Last Updated on February 27, 2026
Charles C Morgan, also known as Chuck Morgan, disappeared twice during 1977.
In May 1977, Charles was found dead in the desert.
Although his death was ruled a suicide, many believe that the death of Charles Chuck Morgan was murder.
This is due to his involvement in or knowledge of illegal financial transactions.
There are two further deaths linked to the case, those of Doug Johnston and Danny Casolaro.
They both died under suspicious circumstances.
First Disappearance
Charles C Morgan first disappeared on March 22nd, 1977.
He was last seen by his daughters after he had driven them to school.
He was missing for three days after he failed to come home from work.
Charles returned home after three days with a plastic cuff on one ankle, a shoe missing, and zip-tied hands.
He initially refused to speak about what had happened.
Charles told his wife his throat was coated with a drug that could kill him or drive him mad.
Instead, he communicated via pen and paper to tell her that he had been kidnapped and tortured.
Charles urged his wife not to call the police for fear they might be targeted or killed.
He is said to have made suggestions that he was working for the government.
He became increasingly paranoid and began wearing a bulletproof vest.
Charles would carry a gun whenever he left the house.
Second Disappearance
Two months later, in May 1977, Charles Morgan disappeared for a second time.
His wife received a phone call after 9 days from a woman who claimed to be called Ruth.
She said to her, “Chuck is all right. Ecclesiastes 12, 1 through 8”.
Murder
The body of Charles C Morgan was discovered two days after the phone call.
He had been shot in the back of the head with his own gun, which lay next to him.
He was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of his death.
Charles Morgan’s death was ruled a suicide.
Many people believe this was a murder as his fingerprints weren’t on the gun.
His wife was also skeptical as he did not leave a note for either her or their daughters.
There is also the bizarre nature of the crime scene and his mysterious disappearances.
Investigation
There were several bizarre items of evidence at the crime scene of Charles Morgan.
In his underpants, a bizarre $2 note was found with several names.
There was also a map of the area, a well-known smuggling route.
In his car, they found a note with the location of the crime scene, weapons, and ammo.
There was also a CB radio and one of Charles’ teeth wrapped in a hanky.
Police found a pair of sunglasses in the car that did not belong to Charles.
Two days after the discovery of his body, an anonymous woman who called herself Green Eyes called the authorities.
She admitted that she had called Charles’s wife.
Green Eyes told them that she had met Charles in a motel.
She claimed that he had large amounts of cash in a suitcase.
Chuck told her that the cash was to pay off a hit man, who had been contracted to kill him.
Three weeks after the killing, two “FBI agents” searched the family home for hours.
It is unknown whether anything was taken from the property.
When a reporter contacted the FBI about this, they denied knowledge of who Charles was or of the search of the property.
Suspects
There was no single suspect in the killing of Charles Morgan.
The mafia was suspected of the killing.
Charles was known to have handled financial transactions for the mafia.
He was suspected of being involved in money laundering.
It is believed that Chuck had also given evidence in a secret hearing of illegal financial transactions taking place.
This is due to references he made to working with the treasury.
Unsolved Mysteries
The case was featured on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries in 1990.
Investigative reporter Don Devereux was flooded with calls.
There were calls about underground financial transactions during this time.
They supported the belief that Charles was involved in money laundering.
He was also said to be involved with the underground gold and platinum trade.
It is believed that Charles may have kept records of the transactions.
The records may have implicated those involved, and this is why he was killed.
Two linked deaths appeared on later episodes of Unsolved Mysteries.
The Deaths of Doug Johnston and Danny Casolaro
Doug Johnston
Three months after the show was aired, Doug Johnston was shot in his car.
He worked in an office opposite Don Devereux and drove a similar car.
Doug was shot in the head from the left side.
The shot was made from around 12 inches away.
He was right-handed, and there was no gunpowder residue on his hands.
The gun that caused his death has never been found.
Bizarrely, his death has never been classed as a homicide.
Nor has it been classed as a suicide, despite this being their first impression.
His family believes that he was murdered.
Danny Casolaro
A year after the killing of Doug, investigative reporter Danny Casolaro contacted Don Devereux.
He claimed that he had evidence about Charles’s illegal gold transactions.
But before they could meet, he was found dead in a hotel bathtub with his wrists slashed.
The death was ruled a suicide, but his family believes he was murdered.
Danny was said to be scared of blood and squeamish, according to his brother.
Don also believes that he was killed due to the evidence he had on the Morgan case.
Danny was said to be close to breaking a case that may have implicated the mafia, Charles, and government officials.
He called the organisation the octopus, and his case records from his investigation have never been found.
During the inquest, evidence was discovered that suggested he was not alone at the time of his death.
The autopsy revealed bruises and missing fingernails.
The crime scene was also cleaned, destroying potential evidence.
A maid gave a statement that there were bloody towels on the floor.
This suggested that someone had tried to clean the floor.
Six months later, Don had been told by numerous sources that at least one hit had been put out on his life around this time.
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