Dozens search, pray for missing woman Leslie Williamson, left, prays for his niece, Kaila Morris, during a Saturday prayer service at Annunciation Catholic School. Morris has been missing since Sept. 17. Williamson sits next to Leslie Williamson, his daughter and Morris’ cousin. Photo by: Luisa Porter
Volunteer search parties have "exhausted all avenues" in an effort to locate Kaila Morris, 21, said Morris' uncle, Leslie Williamson.
A part-time Mississippi State University student and employee of The Cookie Store in Leigh Mall, Morris has been missing since Sept. 17, when she was last seen -- by her stepfather, Robert "Butch" Triplett -- leaving her parents' home on 181 Golding Road, in a dark-colored van or sport utility vehicle with an unknown person or people.
Morris' mother, Bonnie Morris Triplett, was vacationing in Florida at the time.
Saturday, dozens attended a prayer service for Morris on the grounds of Annunciation Catholic School.
Prior to the service, about 50 volunteers searched for Morris in various areas, including around Ellis Creek and Minnie-Vaughn Road, as well as other "rural roads," around "tributaries" and several privately-owned properties, many of which already had been searched, noted Williamson, the brother of Morris' mother.
"We were exhausting all avenues we have access to," Williamson said. "We had four-wheelers and people walked. Right now, it doesn't appear there are any new places to look."
In addition to searches by law enforcement agencies, friends and family members also searched with airplanes, Williamson added.
"We've been searching since Day One," he said, explaining Saturday's search was organized in connection with an appearance made Friday by Morris' mother on WCBI-TV.
Morris left the home of her mother and stepfather without her purse, wallet, identification or medication.
Her stepfather said he was in a bathroom of the home when Morris told him she was leaving; he said he did not understand her when she told him where she first was going or with whom.
However, he said he did hear her tell him she also was going to visit her best friend, in Carrollton, Ala.
"She said she was going to do something I didn't understand and then she was going to see Labriska and the baby," he recalled, referring to Morris' best friend, Labriska Walker, and Walker's 11-month-old son, to whom Morris served as godmother. "I really didn't think anything of it. That was something normal for her to do. She commonly goes out there and comes back in the wee hours of the morning."
Morris -- described by her family as very shy and a cautious driver, who preferred to drive herself -- never arrived at her friend's house.
Morris is 5-feet, 6-inches tall, 230 pounds, with waist-length brown hair; she has green-gray eyes and several tattoos, including a rose on her toe, a wolf's head on her right hip and a star and moon on her lower back.
Anyone with information regarding Morris is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151 or the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office at 662-328-6788.
Morris' family has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her location.
Kristin Mamrack is a staff reporter for The Commercial Dispatch.
The Dispatch is offering free classified ads in just about any classification to celebrate our redesign. Deadline is Thursday, February 11 at 5:00pm so contact us soon to place an ad. Click here for details
Colleen | 10/4/2009 1:17:00 AMmark as inappropriate Continuing to pray that Kalia is safe and home to her family soon. Keeping all of you in our prayers.
Link: What happened to Kaila Morris?