MURRAY, Utah — Morgan Kay Harris was many things: A daughter, a sister, a makeup artist, and a chocolate cake lover.
"Morgan was the sweetest person ever. She just doesn't have a mean bone in her body," said Morgan's mom, Laurice Williamson. "She was shy, never wanted to put anyone out; she was just very thoughtful and sweet and kind."
Harris was originally from southern Utah and was one of six children.
"She was just fun to be around her. I talked to her sister yesterday and her sister described it perfectly: Morgan was just a lady. She's just very feminine and proper and silly and cute," said Williamson.
Over the weekend, the 27-year-old's life was taken too soon after her boyfriend, 30-year-old Alexander Paul Wardell, allegedly locked her and her dog, Huck, in a storage unit that investigators say then caught on fire after Wardell fled the scene on foot. Williamson says her daughter was protecting her dog until she died from smoke inhalation because the two were unable to escape due to the lock placed on the door.
"There aren't any words to describe it. Obviously, a piece of me is gone," Williamson said.
Williamson says their family was worried about Wardell, but Harris always saw the best in people.
"To me, she didn't say anything negative about him until about two weeks ago," Williamson said. "She started saying that he was abusive, that he was mean to her, that he relapsed on drugs, and he was a different person, so I was just begging her to get him out of her life."
Court documents show Wardell has multiple prior charges including aggravated assault and domestic violence, and was on felony probation before the fire.
"It really becomes difficult for the legal system when perpetrators have charges in different jurisdictions or if it's different victims. We all know that these perpetrators don't stay single for long," said Kimmi Wolf with the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition.
Williamson says the justice system has failed her daughter and other members of her family.
"I don't understand why violent people are allowed to roam free and be violent," Williamson said.
Wolf says lethality assessments and centralized reporting would help protect victims like Harris from repeat offenders like Wardell.
Murray Police say the cause of the fire and other details are still under investigation. Williamson says her family is struggling with the unknowns surrounding her daughter's death.
"I really hope the investigators find enough evidence to charge him with negligent homicide and kidnapping, because you don't lock someone inside a storage unit on accident," Williamson said. "I just hope justice is served."
Harris' family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with costs related to Morgan's death.
__________
Resources for domestic violence victims/prevention (free, 24/7, confidential):
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition:
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
