True Crime Chronicles: Inmate who escaped from area prison in 1977 is still an open case for OSBI officials
- Dennis McCaslin
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Leflore County, in southeastern Oklahoma, is a rural area marked by the Ouachita Mountains and the Kansas City Southern railroad, which runs through its southern regions near towns like Heavener, Hodgen and Poteau.
Between 1977 and 1991, records from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) document three cases involving this railroad: the escape and disappearance of inmate Donald Dan Morris in 1977, the deaths of Billy Don Hainline and Dennis Decker in 1984, and the discovery of unidentified male remains in 1991.
While the Hainline and Decker case was officially ruled accidental, it has been re-examined due to similarities with other incidents. The 1991 remains have been speculated in online forums to possibly belong to Morris, though no official identification has been made.
These cases remain open or unresolved, with limited public details due to the era's investigative constraints.
On July 2, 1977, Donald Dan Morris, aged 37, walked away from a work detail at the Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center in Hodgen .
Morris, an African American male standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 135-140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, was serving a 10-year sentence for second-degree burglary after a prior felony conviction in Tulsa County. He had been convicted in March 1976 in Tulsa County District Court , with his appeal denied later that year.
The facility, a minimum-security prison housing around 710 male inmates primarily for drug-related or non-violent offenses, allowed trusted inmates like Morris to participate in outdoor work programs.
Morris was last accounted for during the afternoon detail and was not reported missing until later that day. No vehicle or witnesses were noted in initial ODOC reports, and he left no belongings or communication behind.
The OSBI classified him as a fugitive, listing him on the ODOC Offender/Fugitive website alongside about 175 other individuals from escapes dating back to 1973. His NamUs profile (MP#98537) describes the circumstances as an escape but notes the ongoing missing person status, with no confirmed sightings since.
If still alive, Morris would be 85-years old today.
.Morris's case is tracked by the OSBI and ODOC Fugitive Warrants Division, reachable at 405-425-2570 or warrants@doc.ok.gov. As of 2025, he would be 85 if alive, and the case remains active without resolution.
