A West Virginia woman has been arrested for allegedly attempting to recruit people on social media to assassinate President Donald Trump, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said.
The woman has been identified as Morgan Morrow, 39, who has been charged with one count of making terroristic threats. Deputies said Morrow attempted to encourage others to “pursue and assassinate” the president. Authorities said additional details will be released as the investigation continues, according to KCBD.
How deputies identified the suspect
According to the criminal complaint, on January 25, 2026, deputies became aware of a reported threat of violence directed at an unidentified individual believed to be a public official.
Investigators said the threat originated from a public TikTok account allegedly belonging to Morrow, DC News Now reported. The post included the statement: “Surely a sniper with a terminal illness can’t be a big ask out of 343 million.”
Authorities reviewed the content, context and wording of the post and concluded that it appeared to encourage and advocate for the assassination of President Trump, the complaint stated.
Following the discovery, deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Bureau of Investigations and the Ravenswood Police Department went to Morrow’s residence, where she was detained and taken in for questioning.
According to the complaint, after being read her Miranda rights, Morrow admitted to writing and posting the TikTok message and said it was “intended as a threat directed toward President Donald J. Trump.” She also shared her personal reasons for wishing harm upon the president, though those reasons were not disclosed in official documents.
Investigators noted in the complaint that even if Morrow claimed she did not intend to personally carry out any violence, such statements are “designed to encourage, inspire or entice others to carry out the threatened act.”
Sheriff: Arrest is not political
Jackson County Sheriff Mellinger emphasized that the arrest was not politically motivated. In a Facebook post, he said making threats against any public official is illegal under West Virginia law.
“This is not meant to be a politically oriented statement. This is an active criminal investigation with documented and troubling concerns,” the sheriff said.
Library responds
After news of the arrest became public, the Jackson County Public Library issued a statement confirming that Morrow was one of its employees and said the matter was being addressed internally.
