KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City FBI agent who rushed to help survivors at the Pentagon on 9/11 died Thursday from brain cancer.
Melissa S. Morrow, 48, died after a long battle with the disease.
Morrow was certified by The World Trade Center Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, and as a result of her actions on 9/11, her death is classified as a line of duty death.
Morrow was working in the FBI’s Washington Field Office at the time of the attack.
When the plane hit the Pentagon, Morrow, who was 31 at the time, responded to the crash site and spent the next 10 weeks there and at an evidence warehouse. During those 10 weeks, Morrow was exposed to hazardous contaminants.
Les Kerry, Team Leader of the Missouri Law Enforcement Funeral Assistance Team, said that Special Agent Morrow’s death is a chilling reminder that the 9/11 tragedy continues to take lives.
“Just an average citizen who didn’t know her, it’s going to bring back some memories of where you were that day of the tragedy and the travesty that took place on 911 and the days and months to follow,” said Kerry.
Morrow served in the Kansas City office from 2010 to 2018.
She will be given a hero’s burial with bagpipes playing taps, a 21 gun salute, and a flyover.
Morrow is survived by her mother, father and sister.
Visitation is scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 27 at Country Club Christian Church, 6101 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri. The funeral will immediately follow visitation.
