they were getting to that tree to climb up on the roof undetected?  And even worse, does it meant that he had already been in the house to see what the cameras covered, and did so he could establish this route to safely get in order to get to the corner of the house?

Third – the spot marked as start was right by a set of car prints in the street, same place where a loop of footprints ended up.

Also, this was the time that the batteries were dead in the Sheriff’s camera so there were no images captured by that camera.  This was so extremely frustrating for me because I saw that the footprint were right in front of that camera and there batteries were dead!  What was up with that?  A timeline of when which footprints were made would have been very helpful in theories of what was the true intent of all this.

For the next couple of days Morgan had a different pattern of rocks on her windows.  Just as frightening to Morgan, and all of the incidents were reported, but other than my updated timeline emailed to Detective Glassmire detailing the incidents there was no other mention in official reports.  Where are those reports?

Seeing the roof of the house from Google Earth

Seeing the roof of the house from Google Earth

In another image it easy to see how the roof was used in the commission of the stalking.  Point C, is where the tree that was used to get on the roof was.  Point A, is a spot on the roof where a person could lie on the roof and be completely concealed.  Point B is right over Morgan’s bedroom window.  This is right where the rain gutter is torn is half from repeated bending.  Steve walked the entire street inspecting all of the other gutters (all of the houses have them and they all appear to be the same.  In sixteen homes there is not another gutter with a tear in it of any perceptible degree.  Just one spot in sixteen houses and it is exactly centered over Morgan’s bedroom window.  That so many things like this were completely overlooked, disregarded, is completely devastating to Steve and I.

More on the true impacts of stalking…

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Morgan and her big sister at her sister's wedding

Morgan and her big sister at her sister’s wedding

Last week a convicted murderer entered the sentencing phase.  As a part of that sentencing family members are allowed to speak.  In fact victims of a crime are given a large latitude on their statements to the Judge and jury about how the crime has impacted them personally.

Travis Alexander is not as well known a name as Jodi Arias, he was the man that she stands convicted of killing.  Even less known is that Travis has a brother who did speak about how this tragedy has affected him.  Steven Alexander described for the judge and jury about the emotional and physical toll that he has suffered since the loss of his brother Travis when Travis was murdered back in 2008.  It has been almost five years, and to hear him talk it was just yesterday – except a lot has happened over the years.  He described ulcers, his separation from his wife, and how he has repeated nightmares that he dearly wishes he could stop.

Steven Alexander is a victim, and to hear his words helps to put a face on all the victims of crime, and the need for stronger victims rights in this country.  If existing state laws are placed under a federal umbrella they become stronger.  And they well need to be.  The federal version will come as a constitutional amendment – the first in over 20 years if successful.  It will be a momentous occasion to be sure.

To have heard about Steven and his sad ordeal since his brother’s murder helps to better understand a similar situation within Morgan’s death.  Not yet ruled a murder, because as of yet there has not been a charge filed, but even so the curse that is the life of a victim of crime lives on,  Morgan’s brother has been suffering through his own ordeal, which is very much like the brother of Travis Alexander.

He left his almost life long home here in the Roaring Fork Valley, because he could not bear to live in the place his sister had been killed.  Emotional and physical issues that do not usually belong to a healthy, and active young man in his early thirties have become all too real a part of his life.  He loved his younger sister very much, as did Morgan’s older sister.  Beside Morgan’s brother and sister, Morgan also had a cousin who was more like a sister to her, because she lived with us off and on while growing up.  She was older than Morgan’s brother and younger than Morgan’s sister.  All three girls called Steve daddy, even when they were older, the two older now in their 30’s, Morgan’s brother on the other hand called him dad – much more of a male thing I guess.  I was always called mom, and in my nieces case, she called me Aunt Toni – she called Steve daddy all these years because she never really knew her dad, he left her when she was a baby and Steve treated her as though she was his daughter, she needed a dad for the projects you make in school on father’s day, etc. and Steve very gladly volunteered, and she loved him for that.  We are a very close family, we  love each other very much, and it is very disturbing (even though it shouldn’t matter) when I hear other people say things about us when they don’t even know us.  Do they think to ask Morgan’s close friends (not people that say they were her friends, but her real friends), do they think to ask other kids that we took in to our home over the years, and actually lived with us, and interacted with us?

No they never did, because if they had they would all know that for Morgan to use the words, “I love you, and good night daddy” whenever she said good night to him (like she did the last night of her life) was totally normal – it was what she said every night of her life when she was home, even if she had friends over (it never embarrassed her).  But do these people actually question?  No – they just think they know it all – they think what they hear from strangers is the truth…just like the Sheriff’s Department, did they ever interview Morgan’s close friends, or teachers, or classmates, or the woman she worked part time for?  The answer is no.  If they had they would have known that she had told people that were close to her about her stalker, who he was, and what was going on.  The felony stalking detective assigned to her case spoke with her on an almost weekly basis, and knew what was going on, but Morgan had given up on the Sheriff’s helping her.  I was the one that kept trying to tell her they were getting close to making an arrest, I was the one that blindly believed in them, and believed in what they were telling me.  Morgan was much better at seeing through all the false promises.  Morgan did want her brother to intercede (I was the one that asked him not to), Morgan did want her friends from Aspen to come do stake-outs, and teach this stalker a lesson (as they were biting at the bit to do), but I told her that wasn’t the way to deal with this.

I know now I was wrong, and for Morgan my decision was deadly wrong.  Morgan herself was so angry one day, when she arrived home from school, because she had just endured Keenan staring her down at the same intersection, at the same time she was coming down the hill from school – she had told the detective about this many times, and instead of doing something about it the detective made up excuses that maybe Keenan’s father lived there (he admitted to me months after Morgan was killed that he had no real idea where Keenan or his Father lived, so he just lied to us?) or maybe the car just looked like Keenan’s, but really wasn’t – how dare he try to minimize Morgan’s stalking, and how dare we let him!

Morgan saw Keenan in the car, and identified him – what do stalking victims have to do to get help?  That day she could take it no more, Morgan grabbed a baseball bat when she arrived home from school after another stare down at the intersection, and told me she was going to drive around until she found Keenan, but I told her that was too dangerous, she would not take no for an answer so I followed her out to the car and I went with her to try to keep her safe.  Is this what law enforcement wants victims to do?  Because this is exactly what they forced Morgan to do, to feel she had to take the law into her own hands.  Morgan was angry, and frustrated, not depressed.  Morgan was a strong and amazing young woman that never felt like she needed to rely on others, but her stalker caused her serious emotional distress.

The Detectives called Morgan’s case a “textbook felony stalking”, and were 100% certain who her stalker was.  Morgan saw her stalker in stare downs. And Morgan was a take-charge type of person, but trying to do what law enforcement wanted her to do which was pretty much amounted to just keep a log, and tell them when anything happened, so they could come by after-the-fact, a half hour later usually, and search the grounds.  We all know the protocol failed and ended up costing Morgan her life – and that has to change!

There are so many people that have been impacted by Morgan’s death – people that I have never met, across the country and throughout the world.  Stalking extracts an enormous toll.  For example just recently, after all this time, I have spoken with one person in particular who is the Aunt of Morgan’s friend…the friend she was with her last afternoon on earth.  I know Morgan was very intuitive, and probably had a bad feeling about sleeping at home that night, so when her friend’s Aunt came home from work she asked if she could sleep over her house on her couch – I did not know this until just a few months ago.  Her friend’s Aunt told me the story over the phone, while crying and telling me she felt responsible, because she told Morgan that she was exhausted from a trying day and had a bad headache and didn’t want anyone sleeping over that night.

The “feeling” Morgan had was most likely the reason she snapped at me when she came home that night.  I was waiting for her in the driveway as usual with pepper spray in hand and started to lecture her as she got out of the car because between 4 – 6 pm that day I was unable to reach her by phone or text message, and I was really scared that something might have happened to her.  This was so absolutely NOT a fight like other people have tried to portray.  What parent in this situation would not be frightened, and not say anything, and what young adult would not at least snap back a word in response when they are feeling upset, and nervous about their situation?

You see stalking turns all the tensions to high, and the victims are somehow expected to go on as if nothing is happening.  Not so easy.  People are raised differently – they have different life experiences, and no you can not know what someone says or does not say to their parents when they go to bed at night unless you ask…don’t assume you know, because most likely you will be wrong.  Steve told the Detective that Morgan  was “just Morgan” when he saw her for the last time, “completely normal”, but tired.

We were blessed – all our children, nieces and nephews ALWAYS tell us how much they love us whenever they talk to us, and we tell them.  I believe you should tell the ones you love on a daily basis how much they mean to you – what if you never get another chance?  Until Morgan died I never really thought about that – we just all care about each other, and we were all raised to show our love to one another…for this I feel very blessed.

The stalker who terrorized Morgan walks free as if there was never even a stalking.  And Morgan’s killer at present is leading his normal life after the Sheriff proclaimed that he would never open this case.  Just look back in all of the murders in Garfield County for the last five years for another murder where the Sheriff did open the case, you will not find very many.  And please don’t tell me that is because it is a small County and that’s what happens in small Counties…they don’t have the manpower, they don’t have the budget.  We are talking about human life, and criminals here…excuses don’t cut it.  Where there is a challenge, find a solution!

And as life quickly returned to normal for most – Morgan’s brother has fallen to the ills that so many other victims face when a family member is killed.  It is also why victim’s rights laws have been placed in the revised statutes of most every state.  Because the family members were easy targets for the perps family and friends.  A disgusting loophole that the states have individually started to close, and a pending Federal Constitutional Amendment will unify protection, and take the matter a large step further.

Do not allow this problem to be minimized, If it were not such a problem there would not be such effort to close the doors through litigation.  A constitutional amendment to the United States Constitution should speak volumes to the magnitude of the problem.  And believe me, after all of the threats I have received, either naming directly or sometimes traced back to the family, and friends of Keenan and Brooke, it is another of those things I could never have imagined.

No stalker, murderer, demon, or anyone can break the bond between a parent and a child…no one!

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Morgan in Elementary School

Morgan in Elementary School

The other day I wrote this to Morgan because this is exactly how I feel.

To Morgan – I love you so much…Mom

The Cord

by Unknown Author

We are connected,
My child and I, by
An invisible cord
Not seen by the eye.

It’s not like the cord
That connects us ’til birth
This cord can’t been seen

by any on Earth.

This cord does it’s work
Right from the start.
It binds us together
Attached to my heart.

I know that it’s there
Though no one can see
The invisible cord
From my child to me.

The strength of this cord
Is hard to describe.
It can’t be destroyed
It can’t be denied.

It’s stronger than any cord
Man could create
It withstands the test
Can hold any weight.

And though you are gone,
Though you’re not here with me,
The cord is still there
But no one can see.

It pulls at my heart
I am bruised…I am sore,
But this cord is my lifeline
As never before.

I am thankful that God
Connects us this way
A mother and child
Death can’t take it away!

Some people wonder why Steve, and I would go through reliving our daughter’s stalking and murder every day – the pain is immense, but what Morgan herself was forced to go through, and endure was so much worse, and we are not the type of people who can ever forget what happened to our daughter, and just walk away from the injustice, arrogance and plain old lies that continue to this day.

Even more important in the greater context of our responsibilities to the world.  If we were to give up then that would mean leaving a predator out on the streets to do it again – they do not just stop.  Morgan had a stalker, we have pictures, footprints, she saw him, I saw him.  He did not cease to exist when she was killed.

And I say killed with very careful measure, Morgan was killed because Forensic Professionals from all walks of life have donated their time to her case to come to a conclusion based upon their combined knowledge – and they all agree with one another, except that is with Dr. Kurtzman.

Just in case you have missed this point in the Blog of Morgan’s Stalking. The contracted forensic pathologist who performed her autopsy, in two hours I believe, taking none of the samples required by law, the contracted pathologist freely admitted his lack of experience or expertise with certain aspects of Morgan’s death, and he indicated a strong willingness to hear from, “Experts out on the coast from the larger hospitals that see this kind of thing far more often than I, and have a lot of experience with it.”

Now I don’t know if Dr Kurtzman thought we were kidding or what the problem was, but as soon as doctors from UCLA started to weigh in on Morgan’s death, the promise to listen vaporized even faster that all of Morgan’s valuable jewelry on the night she was killed.

The same night (Brooke’s friend that was living with her 3 houses down from us at the time) Hannah Hurlocker’s facebook entries said:

FROM –

Hannah Hurlocker “ I CANT STOP THINKING..I JUST CANT DO IT” — with Brooke Nicole Harris. Share · November 30, 2011 at 4:40pm ·

TO –

gunna make some moneyyy niggas! Share · December 2, 2011 at 11:18 am · the morning we found Morgan’s body and her valuable jewelry was missing.

And as to why Hannah was in such an all fired hurry to set up a ride out of town right before Morgan’s death, maybe that could be a lead to investigate?

Back to the last conference call conversation we had with Dr. Kurtzman.  Up until that phone call, and actually conversations after, Detective Glassmire had a very good habbit of recording the conversation so words would not be forgotten.  I really hope he did not “forget” to record that conversation, it was certainly one of the more important for Morgan, and this was her case after all.  Just to be clear, other doctor’s and forensic pathologists pursuing justice for Morgan, continued to try to communicate with Dr. Kurtzman until, one by one, they were all cut off.  Steve and I stopped talking to him on advice from one of the doctors, establishing the fact that he was not willing to hear anything from others with more expertise on certain subjects than himself, Dr. Kurtzman did that all by himself.

Other professionals were willing, and very able to correct the mistakes being made in the death of Morgan, but Dr. Kurtzman had no desire to listen.  Just look at the last PER, he still violates Morgan’s HIPAA rights, claims facts long ago established to the contrary in arriving at her cause of death. And as I have recently learned, he bears responsibility for the crime scene investigation under Colorado Law.  The one that was “so thoroughly botched.”  Morgan deserved better, as does the next victim of stalking that suddenly dies in Garfield County, Colorado.

No that after what we have seen, and been subjected to, Steve and I could never live with ourselves if we walked away (like law enforcement has chosen to do for the stalker who hasn’t gone anywhere).  Morgan did not want to die the way she was forced to, and she would do whatever she could to help another person facing a similar tragic ending.  That is without question, because that is how she conducted her life.

Yes, we are, unfortunately, at this point signing up for that task often called,  “fighting the establishment,” how we could stand on opposite sides of the issue called stalking is really beyond me, but we are.  I live to see stalkers and perverts/peeping toms arrested to face their day in court.  Meanwhile, the Detectives state they have “run out of leads” so the case is closed until they have more leads, and then Sheriff goes on TV and says he will never open the case into Morgan’s death.  Cities across our country, and even neighboring countries have arrested, and prosecuted tormentors for driving a victim to suicide, Steve and I are quite certain it is even more sinister than that, but if GarCo wants to hide behind the suicide – why not open an investigation, and arrest the tormentor, as so many others do?  Why is that too, not a crime here?  Or did the Sheriffs department know they so thoroughly botched the crime scene it was best to just walk away?

For Steve and I it is simple, It may take everything we have and then some, but we understand material things are not the important thing in life – human life is.  For another young woman to have the chance to live on is far more important to us.

I believe things happen for a reason – we may never really know the reasons, and outcomes can change depending on the actions taken by those involved, or even those who were not involved, but choose to become involved, for the right reasons, to help. Steve and I intend to change outcomes for the better for others.

Thomas Jefferson said, “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.”  

I believe (just like in everything) there are good, and there are bad people in this world, just like there are good people in government, and there are bad people in government.  But the fact remains that our government passes laws that they believe will help people, and if our own local government, and law enforcement agencies do not follow those laws then what are we left with?  I believe they are required to follow those laws and the people of this county, and all other counties that see that those laws are not being followed should do something about it.  Write certified, return receipt letters to your Councilman, your District Attorney, your Sheriff’s Department, your Coroner’s office, your Governor, your Attorney General’s office, your State Legislators (some of which actually wrote the laws that are on the books in your State) and ask why certain laws are being broken and how do they intend to change this for the better of their citizens.  The power of the pen, along with the power of many people can, and will make a difference.  If you would like the information of the people to contact, along with the laws that have been broken, and a draft letter to look at please write to me on this blog as a comment, and I will answer back with all pertinent information…we can all make a difference!

 

 

 

A simple search for honesty – is it that hard to find?

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mask.small

Isn’t that all that it comes down to in most every crime?  Honesty? If the truth were just known, aligning the pieces would be so simple.  Conclusions would quickly follow, and a case would be solved.  I’m thinking of this today because in my loose notes that I have been reviewing for the past week is a statement made by our lead Detective that if people choose to lie to them there is absolutely nothing they can do about it.  I remember the instant he said it, our victim’s rights coordinator was standing right behind his shoulder, glaring, and nodding in approval.  She had become a very upsetting “victims rights coordinator”.  I did not believe this about lies then, and I believe it even less now.

Not every conviction comes wrapped in a confession.  I would guess that very few do, and if every criminal that lies, and never admits the crime, went free, there would not be very many prosecutions or convictions.

In the morning hours of 12/2/2011, the day Morgan’s body was found James Harris made at least one phone call to a client that we know of.  He had to cancel their appointment for the day.  Then about a week later he talked to her again, part of that conversation was to explain that he was “just trying to protect his daughter.”

I assume that would be Brooke, nice sentiment, father protecting daughter, but why would she need protecting?  Morgan was dead.  And why exactly would Brooke need someone to try to protect her, from what?  On her facebook she agreed with her friend Hannah Hurlocker, who didn’t know if she could go through with it, the day before Morgan was killed.  Hannah was staying at Brooke’s house at the time.  On the day Morgan’s body was found Brooke posted a picture of herself wearing an interesting piece of apparatus around her neck.  What was that all about?

Once again the lead Detective, was informed of, and knew all this, but chose to investigate none of it.  That is, at least as far as I know, or have seen in any report.  The only mention is of the fact that I spoke with the witness months later, and made notes about the conversation and passed it all along to our Detective.  But is that how it is supposed to work?  Are the victims of a tragedy, such as the stalking, and murder of their daughter, are those grief stricken victims supposed to be out conducting interviews, because they believe it is important evidence, and might be lost forever?  Well that was how it worked in Morgan’s case.

There was a time when I felt that the more evidence I tried to share with our law enforcement, the less interested they were.  Yet I was always assured that the case just needed more leads, and evidence, that were lacking.  Steve and I are not investigators but we were not going to give up.  If even a little rumor came along we followed up on it… why wouldn’t you?

Honesty, today, right now, every single word gains new importance.  It is absolutely amazing to me how little actual evidence was collected, both physical evidence, and by interview, and how many conclusions were draw from the little they had, so much of it completely wrong.  More like guesswork parading as an investigation.  Or wouldn’t you expect that when nothing is double checked, questions rephrased and asked again to arrive at meaningful conclusions – errors should be expected, right? – not at all a surprise.

One little incident comes to mind, actually for a couple of reasons now.  It was an afternoon where the Detective had finished questioning both Christina and Brooke Harris about the source of the stories about the stalker(s) circulating around the neighborhood.  Sometimes it was simple rumors, but far more disturbingly it was the directed, and timed, false information meant to do nothing but confuse the issue.  A little like what I am told is going on out in the vast reaches of the internet – directed and timed false information meant to confuse and distract.

In gang stalkings this is a well documented method of increasing the terror of the stalking.  False information is regularly spread with the specific intent as to discredit the victim, in an attempt to make them even question themselves as to if the stalking was really happening.  When OF COURSE the stalking was happening, of course they are frightened.  But the goal is to make the victim question everything happening.  I don’t remember right now who said, “in my experience there is no such thing as coincidence.”  But the words ring very true in the context of the misinformation campaign that was being perpetrated.

So Detective Glassmire had just returned from the conclusion of that line of questioning and told me how Brooke had said she got all her information from Christina, her mother, and then Christina said she got all her information from Brooke, her daughter.  The Detectives take was that he thought they could have at least gotten their lies straight.  He used the word lies, and I applaud that because its exactly what it was, and it was exactly what drove the insanity that was Morgan’s life for those four months – an endless string of lies.

And the lies never really stopped.  No sooner had an almost unbelievable string of people tell me that they had heard Brooke, talking about Morgan, saying, “That bitch is going to get it someday,” that I had the chance to confront her.  And Brooke denied ever having said such a thing, in front of a camera.  All those people, independently and at different times, and in different places all recalled almost the same line from Brooke, yet she said she never said it.

It’s really bad when Brooke does things like that, and then has Keenan telling the Detective, “It could be Brooke that is doing the stalking.”  But somehow, I don’t see Brooke staring at Morgan through her bathroom window.

And of course there is the saying that the, “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”  Remember James Harris claiming to not know there was a stalking in the neighborhood, again in front of a camera, actually many cameras.  The same James that evidently approached every person in uniform that neared his house to ask about the stalker and the stalking.  Whom Keenan also happens to claim was a great source of information about the stalking.  The same James Harris that had been interviewed by Detective Glassmire about the stalking while it was ongoing.

Wouldn’t all this be nothing more than lies?  Really bad ones at that and I would think when you contradict yourself completely with your own words.  Just imagine if they had the four of them, Keenan, Brooke, James, and Christina in four separate soundproof rooms, and just went from room to room asking the same question, and taking notes.  It could have been that simple, if they all agreed to it that is.  Maybe Morgan would still be alive.

Morgan just wanted to live her life, never asking for much.  Always thankful and happy with whatever she had.  Spreading love and never shying away from the chance to help someone with a problem.  What I wouldn’t give to have been able to change places, except in reality, I was being stalked and terrorized as well, but then at least she would not have been murdered.

Morgan’s Friends Speak Out

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friends

Over the past holidays it was a very busy time for new college students coordinating their visits home with families and friends.  The writer Sarah Afshar was busy too, coordinating interviews with Morgan’s close friends about their feelings on a very tragic loss.  Some of Morgan’s friends found recounting that day was just not bearable, and Steve and I thank them sooo much for trying.  We also have an incredibly difficult time when discussing the day we lost Morgan, and reliving even small portions of what has happened.

What Sarah was able to put together has been published on Yahoo and I welcome all of you to see a peek of Morgan through the eyes of those who knew her so well.  We will always miss her, but sharing her life will also raise awareness of stalking, and we know that is what Morgan wants.

This article was originally on Yahoo Voices but since that no longer exists here is the new link to the article http://www.sarahafshar.com/2013/08/friends-remember-morgan-ingram.html

Thank you so much Sarah – Toni & Steve Ingram