First, let me say THANK YOU for being part of our efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of stalkers, as well as your undying support for justice for Morgan. I am grateful for all of you at TEAM MORGAN.
On Thursday, December 1st I was feeling extremely emotional and sad. I was hit with the realization that the next day would be the 5th anniversary of Morgan’s murder. I remembered every little detail about that Thursday, five years ago…my last day with Morgan. It was cold and the ground was frozen. The ground at that time of the year was usually white with snow, but in 2011 it was missing it’s white cover. In a resort area like the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado, people rely on the snow because of the tourist revenue that it brings. All the details of that day…Morgan sending me a text in the morning that said, “You rock!” made me happy, the memory of the exhaustion and stress caused by the stalking still make me cringe, but the memory of that perfect storm which occured that night, and all the things that went wrong, caused me an immense pain in my heart. Ever since that perfect storm everything is now remembered as BEFORE Morgan was murdered or AFTER she was murdered… how sick is that? But it is true – when I speak with someone that is how it slips out of my mouth. So when someone asks how I am, I smile and say I am fine, but deep inside the reality is my life has changed since her murder, and it will never be the same.
I then spoke out loud and asked Morgan for a sign, and prayed that I would recognize her sign through my tears. About an hour later, as I was in a rush to leave the house, I opened the back glass door and clearly saw a small white feather “stuck” to the glass. I smiled and said, “Thank you Morgan.” Then I ran out the front door and jumped in my car. As I drove down the street I looked up into the sky and to my surprise I saw a little partial rainbow (in the picture above) peeking out of the clouds. I thought, “Another sign from Morgan!” A huge warmth filled by body.
So it has now be 5 years since Morgan was killed…during an ACTIVE investigation into her felony stalking by the Garfield County sheriffs. No investigation has happened. No arrests have been made and no justice yet for Morgan. I did not anticipate the powerful heartbreaking blow that this five year anniversary on Friday, December 2nd would bring. I know Morgan is still around – I feel her spirit. I know Morgan’s story has helped a lot of others over the past 5 years, and I know Morgan would be happy about that. And yet, I feel that it is so wrong that our system of justice seems to be so in favor of the criminal, and not the victim – perhaps that is why we have so many unsolved murders. There are so many changes that need to be made to get our system of justice up to speed and to get a “jump” on the criminals that seem to have the “system” figured out to their advantage.
There needs to be accountability within all departments of law enforcement and the judicial system. They shouldn’t be able to just make a “mistake” in a serious crime like murder and then never have to admit to it and never fix it. Do not take the murder of an innocent victim and “pretend” that it was natural causes as Morgan’s murder was called for eight months or worse, smear her memory by calling it a suicide when all the evidence points to murder, starting with the fact her body was moved and redressed long after she was dead. I do know of some places in Colorado that recognize and admit when a mistake is made – mistakes happen…we are all only human. But if evidence is overlooked, or misunderstood, then admit the mistakes and then work diligently to investigate and solve those murders – like the new District Attorney’s office in Boulder, CO. I commend their commitment to the people of Boulder, as well as their commitment to the oath of office that they took. For other places in Colorado where they seem to just “bury” their cases without any investigation (like in Morgan’s case) there needs to be some oversight, but there is none. Many police chiefs answer to the oversight of public citizens, where concern for cases can be heard. Another answer would be to give the Colorado Bureau of Investigation the authority to review cases that don’t seem to be as they are proclaimed to be. These changes will bring about accountability. And maybe, just maybe we can get ahead of the criminals, and start to save more lives by solving these crimes before someone else has to die.
In the meantime, please don’t forget Morgan – murdered five years ago in Carbondale, CO, after being a victim of a felony stalking case for only four months. She was a 20-year-old college student at the time of her murder, December 2, 2011.
As well as Kelsie Schelling – the 21-year-old is believed to have been murdered in Pueblo, CO. She was last seen on February 4, 2013. The evidence points to who was involved and still no arrests have ever been made. http://www.helpfindkelsie.com https://www.facebook.com/HelpFindKelsie/?fref=nf.
Also, don’t forget Lea Porter – murdered in Colorado, June 2014. Her murderer was confronted by Lea’s brother who coaxed out a confession. Her murderer is in prison, but has not given up the location of her body. She would have been 22-years-old today – the 19-year-old was brutally murdered and her family is still looking for her body. This is the third birthday they have had to endure without her. http://abc7news.com/news/20-20-criminology-student-confesses-to-murder/1567264/
And please remember Holly Moore as well. The 19-year-old was found dead in her Castle Rock, CO apartment on March 6, 2015. This is another case, similar to Morgan’s where the coroner wrote this down as a suicide when all the evidence as well as 2 highly respected medical examiners reviewed her body and said they believe it was not a suicide, and that she was murdered. The Colorado coroner refuses to change her manner of death and will not look at any new evidence. http://kdvr.com/2015/11/12/investigation-castle-rock-family-seeks-justice-for-holly/
What do all these cases have in common? All these cases are from Colorado. There are many, many more cases than these, but I have been personally involved and heartbroken over these cases, and can’t help but see a pattern forming. Young woman from all over, not just in Colorado, within this age group (19 – 21) seem to be “targeted” for this kind of brutality – and the murderers seem to slip away without any investigation. Is it because we have so many wonderful crime shows on TV that show us how murderers “almost” get away with murder? And in reality Colorado’s law enforcement and even many of the coroner’s offices are not trained to understand a staged crime scene or what type of questions that should be asked in order to get to the truth. In most cases murderers do not just confess – even in the Lea Porter case her murderer denied any involvement in her disappearance convincingly to the police, but thankfully Lea’s brother was able to get a confession out of him. We all seem to think after watching TV that in most cases CSI is called in to look for clues…unfortunately this is not true. It is the opposite. Evidence is lost, crime scenes destroyed, it’s a mess. And then there is the deputy coroners (many times with NO training) not even taking a body temp to narrow down when death occurred. So in reality it would be a miracle if these murderers were ever caught and tried for their heinous deeds.
Another thing these cases have in common is US…the parents and siblings of these beautiful young lives that have been taken from us, are still fighting for justice and we will NEVER give up. Even in the case of Lea Porter – her family wants to find her body and take her home. They won’t give up either. We have all lost a piece of our hearts. We will never get that piece back, and it hurts like hell and always will. I would never want anyone to know what that pain is like…I would never wish it upon anyone. But we are all part of this club that we never asked to be in. Never would have wanted to be in, but we are. And now we all push forward trying to get justice for our daughters, and make those responsible arrested and tried for their murders. Let us all share their stories and press our government to become transparent and accountable. We are now their voices. They have been taken from this world, but are not forgotten.
http://www.voicesofvictims.org/about.htm
If you or someone you know is a victim of murder, here are a few organizations who specialize in victim assistance:
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