Video: Five Years Later: The Search for Kaila Morris Continues

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LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. – (WCBI) 5-years, and still no answers. Her stepfather was the last one to see 21-year old kaila morris on the evening of September 17th, 2009. Robert Butch Triplett claimed his stepdaughter left their golding road property in a dark s-u-v. Triplett told Lowndes Deputies she was on her way to a friends house in Carollton, Alabama, but she never arrived.

She hasn’t been seen since.

Triplett was arrested, weeks after Kaila was reported missing. He is now serving time in prison on a child porn conviction, and more questions than

Kaila Morris

answers remain.

Lowndes County investigators continue to exhaust every lead, and refuse to give up on the search. Her mother, Bonnie Thames, is right along side the team of law enforcement.

“There is no other feeling like losing a child. The amount of rage that you have is indescribable. I think about it everyday,” says Thames.

Every day for the last five years, Bonnie Thames relives the moment that she realized that her daughter, 21-year old Kaila Morris had vanished from her Golding Road home.

“The day that she went missing, it was the day before my mother’s birthday. And my daughter would never not wish her grandmother a happy birthday.”

And with that, Bonnie knew something was wrong. She flew home that September day from her Florida vacation, and the search for her daughter began. The days, weeks, months and years to follow were nothing less than devastating. From Kaila’s disappearance, to her then-husband’s, Robert Triplett, arrest and conviction on child porn charges Bonnie maintained her faith in God. She says its through her relationship with God and her maternal instinct, that she not only realized, but has accepted, that her daughter is gone.

“I don’t want anyone to think or believe I have ever given up on my daughter or lost faith in her by saying that she was no longer on this earth. Yes, we still go look different places. Yes, we still try to gather information.”

She says its an intricate puzzle with many missing pieces. Bonnie maintains hope that one day the puzzle will be complete.

“There will be resolution.(I have)Peace of mind that, whoever did this to her will come to justice.”

As she continues to search for answers, she relishes in the small moments in life and counts her blessings everyday.

“He blessed me with my daughter. He blessed me in the fact that I had her in my life for 21-years. And He still continues to bless me, and I have my assurance that from God that she and I will be together again. But God has told me that I am not finished with my journey. She finished hers, but I haven’t finished mine.”

She has hope that journey will lead to justice for Kaila.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Kaila Morris, please contact Golden Triangle Crimestoppers of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department.