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Fishermen find skull in Lake Guntersville in February
Posted: Friday, April 8, 2011 3:44 pm
By Elizabeth Summers |
education@sandmountainreporter.com | 0 comments
Following up on leads in a missing person case is extremely frustrating, especially if the missing is a personal family friend.
Boaz Police Chief Terry Davis knows all too well those feelings of frustration as he has tried to solve the disappearance of 24-year-old Christy Morrison Garrard, missing since Aug. 14, 1998.
Fishermen found a human skull in late February while fishing in Lake Guntersville. Shortly after the find, Davis and his investigators were asked to supply case information on the two thus-unsolved missing persons cases in his jurisdiction in the hopes the skull belongs to one of the missing women.
We've had probably 3,000 leads on Christys case, Davis said. What we are hoping to do is No. 1, find out what happened to her. No. 2, find her. And, maybe most importantly, No. 3, is to give the family a final sense of closure.
Weve checked out leads from all over the state and the region. But weve done that on the other missing person as well.
The second missing person is Peggy Mock, missing since Christmas Day, 1992. The 55-year-old woman was reportedly last seen in Guntersville, but sightings have also been reported in Gadsden.
Davis said anytime a body is found, police search nationwide for a missing person matching the age, description and other distinguishing features, Davis said.
We got a teletype from Guam the other day, he said. They fingerprinted someone and it was within the range of matches for one of our missing persons cases.
We have to follow up on it. That is our job.
Garrard is the daughter of former Boaz Fire Chief Olan Morrison. Morrison worked closely with Davis through the city and the men and their families are friends. I know they put up a tombstone at the cemetery so they would have somewhere to go, even though they dont have a body to put in there yet, Davis said.
They are friends of mine. What they have been through is amazing. Knowing them makes this case all the more important to us. We havent given up on finding her and we wont give up.
Right now, we dont know who the skull belongs to.
Davis said the skull has been turned over to the Department of Forensic Sciences in Huntsville where scientists will compare it with dental records provided by the Morrison family. Davis said there is no timetable for results to be announced, although he hopes they come sooner rather than later.
