A missing teenager from Indiana believed to be in extreme danger for the eight long days he was missing, was just found alive. That teenager is named Scottie Dean Morris. He is fourteen years old and, Fox News Digital reports, found by a police officer in Eaton, Indiana after having gone missing for eight long days.
When he was found at about 10:30 pm on Friday night, Scottie was just a mile from his home. He was then transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
The Eaton, Indiana Police Department announced that Scottie had been found on their Facebook page, saying:
On Friday March 24th, 2023 at 2231 hrs. the missing juvenile, Scottie D.
Morris was located by an Eaton Officer at Hartford Street & Harris Street.
Scottie was transported to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital ER to be checked out as a precaution.
At this time Scottie has been placed in a safe environment with the assistance of Delaware County CPS. The family is cooperating with every aspect of the investigation.
Interviews will continue to be conducted later today.
We would like to thank EVERYONE for all of their assistance during the last eight days.
They then released another statement on the night of Saturday, March 25th saying:
Officers with EPD and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department have been conducting interviews most of the day.
There were two individuals brought in for questioning, however, they have since been cleared of involvement with any part of this case.
The Department of Child Services is assisting Scottie. The family is continuing to cooperate with every aspect of the investigation.
Those two welcome announcements came after numerous requests for help that the department posted to Facebook. In one post, for example, the department said:
We are asking Eaton residents that have cameras posted on their houses to please check your footage from 8:15 pm to 11:00 pm on March 16th 2023.
If you find anything of interest, please contact the Police Department at (765) 396-3297.
Thank You!
THIS IS A SECOND REQUEST FOR THIS.
At this time we are trying to reach out to residents that didn’t see it before!
In another post, the department explained what tactics it was using to try and find Scottie, saying:
The search for Scottie Morris HAS NOT BEEN CALLED OFF!
EPD is working side by side with the Indiana State Police, Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, DNR, and
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on this case.
Officers are following leads and investigating diligently.
The use of Canine teams are still being conducted, therefore we are trying to lessen any interference with their operations.
21 Alice indicated that Scottie might have run away from home because his parents humiliated him, saying:
As the search continues, there’s been confusion after the Eaton Police Department initially announced Scottie was missing on their Facebook page using this photo:
It shows Scottie with a shaved head and a T-shirt with demeaning words written on it, including the phrase “I’m a liar”.
Turner confirms Scottie’s parents forced him to wear the shirt as a punishment.
“I will say, the shaved head was his idea, they went to Great Clips and it’s what he told them he wanted,” Turner said. “But, the shirt, it was quite unorthodox, kind of disturbing and we’re looking into that.”
Turner says the now-deleted post caused an uproar on social media and speculation to begin. He adds the parents are heartbroken and asks for people to respect their privacy.
Featured image credit: screengrab from embedded video
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