Kriti Mehrotra
It was November 2023 when everything turned upside down for a local South Carolina family, as 27-year-old Morgan Pressley Duncan suddenly disappeared without a trace. He was a vulnerable young man owing to his mental health issues and reported substance abuse, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Missing: Dead or Alive’ season 2, so his case was severe from the get-go. Nevertheless, it was still heartbreaking for his loved ones when it came to light that he had been killed in one of the worst ways imaginable – at the hands of someone he once trusted.
Morgan Duncan Was Found Dead 7 Months After He Went Missing
Born to LaTanza Duncan and Rodney Duncan on February 1, 1996, in Richland County, South Carolina, Morgan Pressley Duncan was the light of all his loved ones’ lives. According to their accounts, he was essentially the personification of care, empathy, kindness, and selflessness, as he never hesitated to go out of his way to help others in need. Whether it was selling his clothes for cheap to friends or letting them stay over if they couldn’t afford their own place, he did it all, despite his family worrying that he might get taken advantage of.
That’s because Morgan was a diagnosed schizophrenic, who didn’t particularly have the ability to pick up on social cues or environments as well as others, as per the aforementioned show. He had actually graduated from Blythewood High School as a member of its highest academic program before enrolling at the University of South Carolina as a pharmacy major, but he dropped out following his diagnosis. He subsequently spent a few years managing his illness at home with a mix of medications, after which he got in touch with a non-profit helping vulnerable individuals live independently. Morgan was thus placed in an apartment complex on the 200 block of Springtree Drive in Columbia, where he seemingly led a comfortable life, all the while also making time for his 4-year-old daughter.
However, everything changed on November 28, 2023, as the then-27-year-old vanished, driving his mother to report him missing within days because it was very uncharacteristic of him. She had last seen him 5 days prior on Thanksgiving, but they had talked on the phone every day as usual until that fateful day, which is when he was last seen in the area by neighbors, too. An extensive search for Morgan hence began, but it was only his remains that were recovered around half a mile away on June 17, 2024 – he was found in the woods off Springtree Drive, near the Richland Library Northeast. By this point, thanks to witness statements as well as the evidence available, officials had already made two arrests after managing to ascertain that he had been killed, with his cause of death being manual strangulation.
The Investigation Into Morgan Duncan’s Disappearance Was Complicated
From the moment Morgan was reported missing, detectives took his case very seriously because his mother had made it clear that he was schizophrenic and needed his medication for stability. Therefore, the first place they checked was obviously his Springtree apartment, where they found his cell phone, bank cards, and medications all in their rightful place, seemingly untouched for days. The fact that his clothes, shoes, and other belongings were all still there also raised more questions than answers, driving them to canvas the area in hopes of learning more about the 27-year-old and his daily movements. That’s when they uncovered that he was last seen by anyone on November 28. He was walking away from the apartments, days after he had started behaving a little differently than his usual bubbly, social, and talkative self.
As inquiries continued, it came to light that there were a couple of men who were taking advantage of the vulnerable people in the community by forcing their way into the homes for days on end. All these individuals were afraid to go to the police because the men appeared violent and were allegedly armed, but they did indicate their troubles to the non-profit they were associated with. Almost every reported victim later provided officials with the same name for one of them: Jersey, who was quickly identified as a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history named Altariq Cuffie.
According to records, Altariq’s name consistently appeared at various points in the investigation, prompting detectives to bring him in for questioning so they could proceed with the investigation. It took them a while to track him down since he was reportedly not seen in Springtree since Morgan’s disappearance, but he was found nearby after being accused of an unrelated assault. He initially denied having any involvement in the case or knowledge of it. Still, he did vehemently assert the 27-year-old was his friend as they did “stupid sh*t” together, such as smoking hard drugs.
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The Perpetrator Was Apprehended in Early 2024
Altariq’s interrogation seemingly led nowhere, except confirming what investigators had reportedly already ascertained – Morgan was involved in drugs and owed a few dealers significant money. Even his friend, Eric “Easy” Greene, iterated the same during his standard questioning, only for everything to turn upside down when Jersey finally opened up and pointed toward “Sunshine.” Sunshine turned out to be Julivia Waller, who had been residing alongside one of Morgan’s downstairs neighbors, James Kelly, for the past few months due to her own ongoing financial troubles.
However, it was only after James’ home was stormed to find Julivia or the second man reportedly invading the locals’ homes that the entire truth came to light – James was actually a witness. According to his statements, Easy was the one who had been living in his home for months after suddenly deciding it was the best way to make up for the drug money the resident owed him. James then added that Easy had brought Sunshine into his space long ago, yet things only went haywire on November 28, 2023, when Morgan and Altariq showed up at his doorstep to meet their friend, Easy.
As per his official statements, Morgan owed Easy some drug money, too, resulting in an argument between the two that concluded with the latter manually strangling the 27-year-old. Every detail of his account was then corroborated by Altariq, who also reiterated that the missing father of one was truly his friend since he had been allowing him to stay at his place for free for months. At trial, prosecutors alleged that a vehicle associated with Waller was used to move Morgan’s remains, but the judge ultimately found there was insufficient evidence to prove she assisted in the crime and directed a verdict of not guilty on the accessory-after-the-fact charge. She was acquitted following a jury trial in 2025. In the end, while Easy was arrested in February 2024 and later charged, tried, and eventually convicted of murder.
