Indiana police are still investigating what made a 14-year-old boy run away from his parents after he was forced to wear a T-shirt with a disturbing message and went missing for eight days.
Scottie Dean Morris was last seen leaving his home in the city of Eaton at about 8:30 p.m. on March 16 but was found eight days later after a massive search by law enforcement and volunteers.
Online sleuths heavily criticized the parents of the boy when police initially published the last known photo of the him with a shaved head and a shirt that had phrases calling him a liar as a punishment. Some pointed out that he appeared to be sitting with a backpack behind him in the photograph.
Police called the photograph “disturbing” even as they clarified that the family had been cooperating fully with their investigation.
Eventually, they cropped the photo to cut out the words written on his shirt.
On Saturday, a police officer found the boy walking down the street in Eaton. Media reports say he was wearing the same punishment shirt and the clothing he wore when he left his parents’ home.
Eaton Police Chief Jay Turner released a statement saying that two individuals had been questioned by police but were later released.
“The Department of Child Services is assisting Scottie. The family is continuing to cooperate with every aspect of the investigation,” he added.
Prior to the boy being found, his mother, Felicia Morris, made a tearful plea to television cameras.
“Scott, I love you and I want you to come home,” she said. “And I know that you’re mad and confused. I’m afraid that you’re scared of all this. Everyone is out looking for you and we’re not trying to scare you.”
A Facebook group started by the boy’s aunt was shut down because of the hatred the family received from critics.
“This group will be taken down because of the trolls and evil people that just can’t shut their big mouths, again to the people that supported our family a huge thanks,” wrote Melissa Morris May.
“To the trolls and haters kiss my a**and crawl back in your holes,” she added.
Here’s a local news report about the Morris news:
Indiana community searches for teen missing for dayswww.youtube.com
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