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MOUNDSVILLE -- The Morgan family of Moundsville had been through their ups and downs, but life for them took its darkest turn on June 18.
That was the day Wheeling police announced the identification of a body found earlier that week in a rocky area beneath the Fort Henry Bridge as that of John Marshall High School student Kyle Morgan. Just a day earlier, Dale Morgan went to the Moundsville Police Department to report his 15-year-old son missing.
Police still aren't sure exactly what happened to Kyle -- his death has been ruled a homicide with blunt force trauma as the cause of death, but investigators haven't ruled out an accidental fall. They got a big break in the case last week when Moundsville police arrested 68-year-old Sharon Louise Leach, who reportedly admitted to driving Kyle to Wheeling the night before his death, but not saying anything about it until police got a tip from a juvenile in July.
Kyle Morgan's cousin, Britanie Morgan, remembers Kyle as a sweet companion she grew up with in Sun Hill, W.Va. Kyle's father, Dale, and mother, Angela Hawkins, were divorced when the teen was a young boy, but Britanie remained close with the entire family.
When Dale Morgan eventually got a new job in Moundsville, Kyle returned for special summer trips in Sun Hill each year.
Britanie Morgan said the family was shocked to hear about Kyle's death, specifically the circumstances surrounding it.
"We really thought he had just left to go to his mom's in Kentucky and then this happened," she said. "He never had a history of doing what is being said. He was a good kid who got wrapped up in a bad situation."
On July 18, a female juvenile came to the Moundsville department with information regarding Kyle. The individual stated her ex-boyfriend had been contacted by Morgan asking for a ride to Wheeling to the bus station so he could visit his mother in Kentucky.
According to a criminal complaint, Leach, one of the boy's relatives, transported Morgan and two other teens to Wheeling on the night he went missing. Leach reportedly admitted to allowing Morgan and her juvenile relative to smoke marijuana inside her car.
Britanie Morgan said the arrest of Leach -- who police don't believe is responsible for Kyle's death -- on obstructing and drug possession charges is a good start, but the family is still seeking true justice.
"It's a bit of a relief. Nothing can bring him back and we're still mourning the loss," Britanie Morgan said, "It does mean a lot to see the police are trying very hard to bring the people to justice."
Now, the family is trying to piece together funds for funeral expenses, a headstone and a memorial stone for Kyle in the family's cemetery in Sun Hill. The name of the cemetery will also be changed to include Kyle's name.
"Services were held in Elizabethtown, Ky., where his mom lives. She wanted Kyle to be with her," Morgan said. "We've raised $2,010, with the majority being raised in the first two weeks after his body was found and his funeral services were held, but our goal is $10,000. When a parent loses a child, they have nothing, so this will help with funeral expenses and the headstone cost."
The family has set up a GoFundMe page.