Police: Carr's death 'suspicious'

LAP — Since the early morning hours of May 4, when the body of Morgan Carr, 26, was found dead on a dark rural road about a mile from his home in Oregon Township, the County Sheriff's Department Lapeer County. Jason Parks worked the case almost exclusively to determine the cause of her death.

Carr's body was found in the southbound lane of Marathon Road, just west of Oregon City Hall. In 28 years of investigating, Parks said he has never seen anything like the “unusual” circumstances surrounding Carr's death.

Parks said features of the scene where Carr's body was found are not consistent with a pedestrian-vehicle collision.

“There were no signs of skidding. There was no debris from a vehicle as is usually found at an accident scene. No plastic from the lights or other parts, no nothing,” Parks said.

Autopsy results, Parks said, indicated the cause of death was injury to a vital organ (the liver). “His body was intact. He had no broken bones, there was no blood. The type of injuries are not consistent with a vehicle collision,” Parks said.

“That’s why we’re calling this a suspicious death.” That’s how we investigate,” said Parks, who said he and other investigators interviewed more than 20 people, including members of Carr’s family, to try to piece together the circumstances of his death.

Toxicology results will likely take a few more weeks to know what substances were in Carr's body.

Parks said the last confirmed sighting of Carr was at 12:28 a.m., while his body was reported at 1:36 a.m. “He died somewhere within that hour and 8 minutes,” Parks said. The call to 911 Central Dispatch came from a woman who was on her way to work and had swerved into something in the road.

“She stopped in the road and called 911 to report that there was something in the road that she saw out of the corner of her eye that might be a body,” Parks said.

According to the investigation, Parks said Carr was hanging out together earlier in the evening and then was taken with two friends to Amy's Place in Columbiaville, where there allegedly was a verbal exchange between Carr and someone at the bar. “There was no physical assault, but there was some sort of verbal disagreement after which he (Carr) said he was going to walk home,” Parks said. “This case has more questions than answers. So much is very unusual… We are working closely with the family who cooperated. Ultimately, we want the same thing. To find out what caused Carr's death.

The distance from the bar to where Carr's body was found is 4.8 miles. Carr wore blue jeans and a light gray button-up shirt. On him were his identity card and a cell phone.

“There was immediate activity on the phone after he left (the bar),” Parks said. The phone was sent to a Michigan State Police crime lab for further forensic investigation.

Parks said that in addition to interviews, he and investigators reviewed camera surveillance (security, doorbell cameras, etc.), including that from an Oregon City Hall camera.

“This was a priority investigation. In my 28 years of existence, I have never seen these kinds of circumstances,” Parks said. “This did not fit the common characteristics of a vehicle collision. It could be several more things. I'm not ruling anything out at this stage.

Parks is asking for the public's help in the investigation, particularly anyone who may have been driving on Marathon Road between Klam and Mt. Morris roads during the time Carr may have been walking along the road.

Interviews, Parks said, indicated that one person saw Carr walking down the center of the road while another person reported seeing Carr walking along Marathon Road.

“Some vehicles are now equipped with on-board cameras which may have recorded something. We have videos now (of the houses, of the town hall), but we will definitely welcome more,” Parks said.

Carr's aunt, Daneille Carr-Deming, started a gofundme campaign to raise money to help find the person responsible for her nephew's death. “An investigation is open and we have hope and faith that it will be resolved. We know nothing can bring him back, but we want to offer a reward in the hope that someone can speak out because the coward who left him on the path to death has not come forward,” she posted. “As a family, we don’t want money. We want accountability. If the problem is resolved without help, we will do something positive with the money to benefit others. Our family and everyone who loved Morgan thank you in advance for your support. This young man meant the world to all of us and was loved by everyone who met him…he deserves justice.

A public celebration of life in Carr's honor was held May 10 at the Metamora Golf & Country Club. Memorials may be made to the family and will be sent to the Lapeer County Intermediate School District Building Trades Program at the Lapeer County Education and Technology Center in Attica Township.

If anyone has video or information that could help investigators, call Parks at 810-656-1015.