John Morris, Missing July 30, 2007 MD.
Search continues for missing gay Maryland man April 25, 2008 Efforts are growing to find a gay Maryland man who disappeared last year following a breakup with his partner. John Morris was last seen July 30 leaving a friend’s home in Dickerson, Md., a town of about 2,000 people 45 miles northwest of Washington. His family and friends are working this spring to expand their search along the eastern seaboard. Madeline Morris, the man’s mother, said she’s relying on help from the public. “I just wish if they knew where he was, just to have him call me to let me know he’s OK,” she said. Jeanette Wright, a Montgomery County police spokesperson, said investigators consider the case active, but have “no new information” to pursue. Madeline Morris said her son, who deserted his vehicle and pets following the breakup, has attention deficit disorder and had exhausted his medication the night he disappeared. “I’m afraid that he might be suicidal,” she said. “And if he doesn’t have his medication, he self-medicates with alcohol or illegal drugs.” Madeline Morris said her son has not used his credit card or cell phone since he disappeared. She said her son could be in Maryland, where he lived before disappearing, New Jersey, his home state, Florida, where he has friends, or Arizona, which he visited shortly before his disappearance. “I have not heard anything,” she said. “And he used to call me at least once or twice a week.” John Morris is 6 feet tall and weighs 175 pounds. His left ear is pierced, and he has tattoos of a serpentine creature on his right forearm and a scorpion on his left shoulder. Tips can be reported to Montgomery County investigators at 301-840-2407. More information about John Morris is available online at www.findjohnmorris.com. http://washblade.com/2008/4-25/news/localnews/12464.cfm

Police Seek the Public’s Assistance Locating a Missing Man from Poolesville 1/11/2008 Detectives from the Montgomery County Police 5th District Investigative Section have been investigating the disappearance of John James Morris, Jr., and are now asking for the public’s assistance. Mr. Morris was last seen on Monday, July 30, 2007 between 3:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. at his residence in the 24000 block of Whites Ferry Road in Poolesville, Maryland. His personal vehicle was left at his residence. He was reported missing to police on August 23, 2007. Morris is described as a white male, age 38, 6’1” tall, weighing 180 pounds, with graying brown hair, hazel/brown eyes, and a medium complexion. At the time of his disappearance, he may have been wearing a red fleece jacket. Additional identifying characteristics include: a pierced left ear, a tattoo of a panther on his right forearm, a tattoo of a scorpion on his left shoulder, a scar on the calf of one leg, and he has caps on his teeth. Morris has a medical condition and may need medication. He has been diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and he has exhibited suicidal tendencies in the past. Morris has previously resided in the 4300 block of Massachusetts Avenue in Washington D.C. He has been listed as an endangered missing person in law enforcement’s National Crime Institute Computer (NCIC) system. Anyone who has information about John James Morris, Jr. is asked to call the 5th District Investigative Section at (301) 840-2347, or the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000. http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Apps/Police/News/NA_details.asp?NaID=3801

Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008 Search intensifies for missing Poolesville man Morris last seen in July by Meghan Tierney | Staff Writer John James Morris, 38, was last seen in the driveway at the home he shared with his boyfriend on Whites Ferry Road on July 30. Morris and his boyfriend had recently ended their 12-year relationship. His family contacted Montgomery County Police and reported Morris missing Aug. 23 after he missed several of their weekly telephone conversations. Morris is described as white, 6 feet tall and 185 pounds with brown eyes, graying brown hair, a tattoo of a snake on his right forearm and a tattoo of a scorpion on his left shoulder. A talented painter, he may be working as a landscaper, a handyman or a glazier. The Maryland Missing Persons Network, a Web-based volunteer organization that helps locate missing persons, sent out a press release asking for help in locating Morris on Jan. 9 after getting in touch with his mother over her MySpace page, which is dedicated to finding her son, according to network coordinator Kylen Johnson. The Maryland Missing Persons Network also has a MySpace page. ‘‘I just got to talking to her and was surprised hadn’t sent out a press release or anything,” she said last week. County police sent out a media statement asking for the public’s help in locating Morris on Friday. In Montgomery County, the investigating detective decides whether a missing person case warrants a press release, said Cpl. Jimmy Robinson, a spokesman for county police. He said there are no criteria for making that determination. http://findjohnmorris.web.officelive.com/Documents/Search%20intensifies%20for%20missing%20Poolesville%20man.wps.htm

Family of missing Dickerson man issues community plea by Meghan Tierney | Staff Writer The family of a Dickerson man who has been missing for nearly six months is asking the community to help them find their son. A neighbor of John James Morris, 38, last saw him on July 30, standing at the edge of the driveway at the home he shared with his boyfriend on Whites Ferry Road around 11 p.m., according to Cpl. Jimmy Robinson, a Montgomery County Police spokesman, and a Maryland Missing Persons Network press release. Morris’ parents, who live in New Jersey, filed a missing person report on Aug. 23 after he began missing their weekly telephone conversations, Robinson said. According to the statement, Morris had recently ended a 12-year relationship with his live-in boyfriend, who his mother, Madeline Morris, said was staying at the couple’s Washington, D.C., condo at the time. ‘‘It’s not like him not to call,” said Morris in a telephone interview with The Gazette. She described her son as friendly and easy-going. John Morris had recently returned to Maryland after a weeklong trip to New Jersey, and he was planning to go back after retrieving his belongings, Madeline Morris said. When she last spoke to her son on July 30, he told her that somebody was coming to pick him up. The neighbor who last saw John Morris told police that he appeared to be waiting for a ride, Robinson said. Morris, who has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and a history of depression, sounded distressed during their last telephone conversation, Madeline Morris said. ‘‘He was just not like himself,” she said. ‘‘He was angry and depressed. He was just hallucinating.” No one has reported hearing from or seeing Morris since, Robinson said. All of his belongings, including his truck and his dog, were at the home when police checked in, Madeline Morris said. The Maryland Missing Persons Network, a volunteer organization that helps locate missing persons, describes John Morris as 6 feet tall and 185 pounds with brown eyes, graying brown hair, a tattoo of a snake on his right forearm and a tattoo of a scorpion on his left shoulder. A talented painter, he may be working as a landscaper, a handyman or a glazier, according to the statement. Anyone with information about Morris is asked to call county police Det. Rod Stephens at 301-840-2650. http://findjohnmorris.web.officelive.com/Documents/Family%20of%20missing%20Dickerson%20man%20issues%20community%20plea.htm

6-month-long search for man continues Originally published January 10, 2008 By Sonia Boin News-Post Staff Anyone with information about John Morris or his whereabouts should call Montgomery County Police Detective Roderick Stephens at 301-840-2650. POOLESVILLE -- It's been six months since a 38-year-old man with a history of depression and alcoholism vanished from the Poolesville home he shared with his partner of 14 years. John Morris left the home in the 24000 block of White's Ferry Road at 11 p.m. July 30, shortly after he broke up with his partner, whom police said was verbally abusive. "He had an altercation with his boyfriend, and he asked him to leave," said Montgomery County Police Detective Roderick Stephens. "At this point, there's definitely foul play or possibly suicide," Stephens said. "He could be anywhere between here and New Jersey." That's where his parents live and where Morris was supposed to be heading. When he didn't show up or call, his mother, Madeline Morris, reported him missing. That was three weeks after he disappeared from the driveway where he was last seen, apparently waiting for a ride, according to Stephens. "She thought he might have stayed with friends," Stephens said. "She didn't know when he was leaving." Police Cpl. Jimmy Robinson is a public information officer at the Montgomery County headquarters. "Morris was estranged from his family, but they spoke on the phone once a week," he said. "His parents told us their son was in a verbally abusive relationship." Stephens, the lone detective on the case, said "we've checked every place he had been in for alcohol treatment and the hospitals. It's just kind of weird -- six months." But, the detective said, "If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be." Robinson said officers went to the home to check on Morris' welfare after a neighbor saw him standing in his driveway. When police got there, Morris was gone, but his white pickup truck bearing New Jersey tags was still there. Robinson said Morris' significant other was not in town at the time Morris went to the house to gather his belongings. That done, the spokesman said it looked like Morris was waiting for a ride, but police don't know if he was picked up or took off on foot and possibly hitch-hiked. Robinson said Morris is suicidal and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He had no medication for depression with him when he left. Kylen Johnson, of Clarksburg, Maryland Missing Persons Coordinator, asked for help in publicizing the case. She said Morris is 6 feet tall and 185 pounds. He has a large tattoo of a snake on his right forearm and a tattoo of a scorpion on his left shoulder. His hair is graying brown and his eyes are light brown. Johnson said Morris is a talented artist who is very outgoing and makes friends easily. He may be working as a landscaper or a handyman. He is also a glazier who can repair broken car windows. http://findjohnmorris.web.officelive.com/Documents/6-month-long%20search%20for%20man%20continues.htm

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009 Search continues for missing Dickerson man after two years Morris disappeared after unusual behavior by Meghan Tierney | Staff Writer The family of a Dickerson man who was last heard from more than two years ago is still searching for answers. John James Morris, 39, was last seen seemingly waiting for a ride in the driveway at the home he had shared with his boyfriend, who he recently ended a 12-year relationship with, on Whites Ferry Road on July 30, 2007. Morris had returned to the house to pick up personal items after a weeklong trip. "He just disappeared into the night," his mother Madeline Morris of New Jersey said. Morris' family reported him missing in August after he missed several of his regular weekly phone calls, his mother said. He left all of his belongings, including his truck and dog, behind. "You pray a lot, you cry a lot, it's just always on your mind," Morris said, describing her son as warm and funny and an animal lover and talented artist. "There's no closure. If he's dead, at least you have closure, at least you know. You're hanging in limbo." Morris has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a history of depression and had run out of his medication, his mother said. He was "hallucinating," "paranoid" and told his mother the FBI had been watching him, she said. "He told me he was going back to God and the FBI was picking him up," Morris said, adding that the behavior was unusual for her son "… He said he was going away for a while and that he'd call me to send him some clothes, but he never did." A secretary for Morris' former boyfriend, a federal government employee, had told Morris she would contact the FBI if he continued calling the office, his mother said she later learned. The boyfriend had been verbally abusive during their relationship, she said. The North Carolina-based nonprofit CUE Center for Missing Persons, an advocacy group that also assists with search and recovery and specializes in cold cases, recently took up the family's cause and included Morris in the 104 missing person cases it is publicizing this summer. The group focuses mostly on missing adults, whose disappearances are often not given as much attention by police and the media, according to founder Monica Caison. "The perception people have is that if you're an adult you have the right to go missing, but that needs to be modified — you don't have the right to go missing and not notify someone," Caison said, adding that men who go missing have an especially difficult time getting attention. "…The majority of missing adults don't walk out on their lives, they've been abducted or something's happened. It's not taken as seriously and it creates a lag time where nothing gets done." Morris' disappearance is one of the center's more serious cases, Caison said, an assessment that's reached after talking to the families since they know the missing person best. "That's one thing that his mother had shared, that something's really wrong," she said. Morris is described as white, 6 feet tall and 185 pounds with brown eyes, graying brown hair, a tattoo of a snake on his right forearm and a tattoo of a scorpion on his left shoulder. He has scars on his right calf and his left ear is pierced. For more information, visit www.findjohnmorris.com. Anyone with information is asked to call Montgomery County Police at 240-773-6239 http://findjohnmorris.web.officelive.com/Documents/John%20Morris%20Article%2008-26-09.htm

John's Website http://www.findjohnmorris.com/