In a heartbreaking ritual, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said goodbye on Tuesday to one of their fallen. Special AgentĀ Melissa S. Morrow passed away last Thursday from brain cancer, which was attributed to working amid hazardous conditions at the Pentagon after 9/11.
To honor her, agents at her unit held one more final call from dispatch.
“When a law enforcement officer dies, officers from his/her unit or department gather around a police radio,” the FBI said in their description of the audio. “The radio operator calls to the deceased officer as if to contact them; thus, it is a final call to the officer. The radio operator ends the call by announcing that the officer has died in the line of duty.”
And that’s what happened for Morrow, who was assigned to the Kansas City field office at the time of her death. A dispatcher called out for Morrow several times before acknowledging her passing.
“Special Agent Morrow was taken from us on March 22, 2018, after developing brain cancer from her work at the Pentagon following the attacks on Sept. 11th,” the dispatcher said. “Melissa selflessly served the citizens of the United States for nearly 25 years. Melissa is a true hero. She will be missed by all of those she touched and all who knew her.”
Loved ones held Morrow’s funeral on Friday in Kansas City. Her death is described as being on-duty because her brain cancer was attributed to her work after 911. Her memorial page on the Officer Down Memorial Page said she spent 10 weeks collecting and processing evidence from the Pentagon after a hijacked plane crashed into the building. She is survived by her parents and sister.
[Image via FBI]