Carlee Morse Missing Person Case

Dec 04, 2010

Jan 12, 2024

Carlee

Morse

31

16

60 inches

90 lbs

100 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On a warm evening in August 2010, 16-year-old Carlee Jade Morse vanished from her Westland, Michigan, apartment complex. She had asked her mother for permission to step outside to make a phone call and was last seen between midnight and 1:00 a.m. on August 20, 2010. Carlee left without any personal belongings, including her money or purse, and was barefoot, wearing only her pajamas. There was no activity on her cell phone after she disappeared. Standing at 5 feet tall and weighing around 90 pounds, Carlee had brown hair and brown eyes. She had a scar on her left side and a burn scar on the inside of her right ankle. Months went by with no sign of Carlee. Then, in December 2010, a significant break in the case occurred when two local men, Nicholas Jay Cottrell and Justin Lee Yoshikawa, confessed to her murder. Both men knew Carlee, and Yoshikawa had previously been in a relationship with her that ended on bad terms over the summer. According to the confession, this acrimonious breakup led to the plan to end her life. On the night she disappeared, Cottrell lured Carlee into his car with an invitation to smoke marijuana. Hidden under some clothes in the backseat was Yoshikawa. Cottrell drove to an isolated location where Yoshikawa then emerged and strangled Carlee with a dog leash. Following their confessions, both Cottrell and Yoshikawa were charged with first-degree murder. Cottrell's mother was also charged as an accessory after the fact for having knowledge of the murder and not reporting it to the police. In January 2011, Cottrell agreed to a plea deal, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony against Yoshikawa. However, during Yoshikawa's trial in November 2011, Cottrell refused to testify, claiming his confession had been coerced. Despite this, the transcript of his prior testimony was allowed to be read to the jury. Subsequently, Yoshikawa pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 35 to 70 years in prison. Cottrell received a sentence of 20 to 50 years. The two men stated that they wrapped Carlee's body in garbage bags and disposed of it in a trash bin behind a church, but claimed to be unable to recall the exact location due to being under the influence of drugs. Carlee Morse's body has never been found. The case is a somber reminder of a young life cut short, and while convictions were secured, the inability to recover her remains leaves a painful lack of closure for her loved ones.

Aug 20, 2010

Westland

Michigan

Wayne County

Westland

9394

Westland Police Department

Westland

Michigan

Wayne County

48185

Matthew Price

Lt.

36701 Ford Rd, Michigan

7347229600

Local

Law Enforcement

10-6897

Westland Police Department

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/16/2026