Missing MOM : Crystal Morrison

[Sphincter Cop]

Crystal Morrison Case: After 100 Days, Family Of Missing Mom Refuses To Give Up Hope

Via David Lohr (Huffington Post)

Saturday marks 100 days since 31-year-old Crystal Morrison vanished without a trace in Kannapolis, N.C.

The disappearance of the mother of one remains a mystery, and as the holidays approach, her family finds the prospect of being without her for Christmas extremely heartbreaking.

"It's devastating," Morrison's sister, Mechelle Morrison Carey, told The Huffington Post. "We're less than a month away from Christmas and I can't imagine my nephew waking up on Christmas morning with his mom not there."

Carey added, "I didn't think in any way shape or form that it would ever be at this point –- at 100 days. I could never comprehend this would happen."

Morrison has been missing since Aug. 23, when she left her job at Connextions Recruiting in Kannapolis. That day, a co-worker spotted her walking away from the business complex, but there has been no sign of her since.

On the day she went missing, Morrison called a family member from her office phone at 12:41 p.m. to ask for a ride home. A friend had borrowed her car that morning and Morrison said she was feeling ill. The family member arrived about 20 minutes later, but Morrison was gone. Her superiors said she did not tell them she was leaving.

A co-worker later told police they had seen Morrison at about 1:00 p.m. that day, walking on International Drive near the intersection at Davidson Highway in Concord, N.C., though where she may have been headed remains unclear.

Authorities interviewed everyone closely associated with Morrison and have conducted several ground searches. So far, all efforts have proven fruitless.

According to her sister, Morrison has no known enemies. She has been divorced for several years and her ex-husband lives in another state.

The Concord Police Department did not immediately return a call for comment from HuffPost on Friday. In an earlier interview, Deputy Police Chief Allen Overcash told HuffPost authorities had "no indications of anything criminal."

"This is a very unusual case for us -- the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and the fact that there is nothing to go on," Overcash added.

Morrison has an 8-year-old son who lived with her. He is currently staying with relatives. Carey said the child means the world to her sister and that she would never abandon him.

Carey said her family is not sitting idly by waiting on the police to do everything. They recently enlisted the help of the CUE Center for Missing persons, got a webmaster to take care of the Find Crystal Morrison website, and hired a private investigator to assist in the case.

"The police department has been very good and very efficient, but we want to make sure we are doing everything we possibly can to bring her home. That's why we are doing everything we can. We are hoping and praying to bring her home," Carey said.

Kevin Ryan, the private investigator the family hired, said he is starting from square one.

"The police department is doing their investigation. They're following up leads and I'm going back and starting from square one," Ryan told HuffPost. "I am re-interviewing people that have been in Crystal's life from the time she was young to the friends and associates she had when she disappeared."

Ryan said he has found no evidence of foul play, but is convinced Morrison did not run away.

"This is definitely not a runaway situation," he said. "She had an 8-year-old boy, whom I have learned through interviews that she just adored, so she would not just up and walk away from this boy. It could be foul play, abduction, or a medical problem. Everything is on the table."

Ryan added, "It's like she walked outside, a bird picked her up, and dropped her somewhere. We just don't know where."

Morrison is about 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 100 pounds. She has blonde and red hair and blue eyes, wears contacts, and has piercings in her ears. She has her son's name, "Kyson," tattooed on the back of her neck. She was last seen wearing a white blouse with black flower print, black dress pants, black open-toe, and high-heel dress shoes, and carrying a small black purse.

"The shocking thing is how many people come up to me on a weekly basis and say my aunt or cousin is missing –- that type of thing," Carey said. "We become so anesthetized to it as a world. It is shocking how many other people have had something like this happen to them."

Anyone with information should call the Concord Police Department at (704) 920-5580. Morrison's family has also established a Facebook page for updates and information about the search.