Kriti Mehrotra
Morgan Duncan was a 27-year-old father of one when he suddenly disappeared without a trace on November 28, 2023, leaving his family and his entire community shaken to the core. As chronicled in Netflix’s ‘Missing: Dead or Alive’ season 2, his mother, LaTanza Duncan, was the one to report him missing within a few days, worried because he was also diagnosed with schizophrenia. All she wanted were some answers, but she was obviously still heartbroken upon learning in February 2024 that her baby boy had been murdered, with his remains not being found until June 2024.
LaTanza Duncan Was Arguably Morgan Duncan’s Biggest Supporter
Morgan Pressley Duncan was born on February 1, 1996, in the Midlands of South Carolina to LaTanza Duncan and Rodney Duncan. His mother actually often described him as “one of the sweetest, kindest people you’d ever meet,” who had the power to brighten up any room he walked into with his “beautiful, infectious smile.” The fact that they were able to maintain a close relationship even as he grew older was something she adored too, especially after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia while attending the University of South Carolina as a pharmacy major, because he had to drop out.
The family reportedly came together in the ensuing years, and Morgan was then able to live independently, which led him to move to Springtree Drive in Columbia with the help of a non-profit. Even though he moved, his bond with his mother was so strong that they spoke on the phone several times a day, every day. So, when he suddenly went radio silent after November 28, 2023, she grew worried. She reported him missing within a few days, detailing how much he meant to her, his mental health diagnosis, and the urgency with which he needed his medications, but to no avail.
The investigators did their best to look into the matter, but it was still a “nightmare” for LaTanza and the family because they just wanted to know what happened to him and bring him home as quickly as possible. But alas, on February 1, 2024, one of Morgan’s so-called friends was arrested for his murder, meaning the family’s worst nightmares had become a reality. They were grateful for all the hard work done by the sheriff’s department, which helped them achieve a sense of closure, yet it was definitely not the outcome they had hoped for. It’s also imperative to note that despite the arrest, LaTanza couldn’t hold a funeral for her son until June 2024, seven months after he had gone missing, because that’s when his remains were ultimately recovered from a wooded area half a mile away from his apartment.
Related
LaTanza Duncan Continues to Keep Her Son’s Legacy Alive
When Morgan’s remains were found, LaTanza candidly revealed, “I wrote this obituary. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it’s done. I brought him into this world, and I want to help lower him back to the earth… I don’t wish this on anyone, but perhaps it will help (me) somehow.” Thus, it comes as no surprise that she, along with several loved ones, attended the court hearings for Eric “Easy” Greene’s 2025 murder trial to showcase that Morgan was and continues to be loved to this day. She even gave a victim impact statement during his sentencing hearing after conviction, stating, “May God have mercy on you as you pay for what you did, but you don’t get the right to be among us anymore.” After her, Rodney added that the family hopes for the maximum sentence.
Since then, LaTanza has made it clear that she wants to do more to protect vulnerable people, like her son, from those who won’t hesitate to take advantage of them. She wants to do it in Morgan’s name to carry on his legacy, and she plans on figuring out a way to make it happen soon by expanding on the non-profit/philanthropic experience she already has. After all, the University of South Carolina graduate has served as the Senior Director of Corporate Relations at the American Heart Association from 2005 to 2012. Then, she served as the Chief Advancement Officer at the Midlands, South Carolina, chapter of Girl Scouts until 2019, and is now the proud Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts at the University of South Carolina. In other words, she is a force to be reckoned with in the non-profit organization management industry.
