A former FBI agent recently spoke with Newsweek about the disappearance of Scottie Morris, a 14-year-old from Indiana, and detailed what she sees as a "jaw-dropping" aspect of the case.
According to the Eaton Indiana Police Department, Morris was last seen at around 8:30 p.m. local time on March 16. Speculation circulated online after photos of Morris showed the 14-year-old wearing a white t-shirt that had writing on it that said, "I'm a liar. I hurt my brother."
However, while speaking with WPTA news in Indiana, Eaton Police Chief Jay Turner said that Morris's parents forced him to wear the shirt and said, "I will say, the shaved head was his idea, they went to Great Clips and it's what he told them he wanted...the shirt, it was quite unorthodox, kind of disturbing and we're looking into that."
While speaking with Newsweek on Friday, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said that the shirt Morris was wearing makes this case "unusual" compared to other runaway and disappearance cases.
"'I find it jaw dropping that nobody has seen him in their little community or seemingly knows anything about it and they did not reach out to the FBI and get appropriate resources on this when they saw the shirt," Coffindaffer told Newsweek. "They should have known this is not a normal runaway. This is an unusual runaway situation based on the shirt he was wearing."
According to the Town of Eaton website, there are over 1,800 residents in what they describe as a "close-knit, friendly atmosphere," neighborhood.
Since police first announced that Morris was missing, they have continued their search efforts and a statewide Silver Alert was issued. On Thursday, the Eaton Indiana Police Department asked residents to check footage from any home cameras they might have. Additionally, on Friday morning, the police department said that there were "false" reports of human remains found. "We were dispatched to an area of interest last night, however, there were no human remains found there," police said.
While the police chief confirmed that Morris was forced to wear the shirt by his parents, his mother, Felicia Morris, recently made a plea for her son to return home, saying "Scott, I love you, and I want you to come home...If you are in a house and they come to you and you don't want to go out because it is the cops, reach out, me and your dad will come get you."
While speaking with Newsweek, Coffindaffer mentioned "the look" on Morris's face in the photos released and said, "I personally described that as someone in total despair." Coffindaffer also said that the Eaton Indiana Police Department should have contacted the FBI immediately for additional assistance in their search.
"It's imperative, with a case like this, particularly when law enforcement saw the shirt he is wearing, and the photo, his face, those should have been beacons of light to say that something is severely amiss here and he is in danger," Coffindaffer told Newsweek. "The first 48 hours are crucial. If I am the police chief there...my first call is to the FBI."
Newsweek reached out to the Eaton Indiana Police Department for comment by phone and through a contact form on the town's website.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
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