Sunday school teacher Chynia Cain remembers waking up around 5:30 a.m. on March 17 to the news of 14-year-old Scottie Morris gone missing. She got ready and went to work, yet she was hoping after her workday, Scottie would be found.
“When I came home, I realized he was still missing…and that’s when the fear [hit],” Cain says.
Like many others that night, Chynia and her husband, got into their car after dinner to search around the small town of Eaton for any trace of Scottie;
“We decided, we were stepping in.”
Friday
A Silver Alert was sent out by Eaton Police about Scottie’s disappearance that night. It described the teen as a 14-year-old white male standing at 5’ 4” weighing 150 lbs. He was listed with brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a white shirt with black writing, black and red shorts, black shoes and glasses. According to Eaton Police, he was thought to be in “extreme danger.”
It did not take long for the word to spread across social media. Posts in Facebook groups, compilations of missing persons Tik Toks, and more were made to spread the word as the search for Scottie was set into motion.
“We came in and started searching…and we [had] been searching ever since,” Eaton Police Chief Jay Turner says. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) boat crews, Indiana State Police helicopters, Grant County K-9 units along with other nearby departments joined Eaton Police beginning March 17.
“We utilized every resource that [was] available to us,” Turner says.
Saturday
Turner says help from the community was an outpour, from donations to search party volunteers. Meanwhile, doors of local churches, like Grace and Mercy Gospel Church, were open for those over the weekend who wanted to show their support.
“Our pastor woke up randomly at 3:00 a.m. or so, and she felt as though ‘Okay, we’ve got to do something more,’” Cain says.
The church hosted its first silent prayer Saturday. Chynia said candles were lit on the altar to light the way home as many put themselves in Scottie’s family’s shoes.
“I am a mom of three…and I could not imagine how that mother feels, knowing her son is lost,” Chynia says.
Sunday
At Delta Middle School, volunteers gathered to pass out and hang up ‘missing person’ flyers across Delaware County. In a statement, Delaware Community School Corporation Superintendent Greg Kile says the corporation was “dedicated to assisting law enforcement officers in any way they can” in the search for Scottie.
National news outlets, like CNN, caught wind of the story unfolding in smalltown Indiana.
Monday
The on-foot search continued for Morris at the Eaton Police Department at 9 a.m.. After no new information was discovered, police updated the public on the investigation via Facebook.
Tuesday
A press release from Eaton Police shared that there would be no organized searches for Scottie. Instead, the Indiana DNR were available for boat, sonar and drone searches if needed.
Wednesday
A Facebook post made by Eaton Police Wednesday morning stated that the search was not called off despite rumors on social media.
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.
Thursday
Eaton and surrounding communities came together at Grace and Mercy Gospel Church. The church held a candlelight vigil and balloon release for Scottie. About 100-200 people were in attendance, ranging from first responders to family members.
Television coverage of the event spanned the state.
Eaton Police requested security camera footage from the night of March 16 for a second time.
Friday
Just before the clock deemed it to be Day 9 of the search, Eaton Police posted an announcement on Facebook, calling it the “best update to give.” Scottie Morris was found safe.
A press release the next day gave details of Morris’s discovery. He was located by an Eaton police officer at 10:31 p.m. on March 24 at Hartford Street and Harris Street – just blocks from his home. Eaton Police had “no reason to believe Scottie was assisted by anyone while he was gone.”
Morris was sent to IU Health Ball Memorial ER as a precaution, but he was later discharged and assisted by Delaware County Child Protective Services.
The last update posted on Facebook by Eaton Police closed with a message to everyone in the community, volunteers and other departments, thanking them for their help. Because of the community, Eaton, Indiana was seen on a national scale – all because of their diligent search for Scottie.
“We truly appreciate each and everyone of you.”
