81-year-old missing security guard’s body, truck recovered from pond near Ten Mile Creek apartments

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The body and truck of 81-year-old Curtis Harris was recovered from a pond at the Ten Mile Creek apartments Monday after he was reported missing late last year.

“I’m shocked. No one bothered looking in this lake to find him. When it first aired and I saw his wife on the news. I thought they would have been the first place they looked," said Tisha Owen.

Family confirmed it was Harris’ body that was found.

Owen lives at Ten Mile Creek apartments on American Way where Harris, a security guard at the complex, disappeared 8 days before Christmas. His wife of 31 years, Adorthy, made multiple pleas on WMC Action News 5.

“I’m just asking if anybody knows anything of where he might be or his truck, the sighting of a truck. I know somewhere someone knows something," said Adorthy.

On Monday police got a call that a body was found in a pond right next to the drive to the Ten Mile Creek Apartment complex where Harris was on his second day at work. His wife and children, as well as their pastor, showed up at the scene. They watched the heart-wrenching sight as a wrecker pulled out the blue Dodge Ram described in a missing person flyer as Curtis Harris’ truck.

Adorthy Harris told me she had last talked with her husband around 7 p.m. the night he disappeared. He was going to get some Chili for dinner.

“At seven I talked with him cause he called me and said what are you doing. I said well I’m trying to clean up," she said.

She said he was always in constant contact with her so when Harris’ co-worker noticed he did not return to work it was alarming. It is not clear why no one looked in the pond. A guard rail was bent where it appears the truck went into the water. It’s also not clear when that happend.

“I’m appalled. I’m very appalled. It’s sad and I can’t do nothing but keep a prayer for the family," said Owens.

It would have been dark when Curtis Harris was returning to work from his lunch break. The pond is right next to the drive into the apartment complex. Police will be checking to see if he accidentally turned too early.

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