Atlanta Man Found Dead After ‘Running for His Life’ on July 4, Police Searching for Second Man – 95.5 WSB

Cottrell’s sister, Angelica Harris, said he lives in Atlanta and came to Birmingham with his partner to celebrate the holiday.

She said that around 10 p.m., Cottrell said he was going upstairs to check on his dog because of the fireworks.

“He went to see the dog and I never saw him again,” Harris said.

She added that they found one of her shoes and her phone in the yard. They then found a Ring doorbell video that showed Cottrell running around the yard and even jumping over a fence.

“It looked like he was looking for shelter,” Harris said. “He was running for his life.”

She says Cottrell works in marketing in Atlanta and is working on his doctorate.

Birmingham police said Saturday they were looking for a man named Julian Taylor Morris, who they said was the last person to see or hear from Cottrell.

They are offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who can help them locate Morris. His relationship to Cottrell is unclear.