Found Deceased VA - Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, Charlottesville, 17 Oct 2009 - #13

[rickh]

I agree about parking on 29. I gather that the prevailing hypothesis is that she was brought in from the other side, through the residential development.

i believe most people agree she was brought in from blandemar estates side of the farm.even mr bass stated it would be much easier to access that part of his farm from there.i think this perp was very smart about where he put her.he is either a hunter or a farmer.we have to remember it was hunting season she would have more chance of being found in the woods.he put her in remote section of grassy field where not likely someone would be hunting.the grass would have been 2 to 3 ft tall.any farmer can tell you in grass that tall it would be hard to see her unless you walked very close by.jmo most deer have there there offspring in the safety of grassy fields thats why so many are killed by farmers cutting hay they cannot see them even on a tractor.i think this perp knew the safety of his location even in hunting season.i think they also knew that snow was probably coming so she would not be found for quite awhile.thats one of the reasons i feel this was planned it was not just a spur of the moment location.jmo

 

[MBLover]

I just saw Morgan's Mother at our local Sam's Club. I wanted to speak to her, but she looked like she was in quite a hurry and we were getting ready to leave.

Pictures do not do this lady justice. She is very pretty and very classy - but not snobbish. You can still see the pain and loss in her face, but she also appears to be handling it well.

I sure do hope this family has some answers very soon.

 

[MLE]

Perhaps she was picked up by someone in a pickup truck with a 4-wheeler and ramps in the bed of the truck.

 

[SusieMom]

hmmm.... you know I am thinking about that subdivision. Kids growing up in semi-rural subdivisions usually explore the surroundings. Like building forts in the woods and shooting air rifles at squirrels.... stuff like that... wouldn't be considered poaching and as long as they weren't making a mess or doing anything illegal probably would largely go unnoticed by the owners. I'm not talking about big time partying nor serious hunting just innocuous trespassing but enough so that a smart kid would remember the area and would naturally enter the farm from that point. I know its a higher end subdivision and I wonder if adult (college-aged even) children of families who live there or might have lived at one time, would even appear on the radar of law enforcement? You know, "nice" boys with no criminal history from good families and who likely no longer live at home. Or maybe friends of those boys who maybe spent time at their house, enough to be familiar with the area. These are the kinds of guys that I think Morgan would have voluntarily left with. And maybe they didn't live in the newer part of subdivision.. maybe close to it, but lived there before the new houses were built, back when it was single houses on a rural road.

 

[nostoneunturned]

I still think the party that was held on Dec 8 at anchorage farm has something to do with it.
The people that partied there, or some how maybe Morgan was told of a party out there,
and went there with people she thought she knew...she may have thought she would hook a ride with one of them back to Blacksburg...
But what about the next day..she was supposed to go home..wouldn't she need her car?
How was she supposed to get her car back? The person who rode with her from Blacksburg to Harrisonburg..did she figure the person would just drive back?
I believe ,when it is all said and done...it will be someone the family knew..either through the brother or his friends..or someone who is in school.either JMU.UVA,Charlottesville..

 

[SusieMom]

Yes, I assume that Morgan, once she left her car with her friends there, would have expected her roommate to drive her car back to their apartment in blacksburg. Perhaps not till Sunday morning but I think she would have expected the roommate (I'm not sure if we're allowed to say her name, but its not necessary anyhow) to use the car to get back herself back home. clearly she didn't have a problem allowing the guy to drive the car on Saturday and the roommate was a closer friend to Morgan than he was. I believe she and the roommate drove to JMU together so roommate's car would have presumably not been in Harrisonburg.

 

[pip]

It is interesting that Dan and Gil have said publicly that they feel more than one person was involved. I hadn't heard that from them before. It makes me wonder if they are privy to some new information that leads them in that direction?

 

[Mountain Mama]

FBI Reopening 23 Year Old Colonial Parkway Criminal Cold Case

note this occured October 31, 2009, according to the following article....
(which we all know was just 2 weeks after Morgan went missing)

I know I'm glad to see the FBI giving some of these cold cases some consideration.


http://www.tavss.com/news/fbi-reopening-23-year-old-colonial-parkway-criminal-cold-case20091031.cfm

 

[Calliope]

It is interesting that Dan and Gil have said publicly that they feel more than one person was involved. I hadn't heard that from them before. It makes me wonder if they are privy to some new information that leads them in that direction?

When did they say that?

 

[pip]

When did they say that?

http://www.newsplex.com/video?clipID=4582488&autoStart=true&contentID=85788092

It's in this video from their recent visit to CVille

 

[Calliope]

http://www.newsplex.com/video?clipID=4582488&autoStart=true&contentID=85788092

It's in this video from their recent visit to CVille

Thank you.

Interesting. Do you think they meant more than one person was with her that night, or that there are others aware of what one did and helping to cover it up?

 

[pip]

Thank you.

Interesting. Do you think they meant more than one person was with her that night, or that there are others aware of what one did and helping to cover it up?

I wish I knew! It's hard to know, based on what was said. Interesting though, I agree.

 

[PaulR]

I don't think the perp is necessarily a hunter, it's pretty common knowledge in that area that hunters are in the woods, and we're always hearing about hunters finding bodies. They may have friends who hunt, and know enough about the seasons and the prime hunting areas (and more importantly, the bad hunting areas) to place the body where it wouldn't be found for months.

Looking at the Virginia hunting season, it looks like it was archery season when she vanished, but not muzzleloader/rifle yet. I'm not sure how crowded the woods are with archers.

Sorry I missed the theory about how the body was brought there... if she was already dead, then it would be easier to carry her with two people. Perhaps that is why her parents think two are involved.

 

[nostoneunturned]

From what has been stated as fact, by her mother, she and MH were very close..I think Gil had knowledge of most of the people who were in MH life. I think Gil, has a gut feeling that who ever was involved is listening to what she and Dan say...I think she is trying everything within her power to appeal to the person or other's that know what happened to come forward.
I believe they are watching and hoping someone makes a mistake that leads to their arrest.
I am afraid that their was not much DNA to examine..giving the bracelet back so soon left me with little hope that much will change after the long wait to unveil the results of the tests that are still out.
The length of time, the lack of facts being released, the amount of unsubstantiated wittnesses ,all leave me sad and disapointed.
LE needs some information...someone knows something..

 

[Walker]

Thank you.

Interesting. Do you think they meant more than one person was with her that night, or that there are others aware of what one did and helping to cover it up?

Let's review this witness testimony:

The red highlighting shows words and phrases which may reflect a certain bias on the part of the journalist against the trustworthiness of this particular woman's testimony. Note that the testimony of the man who claimed that MH kicked him (same link) contains no such elaborate disclaimers; after all, the reader should assume that any such testimony is possibly mistaken, until corroborated by further evidence.

The purple highlighting shows words and phrases that reflect on the sureness of the woman's statement.

One possible witness has been speaking publicly, in part, she says, because she doesn’t believe investigators have fully followed her lead.

“I know what I saw,” says Norma Parson, a newspaper delivery woman who believes she saw Morgan– or an incredible lookalike— coming out of a room on UVA’s West Lawn at 3:45am October 18, six hours after the last confirmed sighting on Copeley Bridge.
“She was tall and thin,” says Parson, who says the woman’s high black boots had heels making her appear taller than Morgan’s reported height of 5′6″ and that she wasn’t wearing the black hose or tights police have described.
Because the woman also was wearing a jacket that was fastened shut, Parson says, she couldn’t determine whether the woman’s blonde hair, which was tucked inside, was long or short. But as the blond woman— accompanied by three young men, two shorter, one taller— passed by her in the well-lit brick walkway along the Lawn, she says, she got a clear look at her face, and her heavily made-up eyes, in particular. She says the woman’s presence in the wee hours of a chilly night— and her bare legs— seized her attention.
“I thought, ‘What’s she doing out here dressed like that,’” Parson recalls. When she learned of Harrington’s disappearance two days later and saw photographs of heavy mascara- and eyeliner-wearing Morgan, “I knew immediately it was the same girl I saw,” says Parson, who credits art training for teaching her to examine facial details— even those she sees in passing. “I never had a moment’s doubt,” she insists.
Evidence experts, however, say that even the most earnest and certain witnesses can err.
“It’s well established that confidence and accuracy are not clearly correlated,” says UCLA Law Professor Jennifer Mnookin, an evidence expert. Mnookin says that’s the reason police confirm every alleged sighting and look for multiple witnesses or surveillance tapes before releasing new reports.
“The mind isn’t a camera,” she says. “Recollections can be affected in all kinds of ways by other information, by what we want to believe, by other biases.”
The female student who lives in the room Parson identified did not respond to repeated inquiries from a reporter, but a neighboring student says police interviewed him and his neighbors following Parson’s tip.
“There is no blond girl who lives along this stretch,” [BEGS QUESTION: no one claimed that MH lived there] says John Griffin, a Fourth Year engineering student, who lives next door, near Pavilion VII.
Griffin says these rooms are among the quietest on the Lawn [BEGS QUESTION: MH may have been seen there regardless of whether the dorm was quiet or not]and that neither he nor the woman whose room the Morgan lookalike was allegedly seen exiting were home on concert night. In fact, he notes, the Colonnade Club, which occupies Pavilion VII, was busy that night, and Griffin wonders if Parson may have simply seen wedding guests. [QUICK EXCUSE! "Methinks he doth protest too much"? ] “There were people from that party all up and down here that weekend,” he recalls.
Parson says she remains frustrated that police have not allowed her to identify the men she saw with the woman— particularly because she saw one on a subsequent night on the Lawn.
“I just want them to let me identify who I saw,” says Parsons, who now fears that her status as a potential witness may have put her in danger as she makes her middle-of-the-night newspaper rounds. But law expert Mnookin points out that police are limited when it comes to identifying people who haven’t committed a crime.
“You can’t arrest someone for no reason, [BEGS QUESTION: the woman did not request that police arrest the man, just that she be allowed to identify him somehow to the police ] and can’t make someone be in a line-up,” she says. If there were an already existing photo or if Parson could point one out in a public place, police could question him.
Parson acknowledges there’s a possibility the woman she saw wasn’t Morgan, but without knowing who it was— or who the men with that woman are— she says, there’s no way to rule it out.
Two doors down from the room Parson identified, Fourth Year student Declan Tansey says he was not interviewed by police and hadn’t heard anything about the case except what he’s read in news accounts. He, however, agrees with Griffin’s assessment that his room and the rooms around it are not the “party rooms” on the Lawn.[BEGS QUESTION: MH may have been there regardless of whether the dorm had a rep for parties]

According to police spokesperson Corinne Geller, police have “thoroughly vetted” Parson’s lead but have not found anything connecting it to Morgan’s disappearance.

Could it be that the journalist is trying very hard to discredit this one woman's testimony, because she would place MH on the UVA campus and in the companionship of three men who were likely UVA students?

Link: http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/15/concerned-witnesses-before-hitching-morgan-harrington-caused-worry/

 

[Walker]

This club is mainly for UVA faculty members & administrative officers, but sometimes honorary memberships are granted in recognition of exceptional service to UVA. Rooms can be rented by members with reservations six months in advance. Usually used by visiting scholars.

http://hoosonline.virginia.edu/site/c.ngITL1PGJrH/b.4863275/k.5939/Membership_Information.htm

More,

http://hoosonline.virginia.edu/site/c.ngITL1PGJrH/b.4863249/k.F2D0/History_and_Mission.htm

Quote from the above link:

The Club is housed in Pavilion VII, the oldest building on the Lawn as well as the only pavilion that does not serve as a faculty residence. The cornerstone was laid on October 6, 1817, by President James Monroe during a Masonic ceremony that ex-presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison attended. The scene was particularly significant for Jefferson because he had designed the brick pavilion that became the first structure in his “Academical Village.” Once the smallest pavilion on The Lawn, it is now the largest, having had two additions built on it—one begun in 1855 and another in 1913.

A two-and-a-half year restoration of the pavilion was completed in 2001, giving Club members a beautiful space in which to enjoy events or simply relax during the day. Pavilion VII also features eight guest rooms, each with a private bath, which members may reserve for overnight visits, either for themselves or their guests. The Club’s public rooms may also be rented for meetings, social events, and celebrations.

 

[Walker]

 

[Calliope]

Let's review this witness testimony:

The red highlighting shows words and phrases which may reflect a certain bias on the part of the journalist against the trustworthiness of this particular woman's testimony. Note that the testimony of the man who claimed that MH kicked him (same link) contains no such elaborate disclaimers; after all, the reader should assume that any such testimony is possibly mistaken, until corroborated by further evidence.

The purple highlighting shows words and phrases that reflect on the sureness of the woman's statement.





Could it be that the journalist is trying very hard to discredit this one woman's testimony, because she would place MH on the UVA campus and in the companionship of three men who were likely UVA students?

Link: http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/15/concerned-witnesses-before-hitching-morgan-harrington-caused-worry/

Thanks.

She mentions that Morgan's boots had high heels. She also doesn't mention the injury to her face (saying she was trained to look for detail).

Perhaps police think it's those two parts of her story that don't add up?

a neighboring student says police interviewed him and his neighbors following Parson’s tip

If there were an already existing photo or if Parson could point one out in a public place, police could question him.

That's a bit confusing to me. It seems as if they did follow up on some level. My other question... is that not a public place?

Also, do you know which police they're referring to? UVa, Charlottesville and VSP were all investigating the case in the first days after her disappearance.

 

[PaulR]

Griffin says these rooms are among the quietest on the Lawn [BEGS QUESTION: MH may have been seen there regardless of whether the dorm was quiet or not]

Quietest in UVa context = not a partying area. It says this later in the article. They mean that it's unlikely that she would have been over there because she had been invited to party by other students. Those old dorms don't have great soundproofing. (I never lived on the Lawn but lived in older dorms.)

In fact, he notes, the Colonnade Club, which occupies Pavilion VII, was busy that night, and Griffin wonders if Parson may have simply seen wedding guests. [QUICK EXCUSE! "Methinks he doth protest too much"? ] “There were people from that party all up and down here that weekend,” he recalls.

I think you are really, really reaching to say he is making an excuse. He is noting that the woman could have seen someone else since there were quite a few people there, probably some from out of town. After all...

“She was tall and thin,” says Parson, who says the woman’s high black boots had heels making her appear taller than Morgan’s reported height of 5′6″ and that she wasn’t wearing the black hose or tights police have described.

... so perhaps not the same height, and not the same clothing. Did she bring clothing with her to UVa, when she had no plans to stay overnight in Charlottesville? Did someone give her clothing to wear? That's reaching.

“I just want them to let me identify who I saw,” says Parsons, who now fears that her status as a potential witness may have put her in danger as she makes her middle-of-the-night newspaper rounds.

This woman sounds like a kook or someone who wants attention. She thinks someone is going to place a hit on her? Please. It says the police vetted the lead, I'm guessing she saw someone else, if she saw anyone at all.


The story immediately afterwards about the person who allegedly saw her in Orange makes more sense, I assume that was ruled out. (Orange is also way north of town, and I'm not sure why she'd be heading in that direction.)

 

[PaulR]

That's a bit confusing to me. It seems as if they did follow up on some level. My other question... is that not a public place?

The Lawn is a public place.

For those not familiar, students who live in rooms on the Lawn are generally high profile - either student leaders or top-of-the-class. The Pavilions (except for the Colonnade Club) are occupied by faculty.

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

It's right next to the Rotunda, so you get a lot of tourists there. You also get students wandering through, even late at night, if they want to go to the Corner (kind of the main strip of stores and bars closest to that part of the University), heading home, north to where most of the frat houses are (Rugby Road), etc. Back when I was a student, I would sometimes be in New Cabell Hall very late on Friday night, and you'd see people walking around.

If she was on the Lawn, she probably would have been seen by others.

Also, why would a newspaper delivery woman be on the Lawn at 3:45 in the morning? :waitasec: