Dennis N. Griffin, with the Transparency Project, shared the following on Facebook on Friday, August 16, 2019.
An excerpt from Chapter 7 of the SURVIVORS book, the Morgan Ingram story written by her mother, Toni Ingram: We reported incidents of stalking over 70 times in four months. We had photographic, video and eye-witness proof of the stalker. We kept a detailed timeline of the incidents. The main suspect is named over and over in the police reports, emails and text messages, with his accomplice, who was somewhat protected (and redacted from the reports), as she was still a minor. According to the deputies, they both had extensive criminal records which we would never see because their records were sealed.Then, on the morning of December 2, 2011, we found our daughter dead in her bed. This was only four days before she was scheduled to give her on-camera statement to the sheriffs for an impending arrest of the suspect in her stalking case. The detectives had told the suspects this detail only days before her murder.Her room was the scene of an obvious struggle. Her panic button, which was hidden by her bed, and would summon her father with a baseball bat if pushed, had been torn off and tossed across the room. Her cell phone, which she always kept in bed next to her as she slept, was found under her bathroom door. Her pants were unbuttoned and unzipped, her bottom bed sheet was missing, her pillow cases and the pajamas she had worn to bed, were gone as well. There was blood on her forehead, lips and teeth, her nose looked smashed, she had a fat lip, tangled hair, abrasions on the top and bottom of her right hand, three torn nails on her right hand, and amazingly, her hands were frozen in rigor, “signing” the first and last letters of the stalking suspect’s name! The sheriffs dismissed all this evidence, called her a slob, and her death was ruled to be from natural causes.
This book is #1 on Amazon under new releases in criminal evidence – with all 5-star ratings so far! Yay 😀 If you haven’t already ordered it I would highly recommend it. Hard to put down, once you start reading it. SURVIVORS is now available for order in both paperback and Kindle formats. Read about Morgan’s story.
As I sit here writing this post my heart is breaking. I wasn’t sure how to write this, emotionally it is so very painful, but I knew that I needed to write. As some of you know, Morgan’s birthday is tomorrow. She would have been 28 years old, but she will remain in our minds as a beautiful young woman, who had only just turned 20 when her life was horrifically taken from her.
To say that I think about Morgan every moment of every day, along with dreaming about her every single night, is probably an understatement. I love my sweet youngest daughter with all my heart, and I miss her so very much. The murder of a child tosses parents onto a journey they never, ever wanted, and never could have imagined they would be traveling. It is one of the loneliest roads you will ever travel and unless you have experienced it you will never know (thank God) what it feels like to travel that road. The pain of losing your child is beyond words and it never goes away.
My heart was shattered into pieces the morning I found Morgan’s body – from then on it was no longer possible for me to be the person I used to be before her death. Over the years I have had some people tell me that I should give up fighting for justice for Morgan, and just grieve. When I hear this, I’m incredulous! How can they think, for even one single moment, that I have not grieved? I grieve and hurt every single moment of every single day and night. The tears come uncontrollably out of my eyes, as the deep pain in my chest and stomach grip me so tight that I feel like I am falling down a dark tunnel and it will never end, I then stop and realize that I am holding my breath, and I need to breathe…and that doesn’t really even begin to explain the grief that I feel. Everyone experiences grief differently and the pain of losing a child is indescribable, and when you lose a child to murder there is never closure. How could there be? Our family can no longer see Morgan smile as we celebrate her birthday with her. None of us will ever get to hug her or kiss her again. We never get to experience her beautiful presence or witty words of wisdom. I would give anything to have Morgan back in our lives again, and I know I will never get that wish. As Sarah Hinton said, “As a parent I have come to realize there will never be anything that explains why my child had to die.” I agree…there will never be anything that explains why my child had to die…never 😢
So no, there will never be closure, but I am determined to get justice for Morgan and change the way stalking cases, in this country and around the world, are treated. If even just one victim is saved by my actions that to me would be worth it.
Tomorrow, Friday, August 16, 2019, I will celebrate Morgan’s 28thbirthday with her favorite foods, and her favorite Tiramisu birthday cake, complete with 28 candles. Her adorable 10-year-old niece and 8-year-old nephew will join Steve (her daddy) and I in singing happy birthday to her and then help blow out the candles. Her brother and sister-in-law, and Morgan’s brand-new sweet baby nephew will join us as well. We will all eat, sing, and talk about all the wonderful memories of Morgan, we will talk to her, because we believe she can hear us, we will cry, and we will read out loud to each other the little notes we have all written about our favorite things we love about Morgan.
Morgan loved life, and that makes life all the more precious to all of us. Many people seek happiness when happiness is actually a choice. I choose happiness because I am grateful for every single day of the 20 years that I was blessed to have Morgan in my life. Our family is still growing, with the addition of the most recent birth of our baby grandson (he has the same color hair as Morgan’s), with another baby due in November. Morgan loved children so I know she is giggling with happiness over these new adorable additions to our family. Morgan is my rock, she always was, so through my tears she “blasts” me with heat into my back, a heat that I can’t explain, but completely relaxes me and stops my tears…I then feel unconditional love and strength, then a little voice that says, “I love you mom, I am still here, don’t give up, you can do this.” Then I move forward again, still grieving, but nonetheless moving in a positive direction with Morgan still at my side.
So tomorrow, on Morgan’s birthday, if you can, please light a candle and send her your thoughts, prayers and love…I know she will appreciate it and so will our family…thank you all for the unbelievable support and love you have given our family over these past 7 + years…the fight for justice is not over and against all odds I still BELIEVE.
Morgan putting candles on her birthday cake on her last birthday – August 16, 2011.
Great audio interview. Bonus Episode: Interview with ‘Survivors’ author, Dennis Griffin. Dennis (Denny), is an experienced author, victim’s advocate, and former law enforcement officer, As AlyBlue Media states, “‘Survivors’ sheds light on cases denied thorough investigations, and underscores the need for police transparency.”
Please remember, after reading the book, to rate it and leave a comment. So far it has received all 5-star ratings on Amazon, along with great feedback about the book. You can read about these shocking true stories and America’s pursuit of police transparency and justice, then share your insights about the book with others when you give your rating. Click on this link and then click on “Look Inside” to get an idea of what is in the book….I think you will really enjoy this read. https://www.amazon.com/dp/195071201X
Great news!!! I am so excited, “Survivors” is now available for order in both paperback and Kindle formats. It will also be available in over 40,000 retail outlets around the world.
I was honored to be one of the contributors to this book, when I was given the opportunity to write a chapter about our daughter Morgan who was murdered and taken from our family, by a stalker. #JusticeForMorgan!
Morgan’s story is one of many cases that have been shared in Dennis Griffin’s book, “Survivors.” This book is a collection of true stories, stories that are truly shocking, all about America’s pursuit of transparency in law enforcement and the justice system. The book has been written by survivors/co-victims of these crimes in order to raise awareness. I am so proud of every single one of these families who had the courage to share their stories. I truly believe that when you #speakyourtruth you can help many other families that are dealing with the same issues. I would also like to give my heartfelt thanks to Denny, Delilah & Lynda for all of their help making this possible. #nevergiveup #raiseawareness #justiceforallvictims #betheirvoice #beapartofthesolution
Please share the link below with family, friends, and on your social media. I would also like to ask all of you who purchase the book, to please rate the book with a 5-star rating after reading it. As Lynda Cheldelin Fell explains, “Why is that important? A collective push right out of the starting gate is how a book reaches that coveted #1 position. Why is reaching #1 important? Because it reaches more readers. And even more important is the visibility and opportunity to open the dialogue about such an important subject as this. The Amazon ratings change hourly. For those of you on Amazon, would you be kind enough to write a 5-star review? The better the rating, the easier it becomes for readers to find.”
Why fight it – just write it, or regret it…I believe this with all my heart.
When you write and share your experiences, no matter how painful they are, you are ultimately giving a road map to someone else who is experiencing a similar type of situation. Never minimize the fact that the mistakes you have made, as well as the strides you have accomplished, when shared with others, can make all the difference in another’s life.
Keep shining your light for all the world to see. You can make a difference in this world…
