Scottie Dean Morris: Eaton 14-year-old found safe, police say

UPDATE: Eaton police reported late Friday night that Scottie Morris has been found. The department says medics are checking him out but that he’s “safe.”

Early Saturday morning, police said the teen has been put in another home and that officers worked with Indiana Department of Child Services, according to the Muncie Star Press. No other details have been provided.

Eaton schools were just about to start spring break when the small Indiana community began searching for Scottie Morris.

The 14-year-old Delta Middle School student was last seen March 16, when his family told police he left the home in the cold, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts. Here's a look at what's happened since then.

Missing Indiana teen:Eaton police say 14-year-old has been found alive and well

March 16: Scottie Morris leaves his family's home

In the initial photo police posted, taken the day he reportedly left, he was wearing a white T-shirt scrawled with writing calling him a liar. Police later cropped it to remove the wording. Police said the photo was used because it was what Morris was wearing when he left home.

What we know:Scottie Dean Morris of Eaton, Indiana, still missing

March 17: Silver alert issued for Eaton teen

A statewide Silver Alert went out in Indiana stating that the Eaton Police Department was investigating the disappearance of Scottie Dean Morris. A news release from the Indiana State Police described him as 14 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall, 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes "last seen wearing black shoes, red and black shorts and a white T-shirt with writing on the front."

Anyone with information about the boy's whereabouts was asked to call 911 or contact Eaton police at 765-396-3297.

March 17-18: Officials and volunteers search area around Eaton

Search parties looked for Scottie Morris around Eaton, which is 9 miles north of Muncie. Delaware Community Schools assisted by providing school buses to transport searchers.

March 19: Indiana State Police scan area using infrared cameras

Police temporarily halted on-the-ground searches to allow state troopers in helicopters to scan the area with infrared cameras.

Search for Scottie Morris:Eaton teen still missing after polygraph tests, infrared cameras, search parties

March 19: Eaton Police Department asks public for help collecting video footage

In a Facebook post the weekend after Scottie Morris went missing, police posted to Facebook asking for those who live Eaton to check security cameras for any footage from the night he left home.

March 20: Searches continue in the area, including Mississinewa River

After the weekend, police continued combing the area using "professional grid searches" that the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency helped set up.

March 20: Felicia Morris, missing teen's mother, makes plea on TV news

Scottie Dean Morris' mother appeared briefly on an Indianapolis TV news broadcast the Monday after he went missing, urging her son to return home.

March 21: Eaton police meet with other law enforcement agencies

In a news release, the Eaton Police department announced it would be meeting with the Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Natural Resources and "a federal organization." Organized, public searches were stopped, and police said IDNR "will be assisting with boats, sonar, and drone and dive teams if needed" to check water in and near Eaton.

March 22: Police renew call for security camera footage

Police are seeking footage from any Eaton residents who have cameras on their houses. For the second time since Scottie's disappearance, the Eaton Police Department asked on its Facebook page for residents to check their footage from 8:15-11 p.m. on Thursday, March 16.

March 23: Community holds vigil for Scottie Dean Morris

Family, friends and community members gathered at an Eaton church for a candlelight vigil and march to nearby Norseman Park. Attendees prayed for Scottie Morris and tied green ribbons around a large wooden cross.

"He's a great friend of mine and I just want to support him and his family," one of Scottie's classmates said. "I've been sending prayers to them."

Eaton Police Chief Jay Turner and several of his department's officers were also on hand at the event.

March 24: Police say bones found in fire pit were not human

The Eaton Police Department posted on Facebook responding to rumors that human remains had been found, saying the claim was false.

"We were dispatched to an area of interest last night, however, there were no human remains found there," police wrote in the post.

Later, Police Chief Jay Turner posted a news release with more information about the search the previous evening. He wrote that they had responded to County Road 1200 North, where someone had reported finding bones in a "fire type pit" in a barn. "After investigating and confirming with three different forensic anthropologists, the bones were said to be that of an animal," Turner wrote.

Turner also said that the department was working with the Indiana State Police's cyber crime unit on the case.

March 24-25, Scottie Dean Morris found alive and well

At 10:58 p.m., Eaton police wrote "Scottie has been located and found safe!" on Facebook.

"Medics are checking him out now and we will be conducting interviews."

By 11:30 p.m., Eaton Police Chief Jay Turner told The Star Press that Scottie will be taken to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital for a full body exam.

Turner did not say how the teen was found by an Easton officer Friday night, according to the Star Press. Morris was reportedly speaking with his mother when an officer found him.

By 3 a.m., chief said that his department and Indiana Department of Child Services worked together and that "Scottie has been placed in another home for the evening."

The family is cooperating with the investigation, according to police.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Scottie Dean Morris: Eaton teen found safe, police report