Charles Morgan

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Pima County Sheriffs Office (AZ)

Death Location:

Tucson, Arizona

Summary:

Charles C. Morgan was an escrow agent in Tucson, Arizona, when he was found dead in the desert about 40 miles west of the city in May 1977. On June 18, 1977, Charles Morgan was discovered dead forty miles west of Tucson, lying next to his car. The sheriff's department ruled Morgan's death a suicide, but the medical examiner's office listed the shooting as an "unsolved death".

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Death:

On March 22, 1977, 39-year-old escrow agent Charles Morgan of Tucson, Arizona, dropped his daughters off at school, drove to work, and then vanished without a trace. It was after 2 a.m., three days later, that Charles Morgan reappeared at his home—wild-eyed, terrified, and battered. Bruised and still bearing the remnants of zip-tie restraints on his wrists and ankles, he offered no verbal explanation. In writing, Morgan revealed that his throat had been doused with a hallucinogenic poison that would kill him or drive him permanently mad if he spoke. On June 7, two months after his initial disappearance, Chuck vanished again. On June 18, 1977, Charles Morgan was discovered dead forty miles west of Tucson, lying next to his car. He had been shot in the back of the head with his own .357 Magnum. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and had died from a bullet wound to the back of his head.

Additional Details:

After his kidnapping, Chuck became justifiably paranoid. He began wearing a bulletproof vest and even grew a beard to further mask his identity. He also started driving his daughters to and from school. At the time of his disappearance, Charles Morgan had recently testified in a secret state investigation of criminal activity along the border of Arizona and Mexico. The Pima County Sheriff's Department said that before the businessman died, he had been hiding out at a motel for more than a week and that an acquaintance said he was trying to buy back "a contract on his life" from a hitman. Inside his car, Pima County sheriff's investigators found a cache of ammunition as well as several other weapons and several sets of handcuffs. Even more bizarre, one of his own teeth was discovered wrapped up in a tissue in his car as well as a pair of sunglasses that didn't belong to him. Pinned to his underwear, investigators found a map and directions of how to get to the murder site as well as a $2 bill. Although the medical examiner estimated that he had been dead for about twelve hours, the Pima County Sheriff's Department quickly ruled the death a suicide—despite a wealth of strange and contradictory evidence. Despite the peculiarities surrounding his death, Morgan's death was ruled a suicide and the case was closed on the 10th of August, 1977. He learned that Chuck was heavily involved in money laundering activities through his Tucson escrow company. From 1973 to his death in 1977, he was also involved in large gold and platinum transactions. Morgan's wife, Ruth, died of cancer in 2006. The couple's four daughters maintain their father was murdered to protect the interests of corrupt businessmen and politicians.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 08, 2026