Found Deceased VA - Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, Charlottesville, 17 Oct 2009 - #10

[wadahoot]

Here are some good pictures of Morgan. In a couple of pictures, she is wearing the same bracelet, like a charm bracelet. Could this be how they identify Morgan? Prayers to Morgan's family.

http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?page=1&oid=162224546575&aid=-1&auser=&view=all

That charm bracelet is shown in lots and lots of the photos ... good catch, and thanks.

 

[Angel Who Cares]

WSLS will carry the news conference live on WSLS at 5:00 p.m.
Watch a live stream of the 5:00 p.m. news conference.
http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/livestream/
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"Skeletal Remains" Found in Albemarle County
Skeletal remains are found at Anchorage Farm in southern Albemarle County. The family of missing VA Tech student Morgan Harrington are en route to the scene.
Updated: 1:51 PM Jan 26, 2010
<snipped>
Virginia State Police and Albemarle County Police are currently on the scene of the discovery of skeletal remains at Anchorage Farm in southern Albemarle County.

State police were notified at 9:59 a.m. Tuesday morning by an Albemarle County resident of the discovery.

State Police say the remains and scene are being evaluated by forensic technicians, and they have no further information to release at this time.

Video: Skeletal Remains Found in Albemarle County 0:31
http://www.whsv.com/video/?autoStar...default&clipId=4489601&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

Article:
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/82691377.html
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Missing Woman's Parents Head to Farm Where Remains Found
Updated 3:16 PM EST, Tue, Jan 26, 2010
<snipped>
State Police have not confirmed the identity as Morgan Harrington, but NBC29 was told unofficially that the body appears to be a young woman with long blonde hair.

Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney Denise Lunsford has also arrived at the crime scene as has the lead Virginia State Police investigator in the Morgan Harrington case, Lt. Joe Rader.

Crime scene technicians are searching the farm for evidence with a grid mapping technique, NBC29 reported.

State police said they will not discuss the finding until a news conference that has been scheduled for 5 p.m.

Article:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l...ead-to-Farm-Where-Remains-Found-82707917.html
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Anchorage Farm body, still unidentified, found 19 minutes from JPJ
January 26th 03:28pm
<snipped>
A skeletal female body was found this morning in a remote part of Anchorage Farm, on Route 29 south of the I-64 interchange. Police have not identified the remains yet, but the parents of Morgan Harrington, who has been missing since October 17, when she was last seen in the vicinity of the John Paul Jones Arena, are reportedly on the scene. A press conference is expected at 5 p.m. with the Virginia State Police.

Anchorage Farm is just over 10 miles from JPJ, a journey by car of about 19 minutes.

View Map
http://www.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=295+Massie+Road,+Charlottesville,+VA+22903+(John+Paul+Jones+Arena)&daddr=Anchorage+Farm,+Charlottesville,+VA+22903&hl=en&geocode=CYXlrakiEZrBFUiLRAIdcQ1S-yHOww7u2HNzDg%3BFUKoQwId5olQ-ylP9ByIs4OziTF0viyMjWNSsQ&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=38.032334,-78.519306&sspn=0.134941,0.292854&ie=UTF8&ll=38.031327,-78.521347&spn=0.07729,0.1064

Article:
http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1991704080566501&act=post&pid=12032601100871644
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UPDATED: Skeletal remains found in Albemarle County
January 26, 2010
<snipped>
UPDATED: 3:26 Tuesday

News7 has confirmed that a farmer, D B, found a body along a fence line in a cow pasture. B said the body was very badly decomposed. B said he first thought it was a deer, until he got closer and realized they were human remains.

UPDATED: 2:02 p.m. Tuesday

News7's Jean Jadhon has talked with Dan Harrington, father of Morgan Harrington. He told her he and his wife, Gil, are headed to Charlottesville now. They'll meet with state police.

UPDATED: 1:26 p.m. Tuesday

Virginia State Police, University of Virginia Police, Albemarle County Police and Charlottesville Police will hold a news conference at 5 p.m. in regards to the skeletal remains found this morning on a farm in Albemarle County.

WDBJ7.com will live stream the news conference.
*Much More Info At Link!

RAW VIDEO: Of Scene Where Skeletal remains Were Found 1:15
http://www.wdbj7.com/global/Categor...default&clipId=4489980&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

Map: Skeletal Remains Found
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...09838&spn=0.023679,0.025749&z=14&source=embed

Article:
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11881954
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Morgan Harrington Found? Remains Located On Virginia Farm (PHOTOS)
January 26, 2010 3:20 PM
<snipped>
While the remains were not immediately identifiable, forensic technicians are on the scene and Harrington's parents, Dan and Gil Harrington, were en route to Charlottesville to assist.

Virginia State Police and Albemarle County Police are currently at the scene in Charlottesville, about an hour's drive north west of Richmond.

Gil Harrington, Morgan's mother, told CBS 19 by phone that the remains found "probably are Morgan's."

"We don't think it's been proved definitively yet, but it's most likely," she said. "So, we want to go and be on hand and see if that determination can be made. Or if we can help in making that determination."

Gil Harrington said she wanted to thank people for all their prayers and the efforts to find Morgan.

"I was hoping we would find her alive, but at least we won't always be wondering for a lifetime," she said.

"We're still kind of processing, trying to, although all this time, we've been trying to prepare ourselves for this endpoint," Gil Harrington said.

"But thinking you're doing it and having done it are different. So we're trying to figure to how to be a tripod now instead of a four-legged strong table that we have been [as a family]. We haven't done it. We'll figure it out, but we haven't done it yet."

Article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/26/crimesider/entry6143771.shtml
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Skeletal Remains Found in Albemarle Co; Harrington Family Arrive in Charlottesville
Albemarle County Police are investigating reports Tuesday morning of skeletal remains found at Anchorage Farm off Route 29. CBS19's Jessica Jaglois has received word that Dan and Gil Harrington have arrived in Charlottesville.
<snipped>
CBS19's Bianca Spinosa spoke to David Bass, the owner of the property, on the phone. He said he found the remains when he was checking fences that keep cows from roaming. The fences were on the outer end of the property, about 1.5 miles from his own. Initially, Bass said, he thought the remains were a deer but called police when he realized they were human.

Bass said the remains were at a remote part of the property that can only be accessed by tractor. He said he usually keeps the gates to his farm open, which makes it susceptible to trespassers, usually hunters.

Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney Denise Lunsford and Lt. Joe Rader of the Virginia State Police both visited the crime scene Tuesday. Lt. Rader is the lead investigator in the Morgan Harrington disappearance case.

Virginia State Police have scheduled a press conference for 5:00pm Tuesday afternoon. CBS19 will have live coverage of the press conference on air and on Newsplex.com.

We will update the story as additional information is made available.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Gil Harrington Speaks to CBS19 5:25
http://ww2.newsplex.com/video/?auto...default&clipId=4489954&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

RAW VIDEO: Anchorage Farm Activity 0:42
http://ww2.newsplex.com/video/?auto...default&clipId=4489829&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

Article:
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/82688062.html
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UPDATED: Updated: Harrington family in Charlottesville as police investigate human remains
Tuesday, January 26, 2010; 4:00 PM
<snipped>
After a partially skeletized body was found on a farm in Albemarle County today, Dan and Gil Harrington are on their way to Charlottesville.

Police have announced a joint press conference will be held at 5 p.m. in Charlottesville.

Monica Caison, the liaison between the Harrington family and the CUE Center for Missing Persons in Willimgton, North Carolina, said that the Harrington family is en route to Charlottesville at this time in order to be present for a press conference to be held at 5 o'clock this afternoon.

Bass said the body was in a very remote part of his farm. He was checking fences when he discovered the remains. He said he only ventures to that particular part of the farm about once each year and had not been there since August.

Police asked Bass not to disclose any information about the appearance of the body.

Bass said the remains were "nowhere near a highway."

The police have blocked off access to Anchorage Farm off of Route 29, about six miles from the University of Virginia.

MAP: Updated: Body found in Charlottesville was 'nowhere near a highway'
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...-78.543835&spn=0.122409,0.220585&source=embed

Article:
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stor...ttesville-as-police-investigate-human-remains
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UPDATED: State Police Confirm: Body Found In Albemarle
Posted: Jan 26, 2010 10:09 AM EST
Updated: Jan 26, 2010 3:37 PM EST
<snipped>
State Police crime scene technicians arrived at Anchorage Farm and are searching for evidence using a grid mapping technique.

NBC29 has been told unofficially that the body appears to be that of a young woman with long blonde hair.

Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney Denise Lunsford has also arrived at the crime scene as has the lead Virginia State Police investigator in the Morgan Harrington case, Lt. Joe Rader.

Dan Harrington tells NBC29 he and his wife Gil are on their way to Albemarle County to identify the body found this morning and says it is likely their daughter Morgan, who went missing 101 days ago in Charlottesville.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond has not yet been notified of the body in Albemarle. A spokesman said the remains would definitely be brought to Richmond for autopsy after investigators process the scene.

State Police are holding a press conference in Charlottesville at 5 p.m. Tuesday. NBC29 will carry it live as well as stream it live on NBC29.com

Video: Body Found In Albemarle County
http://www.nbc29.com/global/Category.asp?C=175568&clipId=4489627&autostart=true

Article:
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=11881412
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David Bass describes finding body that is likely Morgan Harrington
January 26th 04:29pm
<snipped>
David Bass, who owns Anchorage Farm where the body was discovered this morning, told C-VILLE that in the course of checking fences this morning, in a location he arrived at via tractor, "I saw what looked like a dead deer. When I got a little closer, it didn't look like a deer skull." Bass further confirmed that clothing was found near the body, but added that Virginia State Police have asked him to not divulge further details.

Bass told C-VILLE that there is "no real history of trespassing" on his property, which county records show he has owned since 1985. He has no idea, he says, how the body got there, as the location where it is found is not accessible by car.

Meanwhile the Newsplex is reporting that in a phone call to a reporter, Morgan Harrington's mother, Gil Harrington, said the state police informed her that the remains are probably her daughter's. The State Police have a news conference scheduled for 5 p.m. today.

Article:
http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1991704080566501&act=post&pid=12032601101245913
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Body Found on Farm, No Link Yet to Metallica Fan Morgan Harrington
Posted on Jan 26th 2010 4:30PM
<snipped>
Skeletal remains discovered on a farm south of Charlottesville, Va. have sparked speculation that they may be those of missing Metallica fan Morgan Harrington. So far, police have not made an official connection between this morning's discovery and the Harrington case. However, Dan and Gil Harrington, the girl's parents, are said to be on the scene where the remains were found.

Monica Caison, a spokesperson for the CUE Center for Missing Persons, which was involved in the civilian hunt for Harrington, told reporters that the body was found in an area they were planning to search soon.

State police assure the press that they will release information as it develops. David H. Bass, who owns Anchorage Farm, said the remains were "seriously decomposed" and left in a part of his cow pasture that he rarely visits. He was checking the area this morning because of the recent heavy rains. The farm is located about 10 miles southwest of the University of Virginia campus, where the concert took place.

Article:
http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/01/26/body-found-farm-metallica-fan-morgan-harringt/
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Mystery Still Surrounds Missing Tech Student
Posted: Jan 26, 2010 4:24 PM EST
Updated: Jan 26, 2010 5:04 PM EST
<snipped>
The biggest question surrounding the discovery of a body along Route 29 South in Albemarle County is whether this is the body of Morgan Harrington. Harrington is the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who disappeared from the Metallica concert in Charlottesville October 17th.

The weeks and months leading up to this day have been grueling. Morgan's parents have been forced to do what no parent should have to. They've had to hold out hope, and at the same time brace for the worst. Here's a look back at the events surrounding her disappearance.

Three weeks later, police divulge UVA basketball players admit they saw Morgan the night she vanished, but they don't know what happened. Then in early December, the Harringtons give investigators Morgan's dental records. As 2009 closes, police admit leads are drying up.

Just about two weeks ago, the Harringtons made the trip to Charlottesville from Roanoke for another update with police on the investigation. Now, they wait again, to possibly hear the news that could solve the mystery of what happened to their daughter.

Article:
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=11883619
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BREAKING NEWS: Police "Fairly Confident" Remains are of Morgan Harrington
Albemarle County Police are investigating reports Tuesday morning of skeletal remains found at Anchorage Farm off Route 29. Police said in a press conference Tuesday evening that they are "fairly confident" the remains are of Morgan Dana Harrington.
Updated: 5:05 PM Jan 26, 2010
<snipped>
UPDATE: Virginia State Police said in a press conference Tuesday evening that they are "fairly confident" the remains are of Morgan Dana Harrington.
CBS19 reporter Jessica Jaglois has received word that Dan and Gil Harrington, parents of missing 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, were en route to Charlottesville around 1:00pm Tuesday afternoon.

Gil Harrington, Morgan's mother, told Jaglois by phone that the remains found "probably are Morgan's."

Video: Update From Anchorage Farm Crime 1:09
http://ww2.newsplex.com/video/?auto...default&clipId=4489878&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

Article:
http://www.newsplex.com/news/headlines/82688062.html
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Body Found In Albemarle Is Morgan Harrington
Posted: Jan 26, 2010 10:09 AM EST
Updated: Jan 26, 2010 5:05 PM EST
<snipped>
State Police said at a news conference Tuesday that they are "fairly confident" the remains of a woman found in southern Albemarle County are indeed those of Morgan Harrington. The announcement ends the search that began 101 days ago when Harrington disappeared following a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena.

Article:
http://www.nbc29.com/global/story.asp?s=11881412
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UPDATED: State police say they are confident remains are Morgan Harrington
January 26, 2010
<snipped>
UPDATED: 5:00 Tuesday

State police say they are fairly confident that the remains are Morgan Harrington.

The skeletal remains were found in a hayfield on a farm in Albemarle County this morning. State police say they are "confident" the remains are hers, but have sent the body to the medical examiner for further tests. A farmer found the body Tuesday morning while he was working in his field.

The body was sent to the medical examiner for further testing, but investigators say significant items found at the scene lead them to be fairly certain the body is the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who went missing during a Metallica concert last October in Charlottesville.

In a news conference late Tuesday afternoon, state police said the body was found in a very remote area of the farm without easy access to the location.

State police are treating this case as a homicide.

Article:
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11881954



:angel:

 

[Carla Lashelle]

If not Morgan than some other missing woman has been found. its sad either way.

hair could be found next to the skull. The report said there was no hair on the skull, but that does not preclude hair being found next to it, in the vicinity, etc.

I suppose if clothes or personal items were present they could be used to help determine ID. It seems odd that family members would be asked to ID a skeleton. Its not like you could look at a skull and say oh yeah thats so and so for sure.

 

[ams1985]

They just said partially skeletonized body, after 101 days, would it be partially or fully skeletonized? Not familiar with the time it would take.

 

[carbuff]

I agree- in this isolated of an area the perp has to be from the immediate area, Besides checking family members it would be interesting to find out if any college keggers have taken place nearby. someone familar
with this area dumped the body there.
My heart also goes out to the family. But, I have just known Morgan was gone. She would have returned home if it was at all possible. My prayers are with her loved ones. Now, lets catch the who did this!!!!!!

On the Channel 29 comments, locals are speculating whether there's a connection to a fire last night about 4 miles further south on Route 29. The house was apparently occupied by several students.

http://www.nbc29.com/global/story.asp?s=11881770

 

[theforgotten]

This is heartbreaking. I can't imagine what the Harrington's are going through right now. They have my prayers.

 

[carbuff]

I suspect they're being asked to identify her jewelry or other personal possession found with the body.

http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/82709777.html is one place that's going to have live streaming of the press conference.

 

[wadahoot]

I'm surprised that none of the news outlets have a helicopter up to see where the patch of woods is behind the house (or I'm just missing it on the news).

 

[Dr.Fessel]

He said the area would be next to impossible to access from a road, since it's at least a mile and a half from the roadway.


How did the perp get her back there? Tractor?

 

[lucky181]

On the Channel 29 comments, locals are speculating whether there's a connection to a fire last night about 4 miles further south on Route 29. The house was apparently occupied by several students.

http://www.nbc29.com/global/story.asp?s=11881770

I would think the fire is just a coincidence. How would the students have known last night that the body would be found today? It's probably been there since October.

 

[Claudia]

I believe you are referencing the VCU student who disappeared and whose body was found in Essex Co, VA.

It's Taylor Behl & she was found in Mathews, VA. It wasn't a family member's farm, the guy who killed her had dated the property owners' daughter. They had spent some time there together.

 

[snoelle1]

They just said partially skeletonized body, after 101 days, would it be partially or fully skeletonized? Not familiar with the time it would take.

Don't know, but with cold weather and all the snow (a couple feet I think in Dec) it could have preserved the body and/or protected it from predators to a point and lengthening the process. So I could see if it wasn't fully skeletonized, but I'm not sure how long that would take anyway.

 

[mysticrose]

They just said partially skeletonized body, after 101 days, would it be partially or fully skeletonized? Not familiar with the time it would take.

Hi ams1985 ...It would depend alot on weather conditions, if the body was partially buried, totally buried or left out in the elements and of course animal activity .. I hoped that helped

 

[Claudia]

Hi ams1985 ...It would depend alot on weather conditions, if the body was partially buried, totally buried or left out in the elements and of course animal activity .. I hoped that helped

My father lives about 4 miles from there & he has had a bunch of snow. The body was probably pretty well preserved.

 

[ams1985]

That did help, thank you! I had no idea a body could be preserved that long. I was just thinking if she may have been alive a while after she went missing (IF this is her, of course), but with the snow, that makes sense now!

 

[kellync]

My brother lives very close also. Over 2' of snow recently..

 

[mysticrose]

My father lives about 4 miles from there & he has had a bunch of snow. The body was probably pretty well preserved.

Lets certainly hope that any evidence may have been preserved as well ..
The snow would certainly slow down any decomp of the body ...

 

[carbuff]

I would think the fire is just a coincidence. How would the students have known last night that the body would be found today? It's probably been there since October.

I agree, but it is rather odd. We're assuming the body has been there all along, but maybe it was in the house until last night, and the perp dumped the bones and burned down the crime scene? Apparently the students were supposed to move out next week, so it could have been part of -- not to be crude -- "housecleaning."

Most likely nothing...

 

[mysticrose]

My prayers go out to Morgan's family as it looks very much like this is probally her, hopefully because she has been found they can have some closure ....

 

[marylandmissing]

I believe you are referencing the VCU student who disappeared and whose body was found in Essex Co, VA.

Taylor Behl victim, Benjamin Fawley perpetrator