Kaila Morris -- Columbus, Mississippi -- Missing Since September 17, 2009

[PookyBear]

I spoke with a friend of the family today and they have been told this may have been a kidnapping. 

Missing Mississippi Student: Crime Victim or Runaway?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

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Kaila Morris

A Mississippi college student vanished mysteriously last week without her purse, but local police say there is "no evidence of a crime" and are investigating whether Kaila Morris may have run away.

Morris, 21, left her parents' house in Columbus, Miss., to visit a friend about 8 p.m. last Thursday, Lowndes County Lt. Tony Perkins told The Tuscaloosa News.

The part-time Mississippi State student didn't take her purse, money or credit cards with her.

No one has reported seeing or hearing from Morris since, leaving authorities and her family baffled.

“There is no evidence of a crime,” Perkins told the News. “We want to make sure that she’s OK.”

The young woman left with an unknown friend driving a dark-colored SUV or van, he said. It isn't known whether the friend is male or female.

"She had told her stepfather she was leaving with a friend around 8 p.m. last Thursday to see another friend across the state line in Alabama," Perkins told Mississippi State's paper The Reflector. "She never showed up."

Police are investigating whether Morris left on her own or ran away.

"We don't have any evidence that anything out of the way has happened yet," Perkins told The Reflector. "To our knowledge she could have voluntarily left with a friend."

The missing woman is described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall weighing 230 pounds. She has a rose tattoo on her second toe, a wolf tattoo on her right hip and a star and moon tattoo on her lower back, the News reported.

Morris takes classes at the Starkville campus of Mississippi State and is a junior in physical education, according to The Reflector. She works at The Cookie Store at a mall in Columbus.

“This is not like her normal behavior. She’s never been out of contact with her friends and family,” Morris' mother Bonnie Morris-Triplett told the Columbus Commercial Dispatch last week. “She’s a responsible girl. If anyone has any information, please, please contact us.”



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Missing Mississippi Student: Crime Victim or Runaway?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

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Kaila Morris

A Mississippi college student vanished mysteriously last week without her purse, but local police say there is "no evidence of a crime" and are investigating whether Kaila Morris may have run away.

Morris, 21, left her parents' house in Columbus, Miss., to visit a friend about 8 p.m. last Thursday, Lowndes County Lt. Tony Perkins told The Tuscaloosa News.

The part-time Mississippi State student didn't take her purse, money or credit cards with her.

No one has reported seeing or hearing from Morris since, leaving authorities and her family baffled.

“There is no evidence of a crime,” Perkins told the News. “We want to make sure that she’s OK.”

The young woman left with an unknown friend driving a dark-colored SUV or van, he said. It isn't known whether the friend is male or female.

"She had told her stepfather she was leaving with a friend around 8 p.m. last Thursday to see another friend across the state line in Alabama," Perkins told Mississippi State's paper The Reflector. "She never showed up."

Police are investigating whether Morris left on her own or ran away.

"We don't have any evidence that anything out of the way has happened yet," Perkins told The Reflector. "To our knowledge she could have voluntarily left with a friend."

The missing woman is described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall weighing 230 pounds. She has a rose tattoo on her second toe, a wolf tattoo on her right hip and a star and moon tattoo on her lower back, the News reported.

Morris takes classes at the Starkville campus of Mississippi State and is a junior in physical education, according to The Reflector. She works at The Cookie Store at a mall in Columbus.

“This is not like her normal behavior. She’s never been out of contact with her friends and family,” Morris' mother Bonnie Morris-Triplett told the Columbus Commercial Dispatch last week. “She’s a responsible girl. If anyone has any information, please, please contact us.”

A Facebook group "Missing: Kaila Morris" has been created. Anyone with information is urged to call the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office or Crimestoppers at 1-800-530-7151.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,553822,00.html

http://media.www.reflector-online.com/media/storage/paper938/news/2009/09/22/News/PartTime.Student.Reported.Missing-3778468.shtml

Edit to correct spelling of kaila's name in subject title.  MB

(Edit to add year to subject line.  MB)

[PookyBear]

Lowndes woman still missing

September 23, 2009 9:50:00 AM

Dispatch Staff Report

Printer friendly version of this article   

The disappearance of a Lowndes County woman missing since Thursday remains a mystery.

Kaila Morris, 21, was last seen by her step father, Robert Triplett, leaving her parents’ home at 181 Golding Road in a dark-colored van with unknown persons.

No leads have come to light, nor has any evidence of a crime, said Lt. Tony Perkins of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, who has been investigating Morris’ disappearance.

“We’re still asking anyone who’s seen her to come in,” said Perkins.

Morris left her parents’ home Thursday without any personal belongings, including money, a phone or identification.

Morris is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, 230 pounds, with brownish-blond waist-length 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 LCSO at 662-328-6788.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3028

This is a plea from Kaila's mother --
MISSING PERSON NOTICE FOR ALL WHO LIVE IN THE COLUMBUS, MS AREA!!!!!

This is a post regarding my friend Bonnie Morris Triplett and her missing daughter, Kaila Morris. If you live in the Columbus, MS area and/or know the family, PLEASE read and help with the search.

PLEASE HELP ME AND MY FAMILY.!!!
My daughter Kaila Morris is missing.
SHE HASBEEN ADDED TO THE NATIONAL MISSING PERSONS DATA BASE.
No one has seen or heard from her since Thursday night of this week about 8:15.
She left home without her purse, any ID, or money in a dark colored van to go see her friend Labriska near Carrolton, Al.
She never arrived.
Kaila is 5'6": 200 lbs, with blond/brown hair with Gray/green eyes.
If anyone knows or see anything, please contact your local police department or Bonnie Morris Triplett.
We are worried sick.
If you have any information about Kaila, please contact her parents at 662.327.3155
http://www.divainacarryon.com/2009/09/missing-person-notice-columbus-ms.html

[PookyBear]

MISSING: KAILA MORRIS
Category:    
Organizations - General
Description:    
Kaila Morris disappeared Thursday, September 17, 2009. She was last seen leaving her home in Columbus, MS around 8:00 P.M. She was seen getting into a dark colored van/SUV.

Kaila is a 21-year old female with dirty-blonde hair and green/grey eyes. She is 5'6" tall and weighs 230 lbs. She has the following tatoos: rose on left toe, keltic star and moon on tailbone, and 2 wolves on left hip.

Anyone with information in regard to Kaila Morris should contact CrimeStoppers at 662-494-0109. There is a reward for any information leading to finding Kaila Morris.

UPDATE: An Amber Alert has been issued for Kaila Morris. Also, she has been placed on the National Missing Person's list. Please, if anyone has any information please contact CrimeStoppers.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150083146800

[PookyBear]

Dear Heavenly Father:  We have a family in pain tonight and we ask You to wrap your arms around them and help them find peace somehow.  Lord, please help those looking for Kaila find her.  God I ask that you protect her and keep her safe from harm.  Help her to reach out to her family or LE so that she can safely come home. 


If you click on the link, there are some lovely pictures of Kaila here.  http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16855

If Klaas stops by or anyone that can post pictures, can you please post one of those pictures here at SM?

[Nut44x4]

HAT TIP http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16855

[Edward]

The young woman left with an unknown friend driving a dark-colored SUV or van, he said. It isn't known whether the friend is male or female.

"She had told her stepfather she was leaving with a friend around 8 p.m. last Thursday to see another friend across the state line in Alabama," Perkins told Mississippi State's paper The Reflector. "She never showed up."



The Ignorance of police is ... well.. Ignorant lol

Anyways.. A 21 year old would not Run Away. How ridiculous

The step father... She left with a unknown person to go across state lines in an indescribable vehicle without taking anything at 8 p.m..


I would look close at the step father

[PookyBear]

The young woman left with an unknown friend driving a dark-colored SUV or van, he said. It isn't known whether the friend is male or female.

"She had told her stepfather she was leaving with a friend around 8 p.m. last Thursday to see another friend across the state line in Alabama," Perkins told Mississippi State's paper The Reflector. "She never showed up."



The Ignorance of police is ... well.. Ignorant lol

Anyways.. A 21 year old would not Run Away. How ridiculous

The step father... She left with a unknown person to go across state lines in an indescribable vehicle without taking anything at 8 p.m..


I would look close at the step father

Good evening Edward -- As I understand, Kaila told both of her parents (mother and stepfather) that she was going to her friend's house -- that girlfriend lives in Alabama but the border, I think, is close -- around 30 minutes.  She went outside and her stepfather went out in the yard in time to see Kaila at the end of the driveway and then get into a black SUV or van.  Kaila left without her purse, clothes or money.  She had her cell phone with her but that is all.  Nothing sounds right about this -- I don't think a 21 year old would leave without any personal items.  Just my thoughts -- and am praying for her and her family.

Thanks Nut for posting her picture. 

[Edward]

1. The Vehicle and Who was driving it are very important at this moment.
2. The Cell phone can be located by the phone company if it is turned on.
3. The friend she was going to meet should know who was driving her there.

[linds1980]

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3139

What happened to Kaila Morris?

October 2, 2009 9:46:00 AM

Kristin Mamrack

     

So shy, Kaila Morris avoided “crowds” of more than two or three people.

So cautious, she would lock the door behind her stepbrother, with whom she shared a condominium in Starkville, when he would leave their residence to walk a very short distance to their mailbox.

And now the family of Morris, 21, is asking what happened to her after she left her family home, got into a vehicle with someone — despite her penchant for only driving herself — without her wallet, purse, identification or medication, and vanished.

Morris, an employee of The Cookie Store in Leigh Mall and part-time student at Mississippi State University, has been missing since Sept. 17. Her family is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone with information about Morris’ location.

“Kaila is shy,” said her mother, Bonnie Williams Morris Triplett, who said she was vacationing in Florida the night her daughter was last seen. “She has a hard time opening up to new people, but once she gets to know you, she’s as loyal as they come.”

Triplett called her daughter a “homebody” and “voracious reader.”

“She’s a kind soul,” she said. “She likes to help others that are in trouble. She loves her (English bulldog) Tonka, her (step) brother, sunsets and the beach.”

Morris also loved her best friend, Labriska Walker, and Walker’s 11-month-old son, to whom she was named godmother.

On the evening of Sept. 17, Morris’ stepfather, Robert “Butch” Triplett Jr., was in his bathroom, near the garage to the family’s ranch-style home off quiet, remote Golding Road, when he heard a vehicle on the gravel driveway approaching the house.

Butch Triplett said his stepdaughter called into the house to tell him her plans and with whom she was leaving, but he couldn’t hear well and didn’t understand everything she said.

“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. “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.”

About 15 minutes after Morris left, Labriska Walker arrived at the Triplett home, looking for Morris, Butch Triplett said, noting Walker wasn’t expecting Morris at her home in Carrollton, Ala., but the two visited each other several times a week, often arriving unannounced.

“I was surprised they were here,” he said, referring to Walker and her son.

Neither Walker nor the Tripletts have cell phone reception at their homes and Morris and Walker did not call each other about the visit.

The family became concerned about Morris’ whereabouts the next afternoon after Bonnie Triplett, still in Florida, chatted with Walker on Walker’s Facebook page.

“It wasn’t until sometime that afternoon, I told Bonnie Kaila was at Labriska’s,” Butch Triplett explained. “Bonnie and Labriska (later) were on Facebook and (Labriska) told her Kaila didn’t show up.”

“I (told Labriska on Facebook) it was a long stay at your house and unusual for (Kaila) not to come back and get Tonka,” Bonnie Triplett remembered. “Right then, we both knew something was wrong.”

About 8 p.m. Sept. 18, Butch Triplett reported Morris missing to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.

The LCSO, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies, with assistance from the Columbus Police Department and authorities in nearby counties, have been investigating Morris’ disappearance, but so far have not released any information.

Morris left her family’s home, which she frequently visited, in a dark-colored van or sport utility vehicle, said Butch Triplett, who did not see the driver or any other passengers.


“I didn’t see them until they were backing up (to near the garage of the house),” he said, noting Morris’ white SUV was parked in front of the garage, which was next to the bathroom he occupied when she left. “I heard someone drive up. I heard someone talking, but I couldn’t distinguish the voice (or whether it was male or female). It sounded like a normal conversation; it didn’t sound like anyone was yelling and screaming. I didn’t understand (what she told me) and I’ve kicked myself, I don’t know how many times, since I didn’t get more information.”

Butch Triplett said he last saw Morris “digging in the right passenger side of her” vehicle, when he went into the bathroom.

Morris’ purse later was found in her vehicle, still parked at the Tripletts’ home, and her wallet was in the house; her cellphone was not recovered, so the family assumes she took it with her.

Additionally, Morris, who suffered the deaths of several close relatives from 2002 to 2007, left behind her anti-depression medication, which she took every day before bedtime, Bonnie Triplett said.

“She had a depression problem,” Morris’ mother said, noting she had a “hard time dealing” with the deaths and saw a psychiatrist.

“She was pretty regular with it,” she added, explaining Morris became irritable and wanted to sleep a lot, if off her medication for several days. “She wasn’t planning on being gone long or she would’ve taken her medication.”

“Kaila was so shy, some people thought she was standoffish and unapproachable,” Bonnie Triplett said. “She was so shy around any new person, she wouldn’t talk.”

“She had some people she opened up to more, but it really just took her (a while),” said Morris’ step-brother, Trey. “Once you got her talking, you can’t get her to stop. But getting her talking is the hardest part.”

“There’s no reason for her to run away,” said Bonnie Triplett, noting Morris owned the condo in Starkville and loved it.

“She had her own place to get away to,” said Morris’ stepbrother, Trey. “It was her own place. She had it the way she wanted it. ‘I love living in Starkville, because you can wear pajamas everywhere’ was her favorite quote. She said that all the time.

“She was not one of those people to walk out of the house with nothing,” he added.

“Usually, when she made the trip to my house, she was in her car,” added Walker, to whom Morris had only taken her mother and step-brother to visit at her home.

“Labriska was planning to move closer to Columbus,” Bonnie Triplett said. “(Kaila) was thrilled Labriska would be so close to her. They were excited about furniture shopping. That was forefront in her mind, how close Labriska would be to her.”

Morris also had plans to babysit for her boss at The Cookie Store, to whom she was a close friend, on Sept. 20, Bonnie Triplett noted.

“She’s very close to her family,” Morris’ mother said. “She is never out of contact with her family. I would talk to her three or four times a day over the phone (or) Facebook. She loved her little job at The Cookie Store. She didn’t have any enemies.

“I can’t think of anybody that would hurt her,” she added, noting Morris had “one ex-boyfriend” with whom she “had problems” but police “ruled him out as a suspect.”

“There have been no leads, no sightings, no pings on her cellphone,” she said, explaining calls to Morris’ cellphone go straight to voicemail and her voicemail box now is full. “She loves animals. She loves to watch the deer and turkeys play around in our yard. She would’ve never left and not come back for Tonka.”

Morris is 5 feet, six inches tall and weighs about 230 pounds; she has a rose tattoo on a left toe, a tattoo of a white and gray wolf head on her right hip and a star and moon tattoo on her lower back.

She has “extremely pale skin” and thick, waist-length dark hair with blond highlights, which she wears “pulled back most of the time,” her mother said, adding Morris’ eyes “change colors” and generally are green or gray.

Morris’ father, Andy Morris, died of leukemia in 2002.

“She was always so cautious,” Butch Triplett said of Morris. “We can’t imagine her leaving with anybody she didn’t know well. 99 percent of the time, if she knew how (her friends and family members) drove, she drove. They’d have left in her car, because she’s a cautious driver.”

Kristin Mamrack is a staff reporter for The Commercial Dispatch

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.wreg.com/sns-ap-ms--missingwoman,0,7322622.story
Volunteers' search in Columbus area yields no sign of missing woman

By Associated Press

5:13 AM CDT, October 5, 2009
COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) — Relatives of a Columbus woman who has been missing since mid-September say volunteer search parties have exhausted all avenues in an effort to find her.

Twenty-one-year-old Kaila Morris has been missing since Sept. 17. She was last seen by her stepfather leaving her parents' home in a dark-colored van or sport utility vehicle with an unknown person.

Morris's uncle tells The Commercial Dispatch that searches have involved about 50 volunteers. A prayer service for Morris was held Saturday.

[linds1980]

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3166

Missing woman's stepfather arrested for child porn, was on probation for attempted sexual battery

October 5, 2009 10:59:00 AM

Dispatch Staff Report


Robert Triplett, the stepfather of a Columbus woman missing since Sept. 17, was arrested Saturday on charges of exploitation of children.

He already had been on non-adjudicated probation from 2003 charges of attempted sexual battery in Jackson County; according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, non-adjudicated probation is reserved for first-time offenders.

Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office officials said a computer obtained from Triplett, 56, of 181 Golding Road in Columbus, during the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Kaila Morris, 21, contained images that “appear to be explicit photos of children under the age of 18.”

LCSO Investigator Tony Cooper, who is leading the investigation into Triplett’s child-pornography charges — but not Morris’ disappearance — said no evidence has been found to suggest Triplett played a role in the mystery surrounding Morris.

“There’s no evidence to lead us to believe that if something happened to (Morris), that (Triplett) was the one. We’re still looking at everybody and every possible thing that may have happened to her,” said Cooper.

Triplett is being held at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center and may appear for a bond hearing today.


The new charges could mean revocation of Triplett's 10-year probation. Upon successful completion of probation, he was to have the 2003 charges dismissed and his record expunged. In 2007, the attempted sexual battery charges were amended to aggravated assault.

The LCSO seized every computer in Tripletts' home following Morris’ disappearance.

“We seized all the computers, all jump drives, anything we felt might have some data on it that could give us a lead to what happened to (Morris),” said Cooper. “We weren’t aimed at just (Triplett’s) computer. Other computers that belonged to friends just happened to be there (in the home). If there were other computers, we seized it.”

The explicit images on Triplett’s computer turned up during scans by the Columbus Police Department forensic crime lab. Triplett was arrested Saturday following a prayer vigil for Morris.

“We felt it was appropriate to wait (to make the arrest),” said Cooper. “In a way, we were hoping Kaila would turn up and we wouldn’t have to drop this second bomb on (the family) at that time.”

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 Robert 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 Williamson Morris Triplett, was vacationing in Florida at the time.

[linds1980]

http://www.wcbi.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1254867769&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2,4&

06 Oct 2009 05:22pm | Posted by Siobhan Riley | Local News, Crime
Search For Kaila Morris Continues

It's been nearly three weeks since 21-year old Kaila Morris went missing, but investigators stop short of calling her stepfather a suspect, even though he's in jail on other charges, including probation violation for an aggravated assault in South Mississippi that started out as a attempted sexual battery.
 
Investigators have been focusing on several locations is Southeastern Lowndes County.

In a separate incident that WCBI News told you about earlier, Kaila's stepfather, 56-year old Robert Tripplett Junior remains in the Lowndes County Jail following his arrest Saturday on charges of possession of child pornography.

WCBI News asked investigators if that information leads them to believe that he may know about Kaila's disappearance.
   
Search crews don't have many leads as to where 21-year old Kaila Morris may be.

Investigators say she was supposed to be on her way to her best friend's house but never made it.
     
The information they do have doesn't even indicate whether or not she's still alive.

"We don't know what her status is right now.  We have some new locations that came up through some information that we obtained yesterday, we had some investigators out there walking through the properties and seeing what evidence we can find," said Detective Tony Cooper.

Detectives were scanning computers that belonged to the family and friends hoping to find some answers.
   
While scanning a computer that belonged to Kaila's step father, Robert Tripplett, they found explicit pictures of children, WCBI asked investigators if that lead them to believe that Tripplett may know more than he's saying.
   
"When this first all came about, Mr. Tripplett, from what we know was the last person to see Kaila when she left, the investigation at that point would lead you to look at him, I don't know if at that point you could actually classify him as a suspect," Cooper added.

Tripplett's criminal history dates back to 1997, he was originally convicted of forcible rape and sentenced to six years in Louisiana in 2001.

The victim refused to return to court to testify and the charges were reduced to simple battery.
   
In the meantime, investigators are asking for your help, if you have any information about Kaila Morris, you're asked to call crime stoppers or the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office.

[linds1980]

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3212

Triplett denied bond, held for probation violation

October 7, 2009 10:04:00 AM

Dispatch Staff Report

Robert Triplett, the stepfather of missing Lowndes County woman Kaila Morris, was denied bond Tuesday in Lowndes County Justice Court after being arrested Saturday on charges of exploitation of children.

Justice Court Judge Peggy Phillips denied Triplett bond due to a hold on Triplett imposed by the Mississippi Department of Corrections stemming from a 2003 charge of attempted sexual battery. The charge, filed in Jackson County, was amended to aggravated assault in 2007, but Triplett remained on 10 years probation.

“If (MDOC) release(s) the hold, he would be entitled to a bond,” said Phillips.

Triplett, who was not accompanied by a lawyer at Tuesday’s hearing, must meet with his probation officer to determine why he violated his probation, she explained. A revocation hearing before the sentencing judge will determine whether Triplett will serve time for the 2003 charge due to the recent violation.

Phillips says such revocation hearings typically do not take place immediately following a violation of probation.

[PookyBear]

Edward -- I owe you an apology -- I thought no way but I am very concerned now. 

http://myweb.cableone.net/columbuspacket/

[Edward]

Thanks for the link Pooky.. No apology as it was just my opinion. I could have been wrong.
Of Course I had no way of knowing any of this info at the time. I was basing my first thought and I was shooting from the hip based on his explanations surrounding his last sight of his step daughter.
quote:
He said that on the evening of Sept. 17 she was with him at the Triplett house at 181 Golding Road when a vehicle pulled into the driveway. He said that Morris talked to someone in the vehicle and then put her head through the back door of the house and said that she was going with the person to see her best friend, Labriska Walker, in Carrollton, Ala. Bonnie Morris was vacationing in Florida at this time. Robert Triplett said that he didn’t know if the vehicle that Morris left in was a van or an SUV (because of the way light reflected off the side of the vehicle).

Now I am thinking he had probably attacked her. Her mom covered for him for some reason ? He not wanting another accusation against him.
Now he needs to tell LE where she is located for her mother and all the families sake.

[linds1980]

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3392

Triplett remains in jail on probation hold

October 20, 2009 9:23:00 AM

Dispatch Staff Report

COLUMBUS — Robert Triplett, stepfather of missing Lowndes County woman Kaila Morris, remains in the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center awaiting his hearing for violation of probation.

Triplett was arrested Oct. 3 by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office on charges of exploitation of children. The arrest stemmed from pornographic images of minors retrieved from family computers during the course of the LCSO’s investigation into Morris’ disappearance.

LCSO Investigator Tony Cooper says the office has yet to receive a subpoena for Triplett to appear for a hearing. Triplett remains on probation following a 2003 sexual battery charge, which was reduced to aggravated assault in 2007, in Jackson County. He was denied bond on Oct. 6.

Triplett, 56, of 181 Golding Road in Columbus, was the last person to see Morris, 21, before her disappearance from the Golding Road residence Sept. 17. He was also found guilty of forcible rape in Covington, La., in December 1997 and sentenced to serve six years in prison. Those charges were remanded for rehearing in 2001 and reduced to simple battery; after the victim in the case refused to testify, the charges were dismissed.


Triplett served six months in jail and was ordered to pay the victim a settlement of $50,000.

Cooper is awaiting further reports from the Columbus Police Department crime lab on other computers seized from Triplett’s home.

“There’s another (computer) we’re supposed to be keying in on,” said Cooper.

Pending those reports, Cooper says the case against Triplett has not changed. No evidence has surfaced to directly link Triplett to Morris’ disappearance.

Tony Perkins, lead LCSO investigator on the Morris case, says no significant new information has been discovered to aid in the search for Morris.

[linds1980]

http://www.wcbi.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1256139917&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2&

21 Oct 2009 10:45am | Posted by Siobhan Riley | Local News
What Happened to Kaila Morris?

It's been more than a month since Kaila Morris disappeared and still no answers.
   
When WCBI News last talked with investigators, we asked them if 21-year old Kaila Morris' stepfather, Robert Triplett, Jr., was a suspect in the case.
     
Triplett is in jail following his arrest on child pornography charges.

His criminal history begins in Louisiana in 1997.  Triplett was originally convicted of forcible rape and sentenced to six years.
   
Those charges were reduced to simple battery when the victim refused to return to court.
   
"I know in my heart and my soul that there's only two reasons my daughter wouldn't be with me, or have contacted me, someone has entrapped her or she's with the Lord," said an emotional Bonnie Triplett.

It's been nearly five weeks since Kaila Morris went missing.  Investigators still have very few answers - they can't even say for sure if the 21-year old is still alive.     

Kaila's mom, Bonnie, was so desperate for answers that she contacted a psychic who she says has worked with the FBI and several police departments across the Southeast. 
   
"He said that she's with the Lord and she didn't suffer long."  WCBI News also asked Bonnie if the psychic indicated how she died, "Yes, but I'm not gonna say," Bonnie replied.

So does Robert Triplett have anything to do with the disappearance of his stepdaughter?
     
"I do not believe that he would harm her because of my love for her and I'm not sure that anyone is capable of knowing the feelings that a mother has of her child.  But he knew that she was the most important thing in my life and it  is hard for me to fathom that he would harm her," Bonnie added.

Detectives told WCBI News recently that because Triplett was the last person to see Kaila, they're taking a long look at him.
     
"My husband has never been anything but kind and gentle to anyone in the family," said Bonnie.

Another prayer vigil will be held Friday at 7:00 at the Chapel of Memories at MSU.

If you have any information, you're asked to contact the Lowndes County Sheriff's Department or Crime Stoppers.

The name of the psychic Bonnie contacted is Ron Scarbrough; contact number (865) 539-5375

[Edward]

Bonnie... You are living in denial. mo.

[linds1980]

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3483

Search for Kaila Morris continues
October 24, 2009 11:18:00 PM
Kristin Mamrack

The search continues for a Columbus woman missing since Sept. 17.

Kaila Morris, 21, was last seen by her stepfather, Robert Triplett, leaving the house he shared with her mother, Bonnie Morris Triplett, at 181 Golding Road.

“We’re still looking,” said Lt. Tony Perkins of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating Morris’ disappearance, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies. “We’re still doing property searches. We’re still following up on any leads we get and we’re still talking to people and interviewing folks. We always have hope (she’s alive), until there’s proof otherwise.”

“I understand they had the National Guard helicopters out searching different properties yesterday,” Bonnie Triplett, who was vacationing in Florida when her daughter was last seen by Robert Triplett, said Saturday. “They’re still interviewing people, talking to different people, some of the people she knew in Starkville, but there’s no leads yet that have panned out to anything.

“I am somewhat frustrated with the length of time it’s taking to interview people she knew,” she added. “That’s been a great concern of mine.”

“We have covered several, several areas,” said Kathy Doty, of the GTR K-9 Search Team, which was engaged by the LCSO, to help in the effort to find Morris.

“I have been searching for her since around the 20th when I got called out, and we started searching different locations,” Doty said, declining to offer specifics on search areas.

“I don’t know how much I can say since the investigation is ongoing,” she said.

Doty handles Belgian Malinois dogs specializing in human-remains detection.

Lakota, the dog involved in the Morris case, has found human remains in cases throughout the state. In March, Lakota located the remains of a man later identified as Ted Ward, a 46-year-old, black male, from Louisville, The Winston County Journal reported. According to the paper, the death is being investigated as a homicide.

Most recently, said Doty, Lakota on Jan. 31, found the remains of a woman in Louisville who had been missing since Dec. 4.

The dog also worked on the April drowning case of Taylor Smith, 15, of Smithville, she noted. Smith had gone swimming with friends and apparently was dragged under water by the current; his body was found in the Buttahatchie River in Monroe County.

A part-time Mississippi State University student, who owned a Starkville condominium, Morris also worked at The Cookie Store in Leigh Mall.

Robert Triplett said he saw Morris leave the Golding Road home Sept. 17, in a dark-colored van or sport utility vehicle with an unknown person or people.

Robert Triplett was arrested by the LCSO Oct. 3 on charges of exploitation of children after pornographic images of minors were retrieved from family computers during the course of the investigation into Morris’ disappearance; he remains in the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center awaiting his hearing on violation of probation.

He was denied bond on Oct. 6 and remains on probation following a 2003 sexual battery charge, which was reduced to aggravated assault in 2007, in Jackson County.

Robert Triplett, 56, also was found guilty of forcible rape in Covington, La. in 1997; the charges were remanded for hearing in 2001 and subsequently reduced to simple battery. After the victim refused to testify in the case, the charges were dismissed.

“I’m getting calls every day,” Bonnie Triplett responded, when asked how she’s coping with her daughter’s disappearance. “I’m getting e-mails every day. I’m getting cards every day. I’ve had lots and lots of support from my family and friends. There’s always somebody cooking and bringing me things and trying to keep my mind occupied with visits.

“But it’s extremely, extremely difficult, because you never stop thinking about it, and I can’t describe what it feels like,” she added.

Morris is about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, 230 pounds, with brownish-blond, waist-length hair, green-gray eyes and a rose tattoo on a toe, as well as a tattoo of a white and gray wolf head on her right hip and a star and moon tattoo on her lower back.

“We’ve had a couple calls, but nothing has led to anything,” Perkins said.



Kristin Mamrack is a staff reporter for The Commercial Dispatch

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=4277
A year of change, marred by tragedy
December 31, 2009


(snip)
Kaila Morris

In September, the area turned its attention to 21-year-old Kaila Morris, a New Hope resident and part-time Mississippi State University student who still remains missing.

Morris, 21, was last seen by her stepfather, Robert Warren Triplett Jr., leaving the house he shared with her mother, Bonnie Morris Triplett, at 181 Golding Road. Morris’ mother was vacationing in Florida at the time.

Earlier this month, Robert Triplett Jr., 56, pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges in U.S. District Court.

He was arrested by the LCSO Oct. 3 on charges of exploitation of children after pornographic images of minors were retrieved from family computers during the course of the investigation into Morris’ disappearance; his trial is scheduled for Feb. 1 in Oxford. He is not being investigated in connection with Morris’ disappearance.

The search for Morris continues, but authorities have had few leads and are searching with dogs specially trained in the detection of human remains.

Morris is about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, 230 pounds, with brownish-blond, waist-length hair, green-gray eyes and a rose tattoo on a toe, as well as a tattoo of a white and gray wolf head on her right hip and a star and moon tattoo on her lower back.

Anyone with information on Kaila Morris’ whereabouts should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151, 911 or the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at 662-328-6788. Morris’ family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to her location, 662-251-8833.
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