Search Efforts Continue

Drones assist in search for missing Dallas-area woman Christina Morris

For the first time, a drone aided in the efforts to find missing woman Christina Morris, who disappeared from the Shops at Legacy in Plano on August 30. After failing to find the 23-year-old on foot, horseback and ATV, Texas Equusearch obtained emergency permission from the FAA to search for her by drone.

The first unmanned flight took off September 11. The authorization allows Equusearch to operate a drone until sunset September 15.

Drone pilot Gene Robinson says he collected hundreds of images that will now be scanned and analyzed for clues. "There's a lot of data to go over," he says, adding that the drone camera can view items as small as 6 inches.

Drone pilot Gene Robinson calls the speedy authorization by the FAA "precedent setting."

Robinson calls the speedy authorization by the FAA "precedent setting." Texas Equusearch has been embroiled in a legal battle with the FAA since February about the use of unmanned aircraft in search-and-rescue missions. "It bestows a great deal of trust on us to make sure we do it correctly," he says.

Texas Equusearch director Tim Miller didn't want to disclose exactly where the drone is being used for strategic reasons. "We don't want to do anything to jeopardize the investigation," Miller says.

Meanwhile, Plano police continue to work on new leads in the case. Spokesperson David Tilley says they have received a number of tips recently, and he hopes that trend will continue.

"We are still encouraging everybody to come forward if they have any information," he says. "No matter how insignificant they think it is, we want to hear about it."

Equusearch has set up a command center at Legacy Church in Plano for friends and family of Christina to gather. Christina's mother, Jonni McElroy, and her stepmother, Anna Morris, are fixtures at the building.

"It's easier to be here than it is to be home sometimes," Morris says. "It's uplifting that people are coming out and they aren't giving up either."

Anyone wishing to help the search for Christina is urged to pick up fliers at Legacy Church (4501 Legacy Dr.) or participate in the daily searches that begin at 7:30 am.

Christina Morris, 23, went missing August 30.

Courtesy photo

Christina Morris, 23, went missing August 30.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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