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

[rickh]

I think the location of the purse is just as crucial piece of evidence as the location of Morgan's body at Anchorage Farms.

Killers do not return to the scene of the crime and plant evidence. Sorry, but that just doesn't happen. It poses an unnecessary risk, when they can just as easily keep it, or toss it somewhere far away.

And yet, amazingly enough, the perp did just that (if we are to assume LE maintaining Morgan hitch-hiking on Copley Bridge is fact).

Why, I wonder? Here's my theory: the perpetrator had no choice but to return to the location after he was done with Morgan.

good point possible perp used someones car maybe they were staying at motel.kills her dumps her brings car back realizes he forgot to get rid of pocketbook dumps it at lot when he brings car back just a thought

 

[Roselvr]

This has been my point all along...in hind sight..anyone with blond hair and any outfit..boots,no boots etc could be the person mentioned in the reports..
If a witness said "I know M and I know it was her..then I want to know why they left her standing out in the cold and didn't pick her up...it should have been clear to anyone that knew M that her plans were to be inside the arena when Metallica started playing...This is my reason for discounting the sightings...

We agree.. I said before; how many blond/blue wearing a mini with boots?

The purse..could have been in the car all the time...friends return..irritated by what had happened..while they waited they got angrier and finally said .."let's head back to HSB".."what about M's purse?"....it lands on the parking lot as they head back to HSB...
In light of her never returning and the call from MR.H ...I would try not to incriminate myself either ...wouldn't you?

We agree here too because of the history of my daughter with her friends. Of course I do not know Morgans friends so can't accuse them for sure but it's a doubt I have because of my own history.

well there was the question why friends lawyered up.and as i said to keep from incriminating themselves.

I'd asked this yesterday.. do we know the friends lawyered up?

.

 

[rickh]

i read they had lawyered up in two press releases i will try to find link it may take awhile.update i checked the cville related articles its really wild there appears to be a slide show pic of M over the first 3 or 4 links i am unable to access them will look elsewhere.

 

[nostoneunturned]

How long does it take for a medical examiner to look at a high profile case and come up with something...
If she was a hit and run..bones could possibly be broken and would show impact...
If strangulation...or od that would be weeks depending on test that would take time to process..
If gunshot..bullet
If a knife...possibly scars left on the bones..
Why have they not said something?

 

[evelyn24]

How long does it take for a medical examiner to look at a high profile case and come up with something...
If she was a hit and run..bones could possibly be broken and would show impact...
If strangulation...or od that would be weeks depending on test that would take time to process..
If gunshot..bullet
If a knife...possibly scars left on the bones..
Why have they not said something?

They said it was a homicide and that's all that the LE will release now, they are not going to give COD if they know it, and screw up any investigation.

 

[Walker]

Where is the cage parking lot? Was this Morgan's purse being reported found?
Is this different than the RV lot? TIA

http://www.virginia.edu/uvapolice/reports.html

The Cage is a UVA building across the street from the RV lot. The original police report indicates that her bag was found in the Cage Lot, but later statements by the media claim that it was actually found in the RV lot.

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

Rader also confirmed-- in a stunning parallel to the 1985 disappearance of never-found UVA student Pat Collins-- that the Sunday morning discovery of Harrington's purse didn't immediately launch a criminal investigation. "It originally was handled as a recovered property report," said Rader.

As for the parking area where it was found, it is what a sign describes as the "RV lot," a small piece of asphalt, gravel, and grass that UVA spokesperson Elizabeth Wilkerson is typically filled with recreational vehicles at football games but reserved for athletes losing their usual parking during concerts.

The triangular parcel is surrounded by Copeley Road, the UVA athletic fields, and the CSX/Buckingham Branch train tracks. Shrouded by trees and not part of concert parking, it does not appear lit like the nearby paid parking lots.

The above link shows a diagram of the UVA parking areas.

http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/28/on-the-bridge-morgan-harrington-last-seen-over-train-tracks/

Rader said that Harrington was last seen walking on the bridge that carries Copeley Road over the CSX/Buckingham Branch railroad tracks, a site adjacent to the RV Lot. The Lot is where Harrington’s black purse with two long straps was found, and Rader indicated there were other people nearby who must have seen Morgan.

Link: http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/13/hitchhiking-missing-morgan-harrington-still-missing-sought-a-ride/

Geller says police also want to hear from anyone who may have allowed a young woman to borrow their cell phone to make a call the night of the concert.

“We don’t have any evidence she made other calls,” Geller says, “but we’d like to know.”

Harrington’s purse and battery-less cell phone were found Sunday morning, October 18 in the Lannigan Field overflow parking lot, also known as the RV Lot, which is used by athletes when large events are held in the Arena.

If you examine these statements carefully, LE is not quoted directly as stating that the handbag was found in the RV lot. This particular case has been plagued by many instances of careless reporting; however, The Hook has provided the best and most accurate coverage.

JMO: Most likely the hangbag was found in the RV Lot as repeatedly stated by The Hook; however, it is not impossible that the original police report was in fact correct.

 

[Walker]

well as we all know there saying there is no pics or video of her inside.yet one of the friends says she kissed her on cheek before she left to go to restroom?

AM Kiss link:http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2009/10/29/cover-findMorgan-E.aspx

Inside, according to her father's account, the girls settled into their seats, but sometime either during the second opening act, Lamb of God, or during the break before Metallica came onstage, Morgan left her group.

"Amy gave Morgan a kiss on the cheek. and Morgan went to the bathroom," says Dan Harrington. "We know that Morgan got out of the building, and then it's like she fell off the face of the earth."

How an alleged bathroom trip resulted in her exiting the Arena is a mystery. Built in 2006, the $131 million structure has 32 restrooms-- 18 for women-- clearly marked. There are concession stands and even a smoking terrace overlooking Emmet Street. Security guards at the exits are trained to warn patrons that if they leave, they won't be allowed to reenter-- even with their ticket.

Yet Morgan, somehow, ended up outside.

DH's statements have a certain points reflected an inaccurate or incomplete understanding of the facts; for example, early on, he had insisted that MH's car & its keys remained in Harrisonburg that night. [Remember that the family members are under horrible stress, and might not be able to analyze the situation with necessary detachment].

Link: http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/30/unexplained-injury-and-tips-flood-in-but-still-no-morgan-harrington/

Another discrepancy [that is, in addition to the possible facial injury reported by witnesses to police] between what police and the family seem to know revolves around the vehicle that transported the young woman and three other concert-goers to Charlottesville. Police spokesperson Geller says that although driven by a friend, it was definitely Morgan Harrington’s own vehicle. Dr. Harrington has maintained, however, that his daughter’s 2006 Honda Civic, along with its keys, remained in Harrisonburg until retrieved Sunday by his daughter’s roommate who drove it back to the family home in Roanoke.

AM made no public statements regarding her experience that night. Therefore, we cannot state beyond reasonable doubt that MH was sitting together with AM, SS & DC during the first two sets, then kissed AM, and separated herself from the group.

 

[kwatmac]

Hello ~ this is my first post.

I have been following this case on here since the beginning and have been an avid reader of cases on Websleuths for years.

One thought on this case - there seems to be a lot of speculation as to whether Morgan ever was in the arena. However, if she had never been inside, there would be no issue of her being denied 're-entry', because it would have been the first time she was entering the arena...

thoughts?

 

[Walker]

How long does it take for a medical examiner to look at a high profile case and come up with something...
If she was a hit and run..bones could possibly be broken and would show impact...
If strangulation...or od that would be weeks depending on test that would take time to process..
If gunshot..bullet
If a knife...possibly scars left on the bones..
Why have they not said something?

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/01/27/2010-01-27_remains_believed_to_be_morgan_harrington_who_disappeared_at_metallica_concert.html

Quote from the above link:

David Bass, who owns the 742-acre Anchorage Farm about 10 miles south of the John Paul Jones arena, found the remains while doing maintenance work on the property and contacted the police, according to the University of Virginia's Cavalier Daily.

"I saw what I thought was a dead deer." Bass said. "I got a little bit closer and it didn't look like a deer skull."

The hayfield was last cut in August 2009 and would have been possibly waist-high by mid October 2009, authorities said.

The UVA newspaper has been criticized for inaccuracies; however, Bass's quote has been widely publicized. If not correct, Mr. Bass himself would likely have set the record straight by now.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/virginia-tech-student-morgan-harringtons-death-ruled-homicide/story?id=9740132

Quote from ABC News link:

In a chilling blog entry on Jan. 31 on a Web site dedicated to Harrington, the girl's father, Dan Harrington, wrote about retrieving his dead daughter's body after months of hoping she'd be found alive.

"How could someone have erased so much of what Morgan was and reduced her to a jumbled heap of bones?" wrote Dan Harrington. "Who would ever have thought it would be mine to see every image of Morgan's life – from her first faint shadows on fetal ultrasound to the gaping orbital hollows in her skull? An abomination to witness this ending."

Her skull was intact; therefore, she was not murdered execution-style with a bullet to the back of the head. An immediate death resulting from being hit by a car would likely require skull fracture.

OTOH both statements may be subject to reasonable doubt. Bass does not explicitly state that the skull was completely intact. DH's statement may have been intended poetically.

Note: The above quote was actually written by MH's mother, Gil Harrington.

 

[Ghostmaster]

i read they had lawyered up in two press releases i will try to find link it may take awhile.update i checked the cville related articles its really wild there appears to be a slide show pic of M over the first 3 or 4 links i am unable to access them will look elsewhere.

Other than speculative rumors that can be found in abundance on some social networks and other forums you will find no articles or links stating that any of her friends have retained council.

 

[secretagent]

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/01/27/2010-01-27_remains_believed_to_be_morgan_harrington_who_disappeared_at_metallica_concert.html

Quote from the above link:




The UVA newspaper has been criticized for inaccuracies; however, Bass's quote has been widely publicized. If not correct, Mr. Bass himself would likely have set the record straight by now.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/virginia-tech-student-morgan-harringtons-death-ruled-homicide/story?id=9740132

Quote from ABC News link:

Her skull was intact; therefore, she was not murdered execution-style with a bullet to the back of the head. An immediate death resulting from being hit by a car would likely require skull fracture.

OTOH both statements may be subject to reasonable doubt. Bass does not explicitly state that the skull was completely intact. DH's statement may have been intended poetically.

It does not state that the skull was fully intact--- merely that he was able to see the eye orbits.

 

[LogicalMinds]

Hello to all...

Walker...good point about COD (however I think it was Gil, Mrs H who said that about her "lovely bones"...and ultrasound to etc

~~~~

JMO>>>> we can "rule out " some scenarios...that simplifies it for me

I personally have "ruled out"

1) the "ex" boyfriend/lover idea....from all I have read, Morgan had NO deep ex love, no really "deep" or involved current lover....

what I mean is...she was not pregnant...had no children....was never married...no "ex"...not "seperated"....never even lived with a guy from what I read. She was not engaged, apparently did not break off an engagement, did not have any "co-mingled" assets or possessions (ie, did not own a house with a guy, or share a car with a guy, or start a business)

she did not have restraining orders on anyone, and no one had restraining orders on her, current or past. She did not have a "history" of being abused nor of abusing, and there were no violent incidents in her past.

and in a case like this....you can darn well bet that IF any of the above ever happened we would be hearing about..and we are not..so I personally RULE OUT THE IDEA OF A JEALOUS ANGRY BOYFRIEND /EX/LOVER/HUBBY/FIANCEE WHATEVER

2) I personally rule out the "conspiracy" idea..while the "friends" may not have acted the way many here want them to, there is NO reason and NO evidence they had some conspiracy to murder Morgan. None

In fact...by "not calling her parents right away" they were doing what most college kids would do...NOT "rat out" a friend who they probably thought had "hooked up" or found a party and was sleeping it off somewhere. We have seen various other cases like that, some with happy endings, the party person is found, drunk, high, hungover, sheepish or whatever

3) NO conspiracy.....I find it too hard to think that someone had this planned...cause NO one could know that all of these bad incidents/bad luck would align and put Morgan in a vulnerable place...I don't think anyone followed her to the concert with the idea of harming her

4) Some other clarification and simplification....it has been stated various times on her family forum that HER BATTERY FELL OUT OF THE PHONE A LOT> she apparently had had problems with this phone and it was the sort where the battery can come out easily...I think that is what happened...and IMHO the lack of a phone was one of the sad "coincidences" that set this sad tale into motion

5) Another clarification...there was NO way the "friends" could have "thrown her the keys" or "met her and give her the keys" ..because Morgan called them and said she would try to get in and/or get a ride....and they tried to call her back and she did not answer. They had no idea which gate /entryway she was at, in fact she apparently tried a couple different doors with no luck

6) another clarification....tho it led to this sad ending, the fact is that the rules are the rules at concerts, not to be changed or broken, period. I don't blame the security guards. Morgan was 20 years old, not 5....she was old enough to drink in most civilized countries except ours, old enough to vote and fight for her country....some women have several kids at her age, some are in med school, some are in Iraq. Enough is enough...hindsight is great but facts are facts. Morgan seems like she was a beautiful, nice girl who had ONE bad night, one night of bad decisions and bad luck and it ended tragically

Many other girls do similar or worse and end up with a hangover or a headache
<sigh>

7) Another clarification....I had posted before various "proof" that Morgan had overdrafted her debit card, and was "going to balance her account" the very next day with her dad....I think this meant that she did NOT have money/much money on her card and that limited her options. She probably had cash on her...but may have spent it??

8) why did she leave??? I don't know...confused?? didn't realize there was an indoor smoking place?? Or ?? just "full of vim and vigor">> off to the parking lot to get some other party materials, drugs, or booze..?? Maybe when she "fell" and hit her chin she thought "I need some pain pills, or some downers, I am too high...or I need some marijuana to calm down" or "I need some liquor to calm down" or whatever??

I think she was no doubt "high" or somehow impaired...and really her friends may have been also...with the exception (hopefully) of the designated driver guy who was NOT close to Morgan and had no real connection to her/stake in her wellbeing etc....he may have just thought "hey she is a party girl, having fun" etc
I also think her friends may have shared the idea that she was having fun adventure, maybe got back in to hear concert and was with someone else etc
Party time...and loud music, huge crowds...not much they could do one way or another

Sooooo...JMO these are the things I think did NOT happen...using logic and "Occams Razor" (and kiss...keep it simple sweetheart)

 

[LogicalMinds]

Soooooo......

IF all of the above didn't happen...no angry ex, no conspiracy, etc
what did happen??

I think that a series of incrediably bad luck and bad decisions came together and there was a bad guy out there...who found an "easy" target....

MY personal "feeling" on the perp is that he is a bad guy ...but probably looks pretty good, maybe cute guy...can fit in...would not "scare" her away....

I feel he may know someone/somewhere who she knew...or knew enough to talk a good game....knew something of the colleges etc

I personally feel he may have been abusive/predator to women before...but that this may have been his first murder?? I think it escalated

I have been thinking....is he the sort of guy who takes advantage of women in bars, at parties?? And has not been "caught" cause they don't press charges?? Maybe Morgan, from a "nice' family, her dad a doctor and professor, maybe Morgan fought him, threatened to have him arrested, maybe she yelled out her connections etc, and he realized that he could not get away with it this time?? So ? he killed her??

I think finding Morgan was too "random" to think that someone had targeted her...but "he" could be a guy out to target a woman who was alone, maybe drunk or vulnerable?

I think the "cute" SRO who lives near there should be looked at with a fine tooth comb (I am sure they are doing this)

I would also hope they are looking into date rapists, guys who were accused but maybe the victim didn't press charges and state dropped it....also look at abusive hubbies/boyfriends in the area... chances are it is a local, due to the location where her body was found. I feel it is an abusive man who "upped" his violence here

the purse>??

>> what if? she set it on top of the car while talking to the guy and he drove off without it?
or>>> what if he realized it was in his car after he did his dirty deeds and he drove back and threw it out to "confuse" things?? He may not have even been thinking very well at that point?? Just threw it??

again, the phone battery...I still feel that it fell out after Morgan called her friend/texted and that was a HUGE factor in her plight...her phone was not working

this is a very sad case , a VERY bad night in a shining lifetime that led to the end of her life....so sad. I really hope they find this monster quickly...and it is scary to think that HE is out there, that others may be in danger. JMO of "course"

 

[nostoneunturned]

http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=11101808092903167&ShowArticle_ID=11800802104209643

very nice article on all of the events

 

[Walker]

I like to stick to the simplest explanation possible.

This case is not simple, and its full resolution will not be simple. A lot of posters get angry or frustrated when someone suggests something strange may have occurred; however, we have to admit some small percentage of “missing & found dead” cases are due to circumstances beyond our everyday experiences. The airplane discussion caused a lot of outrage; not because use of an airplane to dispose of a body is necessarily impossible, but merely because such a possibility goes out of ordinary experience.

Here's what it is (IMO)

She went to the concert as described by the friends.

MH’s companions (AM, SS & DC) have made no public statements describing the events of that night 10/17/09.

In her car, the guy drove, they all entered the arena.

Likely, this statement is true; however, as I pointed out before, reasonable doubt exists that MH actually entered the arena. See my previous post.

I do think the girls were drinking in the car or at JMU or both.

Based on what evidence?

Not all witness testimony should be accepted as fact; however, this particular statement from Dave Gardner of New Jersey seems credible to me.

http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2009/10/29/cover-findMorgan-E.aspx
Quote from the above link:

Morgan and Melvin, who share an off-campus apartment in Blacksburg, drove to Harrisonburg, where they picked up Snead and, according to her father, the boyfriend of a friend. According to State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller, the four rode from Harrisonburg to Charlottesville in Morgan's car. Morgan, Geller says, allowed a friend to drive, so she didn't have her car keys with her during the show.

The group arrived safely, according to a 2005 UVA grad who parked next to them. Morgan-- a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman clad in a black mini skirt, black tights, and knee-high black boots-- seemed excited to go in, more so, even, than the rest of her friends.

"She pulled up with her party and got out of her party's car and kind of immediately engaged me and my brother and my cousin and my friend who were at the concert," Dave Gardner, now living in New Jersey, told Lynchburg television station WDBJ.

"She did seem excited to see Metallica because she asked us who the opening act was, and when we told her, she said 'Who cares, we're here to see Metallica, right?'"

Gardner, who did not return the Hook's calls, told the station he was "100 percent certain" that it was Morgan he'd spoken to and that he saw no signs of pre-concert drinking by Morgan or her friends.

I think she wasn't drunk, but intoxicated and judgment impaired. Not doing anything exotic, not being pursued by a stalker... just drinking girlie drinks in the backseat of the car.

In my state, having an open container of alcohol inside a vehicle while the vehicle is in motion is against the law. We should not accuse anyone of committing any crime unless we have solid evidence.

She left them... not sure exactly why... possibly just wanted to take some pics and then had her supposed minor accident and then went to the ladies room or she was already on her way to the ladies room when she fell, whatever... I believe she did have a scratch and did go to the ladies.

After the ladies room, I think she was unnerved b/c stumbling when walking down the stairs of an arena like that is scary. I've done (without injury) in Cassel Coliseum at VT
…

Part of the problem with this case is that everyone tries to relate the case to their own personal experiences. How many posts are along the lines “when I went to metal concerts my bffs always used the buddy system …”? The facts are not being analyzed objectively enough.

 

[Soulmagent]

''Investigators believe that the person or persons responsible for her homicide is or are likely to have traveled, worked, recreated or lived in close proximity to the historic Anchorage Farm located in southern Albemarle County.

&#8220;Of all the events that transpired between Morgan and the person or persons responsible for this tragic incident, the person(s) responsible had complete control of deciding to choose the specific farm where Morgan was discovered. Therefore, investigators need to understand who knows this area,&#8221; said Lt. Joe Rader of the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation&#8217;s Appomattox field office''


http://augustafreepress.com/2010/02/04/location-of-greatest-significance-in-harrington-investigation/

The use of persons or persons , the way they phrased " all the events'' and ''tragic incident'' and they way the said' 'responsible for her homicide''
Really makes me think she was hit by a car.


But can someone fill me in on the purse. I know it was found in a parking lot and I believe it was the day after the concert. What I dont understand is why people believe the perpetrator put it back?

 

[LogicalMinds]

Well....

I think that article is very much "hindsight"....and knee -jerk "play to the masses" for sympathy JMO.

the no re-entry policy is standard....these are entertainment venues, and as such they
have to have this in place...people have to have some personal responsibility

there is a huge amount of this "coulda shoulda woulda' in any tragedy..and this is a tragedy

the fact is that she was 20 years old, she paid for a ticket to a heavy metal concert, if she was drinking that was illegal,

they do have medical people in place, but she was apparently not in visable need of immediate medical attention. I am sure IF she had fallen down and passed out security would have done something. As it is, what can they do?? Call the cops on any young person who looks high, drunk?? Get them arrested?? They have to have a certain "leeway" or no one would pay to go to a concert as most of the crowd would be arrested

The truth (painful as it may be) is that IF Morgan had a better phone and more cash/a working credit/debit card this also may have turned out differently. And IF she and her friends had used the buddy system...and IF they had not been drinking/getting high..
well...IF she had not even gone to the concert etc and so on and so on

they say the saddest 2 words in the English language are "if only"...and I agree

 

[KeenEyes]

Snipped—

Hello ~ this is my first post.

I have been following this case on here since the beginning and have been an avid reader of cases on Websleuths for years...

 

[Mountain Mama]

I'm curious about how many of the land owners around Anchorage Farms have dogs. In rural neighborhoods almost everyone has a dog or two. I think it would be interesting to know if Mr. B & his daughter have dogs. A crime occuring in the middle of the night, with a vehicle driving around would not necessarily wake up sleeping people, but dogs would likely bark at an unusual noise. JMO
As has been said before, if the perp is as knowledgable about AF as believed, he would take the dog situation into account. It narrows down the ways he could access the place without getting the dogs in an uproar.

 

[carbuff]

<snip>
But can someone fill me in on the purse. I know it was found in a parking lot and I believe it was the day after the concert. What I dont understand is why people believe the perpetrator put it back?

The place where it was supposedly found was fairly busy after the concert, and it seems like somebody ought to have noticed it then. Also because two different locations have been given. Some of the maps make it look like the place where the purse was found are a bit out of line with other places where she was seen.

It's just another one of many details that might or might not fit.