Kriti Mehrotra
When 27-year-old father of one Morgan Duncan went missing on November 28, 2023, it left the entire community of Richland County, South Carolina, baffled to the very core. That’s because, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Missing: Dead or Alive’ season 2, despite his reported issues with substance abuse and a diagnosis of schizophrenia, it was uncharacteristic of him to disappear suddenly. Therefore, when the nickname/street name of Altariq “Jersey” Cuffie kept appearing during the ensuing investigations, officials had to look into it to cover all their bases.
Altariq “Jersey” Cuffie Reportedly Has an Extensive Criminal History
Altariq Cuffie was born around the 1970s. He was thus in his early 50s when the Richland County Sheriff’s Department initiated their inquiries into Morgan’s case, only to discover that they had been seen together in the days leading up to the fateful date. According to records, the incident occurred in the 200 block of Springtree Drive in Columbia, where the 27-year-old lived, and several other residents were concerned about criminal activity. As per reports, this block was mostly managed by a non-profit helping vulnerable people live independently, but a few such individuals had complained that two men were forcefully invading their homes. The residents alleged the men were reportedly physically violent and always armed with a weapon, so they were afraid to contact the police but informed the non-profit.
When local detectives uncovered the same following Morgan’s disappearance, they were able to schedule interviews, which led to the possible revelation that one of the men was allegedly named Jersey. They were almost immediately able to identify Jersey as Altariq Cuffie, a fellow Springtree area resident who had indeed been seen with the missing father of one in the days preceding November 28, 2023. However, what concerned officials most was his alleged criminal history, spanning at least 30 pages over several decades and multiple states, making him a person of interest. According to the show, some of the charges against him have been of aggravated assault, attempted murder, drug dealing, escape, and resisting arrest, among others.
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Altariq “Jersey” Cuffie is Currently Under State Supervision
Even though investigators had quickly identified Jersey as a person of interest, according to the show, it took them a while to track him down because he hadn’t returned to Springtree since Morgan’s disappearance. It was only when he was accused of aggravated assault in an unrelated case in a nearby area that he was finally arrested. Yet, he vehemently maintained he had no connection to the missing case. He asserted that Morgan was his friend, but it wasn’t until later that he agreed to talk and led investigators to the latter’s neighbor, James Kelly, before incriminating Julivia Waller and Eric Greene.
It turns out that James and Jersey were both witnesses to Morgan’s homicide at the hands of Eric in James’ apartment, following which Julivia’s vehicle was reportedly used to move his remains. The former two men gave almost identical accounts without really even knowing one another, with Jersey reiterating that Morgan was his friend because he had been allowing him to live at his place rent-free for a while. In the end, in 2025, while Julivia was acquitted on the charge of accessory after the fact, Eric was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 57 years in prison.
As for Jersey, it appears as if he was convicted of the assault charge against him because he was reportedly incarcerated at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia until November 19, 2025. In other words, the 52-year-old is now out of custody and under the supervision of the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, & Pardon Services, which will continue until February 11, 2027. He is expected to remain in Richland County, South Carolina, for at least the next year and a half without violating any laws; if he does, he will be required to return to prison.
