SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Helen Ann Morgan worked at the National Cash Register Company in Fayetteville, Georgia. Described as a conscientious person by those who knew her, she was last seen by her mom on Mother’s Day in 1984.
The next day, she was reported missing. Her vehicle was discovered days later abandoned at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport’s south terminal parking lot.
To date, she is the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s oldest reported unsolved missing persons case.
Missing and unidentified persons have been called the nation’s silent mass disaster. According to the World Population Review, there are currently around 2500 people missing in the state of Georgia but the numbers are ever changing.
Should you know someone who goes missing, follow the United States Department of Justice’s advice to act immediately by calling local law enforcement.
Officials from the Savannah Police Department say the sooner you report, the sooner they can investigate the claim and develop a plan of action. You don’t have to wait 24 hours before reaching out to them.
Savannah Police will send an officer to take a report. During this process, it is important to make sure officers are given as much information as possible and include two or three recent photos.
Also, provide a good physical description identifying features like tattoos, scars, birth marks, etc. that would positively identify a person. It’s also important to let the police know about any medical conditions or handicaps.
A list of places they frequent and vehicle with a tag number if the person may be in that vehicle is should also be along with details regarding their last known location, date, time and clothing description.
The case will then be assigned to a detective for further investigation, where detectives may question witnesses, perform background checks and use a number of investigative techniques, including surveillance, to locate the whereabouts of a missing person.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, if your child is missing the following steps should be taken:
- Immediately call your local law enforcement agency.
- Call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
- If your child is missing from home, search through closets, piles of laundry, in and under beds, inside large appliances, vehicles (including trunks) and anywhere else they may crawl or hide.
- If a child cannot be found in a store, notify the store manager or security office. Then, immediately call your local law enforcement agency. Most stores have a Code Adam plan of action in place.
It’s important to be ready to provide law enforcement with your child’s name, date of birth, height, weight and description of any other unique identifiers such as eyeglasses and braces. Tell them when you noticed your child was missing and what clothing he or she was wearing.
Also, request law enforcement authorities to immediately enter your child’s name and identifying information into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center Missing Person file.
“We can geo-target missing posters to specific areas very quickly,” said Patti Davis of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “It’s hard for parents to remember what their kids are wearing on any given day, but that information can be very helpful.”
She continued: “We’ve also done an analysis of attempted abductions, which taught us the kinds of lures abductors use, when and where kids are most vulnerable and what kids did to get away safely (KidSmartz). Non-family abductions (we no longer call them stranger abductions) like the case of Elizabeth Smart are very rare.”
Regarding prevention, Davis said parents also need to be aware of internet dangers. “Children are being enticed to meet an abductor through the internet,” she added.
Resources
To see the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s missing persons list in full, or for more information about Helen Ann Morgan, visit this link.
Information about the KidSmartz program and prevention tips can be found at missingkids.org.
For resources on NetSmartz and digital safety, click or tap here.
To download a checklist of actions to be taken by families in the initial stages of a missing child case, visit this link. For questions, call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
