Missing Solvang Woman Reportedly Committed Suicide

Marilyn Morgan, the 83-year-old woman who went missing last month, was reportedly found dead in her car Wednesday night from an apparent suicide. Morgan was found in Los Olivos, about 13 miles from her home at the independent living facility, Atterdag Village, in Solvang. A longtime victim of depression, Morgan drove off in her car without her belongings on October 19 and never returned. Shortly after, the Sheriff’s Office reported Morgan a missing person, and the county’s Air Support Unit conducted aerial searches.

Her friends at Atterdag spent days worried about her and were deeply saddened by the news of her death, said Pastor Chris Brown of Bethania Lutheran Church. Brown got to know Morgan well in the past year and a half, and he recalled she had a vivacious spirit and was a joy to be around. She and her friends called themselves the “Naughty Table,” he said. “They always liked to have fun and joke around,” he said. “We are all very sad she is gone.”

Brown informed his congregation of the news on Thursday via email. The Sheriff’s Department issued a statement that confirmed Morgan’s vehicle was found with a dead female body inside, adding, “The Coroner’s Office is in the process of making a positive identification. No foul play is suspected. The death is under investigation.”