told me a while ago that you last h on Wednesday night at midnight Wednesday midnight what uh were the circumstances then she had come in from work and she was getting changed to go out and she said I'll see you in the morning Mom Misty M's final words to her mother were I'll see you in the morning Mom a vow that would never be fulfilled I answered the phone and and then I heard her screaming she's dead she's been murdered I said what who is this what are you talking about she said Misty she's dead
only a few days later a mystery that would plague Misty's family and the neighborhood for years to come would be left behind when her life was tragically cut short big question is why what what would drive someone to do something like that what happened to Misty and how did a life full of Promise ends so suddenly the search for answers begins now Misty April Morse was born on April 10th 1978 in Springfield Ohio her family's move to Indian Harbor Beach Florida marked an exciting new chapter offering her the opportunity to grow and explore new passions
Misty's early years in Florida were filled with fun and Adventure however her life took a major turn in 1996 when her parents separated after the divorce Misty and her mother Linda settled into a new home in bravad County despite the changes Misty remained close to her father throughout her late teens and early 20s Misty worked various jobs to support herself including positions at several local clubs and bars eventually she decided to pursue further education and enrolled in a local College friends described Misty as a fun-loving young woman who never took life too seriously she had
a vibrant Social Circle and enjoyed spending time with friends in the early hours of July 20th 2000 Misty arrived home from work and began preparing for a night out with a friend her mother Linda was also awake getting ready for her 3:00 a.m. shift as Misty chatted with her mother she received a few two quick phone calls afterward she said her goodbyes promising to see her in the morning little did she know it would be her last goodbye when Linda returned home the next morning Misty was gone initially she assumed Misty had stayed over at
a friend's house and didn't think much of it but as another day passed with no sign of Misty Linda grew increasingly concerned it was unusual for Misty not to check in especially if she had planned to stay away for a day or two worry set in as Linda called Misty repeatedly with no response she reached out to Misty's friends and even contacted Misty's father but no one had seen or heard from her as each day passed Linda's concern grew deeper on July 24th 200000 a retired judge took a quiet stroll to check on his boat
moed in the Lagoon behind his home little did he know this peaceful moment would soon be interrupted by a grim Discovery as he walked along the wooden dock his gaze caught something unusual floating in the water below leaning in for a closer look he was horrified to realize what it was he noticed this really pungent smell and he followed the scent to the edge of his property and found there was a what he thought at first was a dead Manatee that had washed up into his backyard and then he quickly realized it was shocked to
find that it was the body of a young woman the terrified Man rushed back to his home grabbed his phone and dialed 911 officers from the bravar county sheriff's office quickly arrived and began their investigation upon examining the body they noted it was in an advanced state of decomposition indicating that the woman had likely been dead for several days it was clear that her death was not accidental her eyes mouth and neck were tightly sealed with white duct tape while her hands and feet were bound with Marine rope in complex knots securing her wrists to
her ankles plastic grocery bags from Publix were strapped around her body held in place by rolls of spline a black rubbery material investigators speculated that the bags might have been weighted with rocks or sand to weigh down the body detectives combed the shoreline for Clues hoping to find items such as a wallet phone or purse that might help identify her but their search yielded nothing due to the advanced decomposition medical examiners couldn't determine the exact cause of death though asphixiation was suspected the investigators then checked recent missing persons report s for a possible match but
no leads were found Misty's disappearance had not yet been reported as a final step they attempted fingerprinting and despite the Skin's deterioration forensic experts were able to lift prins using a technique called degloving which led to her identification through the database once confirmed officers called Misty's mother Linda to deliver the devastating news news Linda was completely overcome with grief her voice shaking as she called a family friend her cries of Anguish filling the air as she shared the heartbreaking reality of her daughter's fate this is Misty's father I answered the phone and and then I
heard her screaming she's dead she's been murdered I said what who is this what are you talking about she said Misty she's dead I almost fell down I mean literally I almost fell down I said what happened she goes so somebody killed her they found her in the water I said there wasn't anything I could do it just made no sense at all Linda did her best to retell the events of the last night she saw Misty when detectives subsequently came to her house for an interview her voice was thick with grief as she relived
those last moments which were now eternally altered by loss call me while ago that you last wh on Wednesday night at midnight Wednesday midnight what uh were the circumstances then she had come in from work and she was getting changed to go out and she said I'll see you in the morning Misty hadn't revealed who she planned to meet that night but Linda noticed her daughter's casual outfit and interpreted it as a sign that Misty was likely meeting someone she felt entirely at ease with some someone she didn't feel the need to impress Linda remembered
that Misty had received two calls in the early hours of July 20th just before leaving investigators quickly subpoenaed Misty's phone records though in 2000 retrieving such information could take weeks in the meantime they moved forward by interviewing those closest to Misty friends and co-workers mentioned rumors that Misty might have been pregnant which became a possible lead that the investigators couldn't Overlook could her pregnancy have been a motive Linda also provided a few names including that of Misty's boyfriend Teddy Underwood Teddy and Misty had been dating for only two months at the time and investigators wondered
if he might have reacted poorly to the news of her possible pregnancy Teddy was called in for questioning and it quickly became clear that he didn't consider their relationship serious he also claimed to have no knowledge of Misty being pregnant he provided an alibi for the early hours of July 20th saying he had been at work which investigators later confirmed clearing him of Suspicion as detectives analyzed the evidence from the crime scene they were struck by the complexity of the knots binding Misty's body this level of detail suggested that the killer might have experience with
not tying leading them to consider professions such as a boat captain a coast guard member or someone with navy training with this new clue they hoped they were one step closer to uncovering the truth the rope that was used to tie Misty's hands and legs had a cow hitch notot which is not necessarily something the general public knows how to do the victim's face hands and limbs were covered in multiple layers of tape and detectives focused on this her head was also covered and her movements were limited there's tape wrapped around the hit she was
controlled she was bound tied up although the tape appeared to be duct tape it was unusual in that it was white rather than the typical metallic gray at the time white duct tape was incredibly rare which peaked the Authority's interest they the tapes adhesive might contain trace evidence like fingerprints or DNA but their hopes faded when no such evidence surfaced leading them to believe it was another dead end then almost by chance they discovered a few short black hairs stuck to the tape the detectives immediately knew these couldn't belong to the victim whose hair was
a distinct brown with a reddish tint this discovery suggested the hairs might belong to the killer after thoroughly combing the crime scene all evidence was sent for testing unfortunately in 2000 the technology wasn't Advanced enough to analyze DNA as precisely as today so this lead couldn't be fully explored frustration mounted as they met with the medical examiner the next day for the autopsy results The Examiner report indicated that the body had been submerged for less than 72 hours but exposure to the elements made it impossible to determine the exact cause of death there were no
gunshot wounds no broken bones and no clear signs of trauma leaving detectives with two Grim possibilities either the victim had been strangled or suffocated by the tape covering her nose and mouth or she had been thrown into the the water while still alive investigators continued to conduct interviews to narrow down their list of suspects one person Linda suggested they investigate was Bobby Cooper someone Misty had recently met at a house party Linda was particularly suspicious of Bobby as he had been at their home just days before Misty's death however Bobby was quickly ruled out as
a suspect he didn't match the Killer's Pro profile he had no criminal record hadn't served in the military and didn't own a boat nevertheless Bobby's interview proved to be a turning point in the investigation while he wasn't the killer he provided detectives with the name of someone who seemed to fit the profile they were seeking Misty's ex-boyfriend Brent hack really stood out is is when I met Brent the first time he was bragging about how he was a Navy SE what did she say about their relationship they were engaged I guess he was pretty from
what I understood it beat her up pretty bad following Bobby Cooper's tip investigators Tracked Down Brent Huck who lived on South Meritt Island just south of where Misty's body had been found they invited him for an interview and Brent agreed to cooperate during the interview Brent revealed that he came from a wealthy family and worked as a a charter booat Captain he also confirmed that he had served in the Navy Seals although he was in a new relationship Brent admitted he had continued seeing Misty after their breakup he acknowledged speaking to Misty on the night
she disappeared in the early hours of July 20th 2000 and confirmed he was aware of her pregnancy admitting he was likely the father my Chris Manning sh girlfriend sh sh told me that Miss was still pregnant she not she was pregn with my child what yeah I I was like look what the hell is going on saw 11 like you're not right why do I keep hearing Brent's background as a former Navy SEAL and charterboat Captain coupled with his connections to Misty and his dismissive attitude during the interview made him a prime suspect authorities sought
permission to search Brent's home which he granted upon arrival investigators noticed a Rottweiler with short black hair similar to that found on the duct tape used to bind Misty Brent claimed the dog was a gift from Misty during the search they discovered a roll of rubber spline typically used for weatherproofing Windows an unusual household item additionally other items found in Bren kitchen and bedroom including Public's bags and white duct tape matched evidence from the crime scene raising more red flags outside Brent confirmed that a boat docked in the nearby Waterway was his and allowed officers
to search it inside the boat they found two strands of hair on the floor and matted hair near a fishing rod holder the ropes in the boat also matched those used to bind Miss after collecting this evidence investigators questioned Brent who made a revealing remark there couldn't be an explanation for a woman tied up and thrown in the river this statement which referen details not yet made public further implicated him despite the mounting circumstantial evidence the state attorney hesitated to press charges arguing that the evidence was insufficient he pointed out that common materials like duct
tape rope and rubber spline could be found anywhere and Misty's hair on the boat could merely indicate she had visited Brent this setback was deeply frustrating for both investigators and Misty's family unwavering authorities continued working the case hoping for a breakthrough that breakthrough came in 2002 when a landmark ruling in a California case made pet DNA admissible in court investigators sent the black dog hair found on the duct tape for comparison with Brent's dog's DNA and the results confirmed a match with this crucial piece of evidence along with the growing circumstantial evidence the state attorney's
office decided to move forward with prosecution on October 23rd 2002 Brent h was arrested and charged with the murder of Misty Morse during the trial prosecutors argued that Brent killed misty out of fear that her pregnancy could threaten his new relationship they painted a chilling picture of how he lured Misty to her death under the pretense of reconciliation the prosecution presented compelling circumstantial evidence including the critical DNA match from the dog hair after after all the arguments and evidence were presented it was time to determine Brent's fate in May 2003 Brent Huck was convicted of
first-degree felony murder and felony kidnapping he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole and is currently serving his sentence at Florida's appalachicola Correctional Institution this verdict provided a sense of closure and Justice to Misty's family ensuring that her tragic death did not go unanswered I don't want him dead I want him to spend the next 500 years in jail and I want him to remember every day of his life what he did I'm just glad that he can't do it to anyone else this case emphasizes the importance of persevering in
the pursuit of Justice even when facing challenges it also underscores the vital role that dedic ated investigators and communities play in holding individuals accountable for their actions while Misty's life was tragically taken too soon The Quest For Justice ensured that her story would not be overlooked thank you for watching if you found this story as heartbreaking and thought-provoking as we did please like subscribe and hit the notification Bell to stay updated on this case and other compelling stories
