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Missing Indiana teen Scottie Morris found safe

UPDATE: Around 5 a.m. Saturday morning, the Eaton Indiana Police Department posted on their official Facebook page that Scottie Morris was located by an officer at Hartford Street & Harris Street in Eaton, Indiana.

Police said there is “no reason to believe that Scottie was assisted by anyone while he was gone.”

According to the post, Morris was transported to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital to be checked out as a precaution.

Scottie was also placed in a “safe environment” with the help of Delaware County Child Protective Services. The family is cooperating with the investigation, according to police.

Teresa Wilkerson was one of the organizers for the candlelight vigil held on the one week anniversary of his disappearance. Wilkerson has been speaking with family and says they are ecstatic.

“The family wants to extend their greatest appreciation for Eaton Police Department, the fire departments, for all of the communities around the world that have been praying for this,” said Wilkerson.

Members in the community say they aren’t stopping here.

“Scottie, I believe is the catalyst for an amazing movement of the world coming together and praying specifically one child at a time home,” said Wilkerson.

ORIGINAL POST:

EATON, Ind. — Scottie Morris, a teen that was missing for over a week from Eaton, Indiana, has been located safe, according to the local police department.

Around 11:00 p.m. Friday night, the Eaton Indiana Police Department posted on their official Facebook page that Scottie Morris has been “located and found safe”.

According to the post, Morris is currently being checked out by medics and police will be conducting interviews regarding his disappearance soon. While it is currently unclear where Morris was found, Eaton PD said it would provide more information soon.

Morris went missing around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 16.

Soon after, Eaton Police began appealing to those in the area to review any home camera footage in an effort to uncover evidence.

Over the past week, police and residents participated in public searches for the missing teen, combing through wooded areas and empty homes in an effort to find him. Boats, drones and K9 units were also deployed.

In the Facebook post announcing Morris had been found, Eaton PD thanked all agencies that helped in the search:

“We want to thank all of the agencies, departments, & volunteers that helped!”

Multiple rumors regarding the search for Morris spread throughout the last week online and in the Eaton community, including that police had suspended the search for the teen and that human remains were found behind a local barn. Both of these rumors were debunked by Eaton police before the announcement that Morris had been found.

On Thursday night, the Eaton community held a candlelight vigil for the 14-year-old whose whereabouts were still unknown at the time. During that vigil, many described the small town near Muncie as a tight-knit community committed to finding the teen.