Morgan Bauer was a 19 year-old woman when she went missing in February 2016. She had packed her bags and left her hometown of Aberdeen, South Dakota for the bright lights and big city in Atlanta, Georgia. She arrived there on February 12, 2016.
She had very little to her name – all she had a card that she was waiting for her tax return to be loaded onto. She had arranged to initially stay with people that she met online, in exchange for some cleaning and housework. That arrangement didn’t last long – the day after Morgan arrived in Atlanta, she returned to the house to find her belongings out on the street and a note that told her not to come back.
Her whereabouts for the following days are unknown, but it is believed she was drifting among budget motels in the area. The small amount of money she had didn’t last long and she was forced to take whatever work she could find. She began dancing at the now defunct strip club ‘Top of Gainesville’.
Morgan was very active on her social media accounts, even after her arrival in Atlanta. But that all stopped on February 25. There have been no posts on any account since that time. The date that she was last confirmed to have been seen varies – some sources say it was February 26 and others say February 27. It is believes that she left the strip club where she worked with another dancer and her boyfriend. When Morgan’s phone was traced, police discovered it had last pinged just after midnight on February 26 in Porterdale, where the couple lived. he couple claimed to have dropped her off at Citgo Gas Station just a few miles away, but on other occasions denied ever seeing Morgan at all. Despite this, the man and woman have never been thoroughly investigated; they have since split up and now live in different states.
Morgan’s case began to gain momentum in the media. One month after she disappeared, the case took a strange turn. Morgan’s sister Alyssa made an announcement that she believed Morgan was alive and well. Alyssa stated that Morgna had left South Dakota to get away from their ‘manipulative and bipolar’ mother, Sherri. She accused Sherri of setting up a GoFundMe under false pretences. Morgan’s best friend Taryn, who had originally told Sherri that Morgan was missing, also posted on a Facebook group that she believed she had been talking to Morgan online.
Despite their claims, three years later, Morgan is still listed as missing in all national databases and by law enforcement. Her $630 tax return still remains untouched in her account.
If you have any information regarding Morgan’s disappearance, please the Atlanta police on (404)546-4235 and quote case #160721563.
Morgan’s Distinguishing Characteristics – Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Bauer’s ears are gauged, her lip is pierced twice and her navel is pierced. She has the following tattoos: a sun and moon inside a Celtic four-star design on the right side of her chest near her shoulder, an anchor with the sentence “Whatever you love can be taken away, so live like it’s your dying day.” on her left wrist, a blue and orange jellyfish on the inside of her right forearm, a black tree of life with tiny flowers on the back of her neck, and the sentence “It’s in herself she will find the strength she needs.” on her left hip.
Morgan’s Charley Project entry