Slain mother remembered

BUTNER -- Family and friends of Kelly Currin Morris said goodbye to the young Granville County mother of two, more than 14 months after she left their lives.

As many as 500 people crowded into the chapel of Bible Baptist Church in Butner to attend a memorial service for Morris, 28, whose remains were found Nov. 17 in a 900-acre tract where dogs chase coyotes and foxes for sport.

"We're stunned," the Rev. Keith Williams said. "We're heartbroken."

Many of those who attended had helped in a more than yearlong search for Morris. The effort was spearheaded by her father, Pat Currin, who spent much of his spare time looking for any traces of his missing daughter.

Few at Saturday's service noted surprise as to who police think is responsible for Morris' death and disappearance. Her husband, William "Scott" Morris, 35, was arrested the same day Kelly Morris' remains were found. He's now jailed, facing charges of first-degree murder and arson.

After Kelly Morris didn't show up at her Raleigh workplace Sept. 4, 2008, suspicion quickly rested on her husband. Her stepmother was the last to see her the night before.

The couple's home outside of Stem on Tump Wilkins Road burned the morning of Sept. 4 - a blaze that nearly gutted the home and was quickly ruled by authorities to be arson. Kelly Morris' car was then found close to her home, with her purse and cell phone inside - seemingly ruling out the chance that the young mother had left of her own choosing.

Speculation settled on Scott Morris, who was named a person-of-interest in the case within weeks of Kelly Morris' disappearance. The couple had been having marital problems and discussed a divorce, according to a police affidavit in the case.

Williams urged those at the service not to feel guilty or rehash what they could have done differently to prevent Morris' death.

"Don't blame yourself for something that someone else obviously did," Williams said.

Saturday's service had no further mention or allusion to Scott Morris.

Kelly Morris' name on the service's program was listed as Kelly Elizabeth Currin, her married name missing and her date of death set at Sept. 3, 2008.

A photo montage of Kelly Morris flashed images of her throughout her life, as a smiling infant to an adult with her own children. Not one picture showed her with her husband, as the images scrolled on a large screen displayed behind the hundreds who lined up to offer their condolences to the family at the end of the service.

Morris' two daughters, Taylor, 8, and Haley, 6, attended the services and stood in front of a picture of their long-haired, brunette mother as family, friends and well-wishing strangers commented on how much the girls look like their mother.

Taylor, born out of a previous relationship, has been living with her father while Haley is now with Pat Currin, Kelly's father.

The future of the two girls was on the minds of many who attended Saturday's memorial service.

"They've got a bunch of mothers," said Judy Sanders, a Durham woman who works with Taylor's father. "It's not the same, but they have a lot of people that love them."

A fund to benefit Morris' children has been set up. Checks made out to "Fund for Kelly's Kids" can be mailed to Edwards Jones Investments, P.O. Box 806, Creedmoor, NC 27522.