In the autumn of 1989, a young man named Alan Lee Morse was home in Austell, Georgia, on a temporary leave from his duties. At just 19 years old, Alan was serving as an Air Traffic Controller for the U.S. Navy, stationed at the Naval Air Station in Bermuda. His visit to Cobb County was a chance to reconnect with the family with whom he shared an unusually close relationship. As his leave came to an end in October, Alan prepared for his return to the naval base. In his final moments at home, he told his mother he would see her again at Christmas before he departed. That same night, the sense of normalcy was shattered when Alan’s father received a phone call from the naval base in Bermuda; Alan had never arrived as scheduled.
The initial hours of concern quickly gave way to a confusing and distressing revelation.
Alan’s parents soon discovered that he had told his mother that his father would be taking him to the airport, while telling his father that his mother was providing the ride. This inconsistency led to the immediate assumption that Alan had chosen to leave, and the Navy consequently listed him as Absent Without Leave. This theory was bolstered when it was learned that Alan had confided in a friend about being unhappy with his military service and had contemplated deserting. Because Alan was an adult and there was no immediate evidence to suggest he was in danger, early attempts by his family to report him as a missing person were met with reluctance from law enforcement. For many years, his case was not officially recognized as a missing person investigation.
Devastated and without official support for years, Alan's family took matters into their own hands, hiring a private detective to search for answers. The investigator uncovered a crucial piece of information: after leaving his parents' house, Alan had met up with a friend. This friend confirmed that he had driven Alan to a local bus station, which is the last known sighting of the young serviceman. It wasn't until 2007, nearly two decades after he was last seen, that the Cobb County Police Department officially filed a missing person report. In an act of compassion, the Navy later advised Alan's family that should he reappear, he would not face prosecution for his AWOL status. The case of Alan Lee Morse remains a painful mystery, defined by the conflicting evidence of a planned departure and the uncharacteristic silence that followed, leaving his loved ones to wonder whether he started a new life or if his journey ended in tragedy.Last Seen: Oct 1, 1989
