| rdfs:comment | - Details: When Donna Morrow met her first husband Joe, he appeared to be an ideal partner who was charming, wealthy and kind and within months of meeting, they were married and soon started a large and loving family that they always wanted. They moved into a luxorious home in Menlo Park, California and Donna became a mother and housewife. For thirteen years, Donna appeared happy with her family, but during Thanksgiving in 1991, she told her mother, Shirley Rubio, that she was done with Joe and was planning to divorce him after the holidays. A few weeks later, on Christmas Day, the Rubios called the Morrows to wish them a Merry Christmas, but Joe told them that Donna had abruptly left after an argument at around 10PM on December 19, 1991, taking her purse and keys, and hasn't been seen since
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| abstract | - Details: When Donna Morrow met her first husband Joe, he appeared to be an ideal partner who was charming, wealthy and kind and within months of meeting, they were married and soon started a large and loving family that they always wanted. They moved into a luxorious home in Menlo Park, California and Donna became a mother and housewife. For thirteen years, Donna appeared happy with her family, but during Thanksgiving in 1991, she told her mother, Shirley Rubio, that she was done with Joe and was planning to divorce him after the holidays. A few weeks later, on Christmas Day, the Rubios called the Morrows to wish them a Merry Christmas, but Joe told them that Donna had abruptly left after an argument at around 10PM on December 19, 1991, taking her purse and keys, and hasn't been seen since. When interviewed by the Menlo Park police, Joe maintained that Donna had left him and their four children voluntarily to start a new life, but her family and friends believed that she had met with foul play and that Joe was responsible, especially because he was violent and abusive towards Donna. Also, they didn't believe that Donna would leave with another man just weeks before she was planning to divorce. The Morrow's eight year old daughter told detectives that around 9:30PM on December 19, she heard her parents yelling at each other and then one of them storming out the front door, but she couldn't tell which one, but she said later that night she saw her father asleep in bed alone. Police searched the Morrow residence and found a suspicious blood splatter on the side of a bucket in the garage that didn't match Joe or the children, but without a sample of Donna's blood to test, they couldn't prove it was hers. Three weeks later, Joe Morrow as found unconscious in a motel room from an overdose of barbiturates and surronded to by numerous suicide notes, none of which surprisingly were about Donna. He soon recovered from the overdose and continued to deny involvement in Donna's disappearance. Two years later, Donna's family, on behalf of her children, sued Joe Morrow in civil court for wrongful death and about the same time Morrow pled guilty on an unrelated fraud charge. He was scheduled to surrender on June 24, 1993, but never showed up and has not been seen since. Aftewards, his estate settled the wrongful death suit for $2 million, and guardianship of the Morrow children was given to Joe's brother and sister-in-law. Finally, in 1997, an arrest warrant was issued for Joe Morrow on the murder of his wife Donna, although her body was never found. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the August 27, 2002 episode. Results: Captured. After a decade on the run, Joe Morrow was finally arrested living in the Philippines on January 14, 2003, and was brought back on an unrelated fraud charge. In September of 2003, Donna's remains were found on the property they owned. Joe was charged with Donna's murder, and in September of 2007 pleaded no contest to 2nd degree murder and is now serving twenty five years to life in prison, and will not be eligible for parole until 2024. Links:
* Tip leads to body of Donna Morrow -- missing for 12 years
* Missing woman is found dead / 12 year old Menlo Park Case
* Morrow defies attorney, pleads 'no contest' to murder
* Donna Morrow at Find a Grave
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