Found Deceased VA - Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, Charlottesville, 17 Oct 2009 - #1

[Waddles]

When was Morgan reported missing? Could Morgan and her friends gone to a party after concert and maybe died of alcohol poisoning so friends made it appear that something happened @ the concert?

highly doubtful, there are witnesses to the fact she was outside trying to get back in and to the fact that her friends were waiting for her at the end of the concert by the car

But still, I do think we don't have all the pieces at all and that although I am placing no blame I think maybe the friends have some info we don't

 

[Waddles]

Does anyone know where the bridge on Alderman Road is in relation to the concert venue? Also is there a place maybe high up somewhere where you can see the concert that someone could have lured her to?

 

[West]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33396986/

Looks like its now a criminal investigation...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33396986/

 

[West]

Melvin said the group was separated from Harrington before the concert and did not see her during the concert.

She said Harrington did not take the automobile they had brought to Charlottesville.

So the two main facts which seem like they are being corroborated from various sources but are still somewhat fuzzy are:

1.) that Morgan did become separated from the group she traveled at some point in the night--confusion as to when (parking lot before show, once inside arena area, after she left to 'go to the bathroom', after going outside and being unable to re-enter?)

2.) This second statement can be read two ways: Morgan's car was taken to the show and Morgan and group did not take/move car from parking lot at conclusion of show
OR
Group of girls made return trip to JMU/after concert destination in the original car they drove to Charlottesville without Morgan.

Either way, there is a lot of confusion surrounding the girls' transportation. I have read:

It was Morgan's car they drove to the show
Morgan's car was not taken at all but left in Harrisonburg

Morgan's car was left behind in lot overnight
Girls drove Morgan's car away from arena after show

Girls waited extensive amount of time at car after show
Girls knew Morgan had arranged other transportation and left following the show's conclusion

I really think the timeline is CRITICAL here--especially concerning separation from group and transportation!!!

 

[Waddles]

So very true about the confused and conflicting transportation info!!

 

[secret_agent_mom]

So the two main facts which seem like they are being corroborated from various sources but are still somewhat fuzzy are:

1.) that Morgan did become separated from the group she traveled at some point in the night--confusion as to when (parking lot before show, once inside arena area, after she left to 'go to the bathroom', after going outside and being unable to re-enter?)

2.) This second statement can be read two ways: Morgan's car was taken to the show and Morgan and group did not take/move car from parking lot at conclusion of show
OR
Group of girls made return trip to JMU/after concert destination in the original car they drove to Charlottesville without Morgan.

Either way, there is a lot of confusion surrounding the girls' transportation. I have read:

It was Morgan's car they drove to the show
Morgan's car was not taken at all but left in Harrisonburg

Morgan's car was left behind in lot overnight
Girls drove Morgan's car away from arena after show

Girls waited extensive amount of time at car after show
Girls knew Morgan had arranged other transportation and left following the show's conclusion

I really think the timeline is CRITICAL here--especially concerning separation from group and transportation!!!

This is from the press conference yesterday quoting the State Police Lt. (Rader):

In regards to how she got separated:

"She left the building originally to go to the restroom; however for some reason she wound up getting outside of the arena and the policy of the John Paul Jones arena is there is no reentry policy," Rader said. "As far as her condition, her condition is being looked at from interviews. We are not prepared to discuss her condition at this time; however she was in a condition where she was able to move about the arena freely and able to converse with people. She did call her friends when she got outside the arena and did advise them that because of the policy she could not get back in [and] would find a way to get up with them or to get home. That is the only information that I will discuss at this time. I will tell you that [this occurred] somewhere around 8:30 - between 8:30 and 9:00."


In regards to her vehicle:

The only other relevant question centered on her vehicle, which she had parked at James Madison University prior to the concert.

"The car is not [relevant to] her being missing because the two are not associated in this particular investigation," Rader said.

Source: http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/10/morgan-dana-harrington-press-conference.html

I realize a blog isn't the most reliable info - but these are direct quotes from the Lt so they seem reliable.

It seems like the car is not an issue, but rather why she would say that she had a ride home (or to JMU) and why her friends seemed to think that it was feasible for her to find a ride at least 60 miles away. Her dad found this out of her character and I find it really odd. :waitasec:

 

[MBLover]

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/223358

Interesting article from the Roanoke Times.

 

[West]

This is from the press conference yesterday quoting the State Police Lt. (Rader):

In regards to how she got separated:

"She left the building originally to go to the restroom; however for some reason she wound up getting outside of the arena and the policy of the John Paul Jones arena is there is no reentry policy," Rader said. "As far as her condition, her condition is being looked at from interviews. We are not prepared to discuss her condition at this time; however she was in a condition where she was able to move about the arena freely and able to converse with people. She did call her friends when she got outside the arena and did advise them that because of the policy she could not get back in [and] would find a way to get up with them or to get home. That is the only information that I will discuss at this time. I will tell you that [this occurred] somewhere around 8:30 - between 8:30 and 9:00."


In regards to her vehicle:

The only other relevant question centered on her vehicle, which she had parked at James Madison University prior to the concert.

"The car is not [relevant to] her being missing because the two are not associated in this particular investigation," Rader said.

Source: http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/10/morgan-dana-harrington-press-conference.html

I realize a blog isn't the most reliable info - but these are direct quotes from the Lt so they seem reliable.

It seems like the car is not an issue, but rather why she would say that she had a ride home (or to JMU) and why her friends seemed to think that it was feasible for her to find a ride at least 60 miles away. Her dad found this out of her character and I find it really odd. :waitasec:

GOOD info! Thanks!

I still don't understand why the car is not important in this investigation. I think its a big component of this whole thing. If friends were informed she would find a ride home, why wait outside the car, which Morgan's mom said they did following show's conclusion? It seems confusing at best to say to friends "I'll find a ride OR try to get back in OR just meet afterwards".

I agree that the friends here hold many of the key links in this....why would the friends not contact police/concert security/have friend paged at arena after waiting significant amount of time for Morgan to show after concert and not hearing from her? I would have been concerned enough by that point to call parents/police etc. ESPECIALLY if she had told friends she was going to BATHROOM, wound up outside and not let back in, and I had not HEARD FROM HER SINCE 9:30 AT THE LATEST. Assuming the concert didn't get out until at least 11:30, midnight...where did the girls think their friend was during concert? At concert's conclusion? After waiting at the car for some time?

The LE also seems to think that perhaps Morgan was in some type of altered state. I feel that if she wasn't drinking/doing drugs, why not just come out and say that? Saying that she was moving freely and able to converse with people doesn't give a good indication of what shape she was in. I can move freely and converse with people when I've had too many drinks--but I would also be in no shape to be making decisions without the help/aid of friends...College students have a tendency to think "it 'll never happen to me" and sometimes feel a false sense of security because they are on a college campus, nothing bad happens here etc. Now combined that thinking with someone who was tipsy/drunk/had been smoking pot (Morgan doesn't seem as though she would be a hardcore drug user according to parents whom she sees often despite living at school but you never know...) and you could have a potentially dangerous situation with a young woman alone outside a concert by herself and not thinking in the clearest of terms...

 

[West]

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/223358

Interesting article from the Roanoke Times.

Do you believe in the Missing White Woman Syndrome?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome

I think it's definitely interesting that cases like Morgan's are covered so extensively and at the detriment of other cases. One case that seems to have happened recently and fallen by the wayside on national news is that of Mitrice Richardson in California. She made the news for a day or two but there have been no recent updates on CNN, Fox etc.

While I think it's great that so many people are paying attention to cases like Morgans--from friends, to Metallica to Nancy Grace, it makes me sad that other cases of missing persons (a disproportionate amount of cases that go unnoticed by the public being those of minority descent) are ignored and go unresolved for years. Everyone deserves justice, to be identified, to be buried properly, to have family members find closure etc.

 

[Waddles]

GOOD info! Thanks!

I still don't understand why the car is not important in this investigation. I think its a big component of this whole thing. If friends were informed she would find a ride home, why wait outside the car, which Morgan's mom said they did following show's conclusion? It seems confusing at best to say to friends "I'll find a ride OR try to get back in OR just meet afterwards".

I agree that the friends here hold many of the key links in this....why would the friends not contact police/concert security/have friend paged at arena after waiting significant amount of time for Morgan to show after concert and not hearing from her? I would have been concerned enough by that point to call parents/police etc. ESPECIALLY if she had told friends she was going to BATHROOM, wound up outside and not let back in, and I had not HEARD FROM HER SINCE 9:30 AT THE LATEST. Assuming the concert didn't get out until at least 11:30, midnight...where did the girls think their friend was during concert? At concert's conclusion? After waiting at the car for some time?

The LE also seems to think that perhaps Morgan was in some type of altered state. I feel that if she wasn't drinking/doing drugs, why not just come out and say that? Saying that she was moving freely and able to converse with people doesn't give a good indication of what shape she was in. I can move freely and converse with people when I've had too many drinks--but I would also be in no shape to be making decisions without the help/aid of friends...College students have a tendency to think "it 'll never happen to me" and sometimes feel a false sense of security because they are on a college campus, nothing bad happens here etc. Now combined that thinking with someone who was tipsy/drunk/had been smoking pot (Morgan doesn't seem as though she would be a hardcore drug user according to parents whom she sees often despite living at school but you never know...) and you could have a potentially dangerous situation with a young woman alone outside a concert by herself and not thinking in the clearest of terms...

Excellent questions-I so agree and know for sure that when I was 20 I would have been alarmed from the moment she was late from returning from bathroom -and I would have gone with her-And I definitely would have called her parents had she not showed up at all. Again, unless they knew of somewhere she could be -they knew she was meeting someone to stay the night with or to take her home... About the altered state-I wonder if she tried something for the first time, like E and panicked and wanted to get away from the crowds to breathe. But then the guy who reported refusing her entry at the door surely would have said if she was enebriated, strung out etc. I wonder also if her "condition" is not something else -like the person who mentioned she looked like she had been hit. I'm still wondering most of all what would have prompted her to exit the doors anyway -did she urgently need to buy something-need something from outside-was she getting something for everyone-something the others know about...

 

[crypto6]

So the two main facts which seem like they are being corroborated from various sources but are still somewhat fuzzy are:

1.) that Morgan did become separated from the group she traveled at some point in the night--confusion as to when (parking lot before show, once inside arena area, after she left to 'go to the bathroom', after going outside and being unable to re-enter?)

2.) This second statement can be read two ways: Morgan's car was taken to the show and Morgan and group did not take/move car from parking lot at conclusion of show
OR
Group of girls made return trip to JMU/after concert destination in the original car they drove to Charlottesville without Morgan.

Either way, there is a lot of confusion surrounding the girls' transportation. I have read:

It was Morgan's car they drove to the show
Morgan's car was not taken at all but left in Harrisonburg

Morgan's car was left behind in lot overnight
Girls drove Morgan's car away from arena after show

Girls waited extensive amount of time at car after show
Girls knew Morgan had arranged other transportation and left following the show's conclusion

I really think the timeline is CRITICAL here--especially concerning separation from group and transportation!!!

Thanks. This pretty much sums up all our conversations on this thread about the car. LE is keeping this fuzzy for a reason and you're right, who came in the car, who left in (or came to pick up)the car, and when they left (or picked up the car) is very important. Just because LE says something publicly (the car sin't relevant) doesn't make it true. They frequently use disinformation in investigations.

C6

 

[wvagirl]

Someone asked earlier where the bridge on Alderman was. It is about a 1-2 minute walk from the arena parking lot. It leads into an area with a couple of restaurants and a convenience store (which would have been open later) and some banks which would have been closed. Then if you keep heading up Alderman you actually hit my neighborhood which is a mixture of full time residents and student rentals. If she turned right before going up Alderman she would head towards Ivy if she kept going and the interstate access, but that is at least 2-3 miles from Alderman. There is a big private school across the road from this area with extensive grounds?

Also, there are railroad tracks that run underneath this bridge through Charlottesville. Alderman is highly traveled at all times of day and into the late evening. The road that crosses it into Ivy is also very busy. There would have been a lot of activity in this area late into the evening as a lot of people going to events park in this area to avoid paying the fee. Is any of this helpful or am I rambling? I can stop if this is all common knowledge to you guys already.

 

[Waddles]

Someone asked earlier where the bridge on Alderman was. It is about a 1-2 minute walk from the arena parking lot. It leads into an area with a couple of restaurants and a convenience store (which would have been open later) and some banks which would have been closed. Then if you keep heading up Alderman you actually hit my neighborhood which is a mixture of full time residents and student rentals. If she turned right before going up Alderman she would head towards Ivy if she kept going and the interstate access, but that is at least 2-3 miles from Alderman. There is a big private school across the road from this area with extensive grounds?

Also, there are railroad tracks that run underneath this bridge through Charlottesville. Alderman is highly traveled at all times of day and into the late evening. The road that crosses it into Ivy is also very busy. There would have been a lot of activity in this area late into the evening as a lot of people going to events park in this area to avoid paying the fee. Is any of this helpful or am I rambling? I can stop if this is all common knowledge to you guys already.

Thanks very much that was all very helpful info. I was wondering from the start if she could have needed to buy something from the store-tampons or something or medication, something that she needed to leave for. It would be good to know exactly what time the Facebook person said they saw her walking on that bridge.

 

[wvagirl]

So , if the reports of her being seen on the bridge were true, and she was with four guys is it possible that they offered her a ride and that is why she stated to her friends that she had a ride? I sure as heck hope not because the thought of her taking off with four guys makes my blood run cold. Especially if they just met and they were parked that close to the interstate, and tons of other remote, rural areas near here.

 

[Waddles]

It makes me very sad that something terrible most likely happened to her. Had a small thing changed then she would still have her whole life ahead of her- had she not been separated from friends, had not left-if the doorman had allowed her back in...just a big black whole as to what happened to her after-someone obviously knows something. And someone must have since then noticed someone they know acting strangely...

 

[West]

So , if the reports of her being seen on the bridge were true, and she was with four guys is it possible that they offered her a ride and that is why she stated to her friends that she had a ride? I sure as heck hope not because the thought of her taking off with four guys makes my blood run cold. Especially if they just met and they were parked that close to the interstate, and tons of other remote, rural areas near here.

It is concerning that Morgan, as a pretty young girl outside an arena by herself, would even leave the steps of the arena/parking lot to go ANYWHERE- ESP. with 4 GUYS. From what Morgan's parents have said-- no going off with a group of unknown men by themselves in an unfamiliar town at night. If Morgan had used drugs or alcohol, this could explain a bit of impaired judgment leading her to leave with random people but if she was so impaired as to not make safe decisions--where were her friends watching out for her? Once she was kicked out and not let back in AND friends knew she boyfriend, visited home often, close with family, didn't party too much, not a heavy drinker...she sounds a little naive. HOWEVER, I don't know many 20 yr old college women who are so naive that they would believe they are safe was possibly stoned/drunk, why would they be okay with letting her walk off and make decisions on her own? I would have at least gone down to the door to talk with Morgan in person once we had contact and she informed me she was outside and unable to come back in. Apparently Morgan was part of a close group of friends since elementary school that called themselves "The 9" and she was at the concert with at least some of them (per JMU article). The friends behavior seems odd to me in light of this information...

AHHHH I wish we had more info about timeline/evening's events that we knew to be FACT!!!

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Any news this morning on Morgan?

Still praying hard!

 

[Quiche]

Thanks to all for the information, links, and speculations...

I am left with a sense of outrage at the policies of these venues to disallow an individual re-entry! Good grief-- what is their "security" for, if not to watch out for the welfare of their visitors? Only to protect the arena property? Bull pucky!!

I know these concerts are not cheap, and are well staffed! Why on earth would a visitor who's been separated from their group be abandoned right outside the doors of an organized population? How frightening...

I hope this incident prompts some changes to this kind of dangerous alienation. Morgan, and all visitors to ANY venue, deserve to be treated with humanity. I am sickened. :furious:

 

[lightlady]

I remember when I was younger that people would go out with a bunch of other's stubs and bring in more friends that way. I guess that is the fear, but it seems like there has to be some way (hand stamping?) to stop this practice. This also happened to someone that I knew recently, that needed to go out briefly to pick up something they had left in the car.

 

[raines67]

Dont throw tomatoes, but Metallica is a pretty heavy metal band, and the shirt she had on "Pantera" is a VERY heavy metal band. My brother lives in Chalottesville, and it is beautiful, but certain places are infested with drugs, and many are unemployed. I wonder if she met up with someone who wanted to rob her? I also wonder if she was into drugs at all (ducking) and met someone in the bathroom who had some and led her outside only to be robbed. I have been there many times, and there are urban areas, but also many areas that are no mans land. She was so pretty, just seems like a "ripe for the pickin" type of target. I dont mean to imply everyone who listens to Pantera and metallica are on drugs, but they are both notorious for their wild fans and hard partying. all JMO

lol, I don't post much, but couldn't help myself. I am a grandmother and happen to be a big fan of both these bands as well as other heavy metal bands. I go to lots of metal and rock concerts and the fans are no worse than they are at a football game, in fact I think I have seen more drunkeness and rude behavior at football games. Not saying there couldn't have been a bad apple at the concert, but all my heavy metal friends are awesome. The bands, yes some party (not KISS), the fans are not always wild. lol