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

[gnomony]

i would have to believe someone knows something.with the amount of the reward and no one talking it makes me wonder.does the one person who knows something in fear of there life from this same perp or perps?.

What evidence do we have that no one is talking? True, no one is talking to US, but why would they?

 

[rickh]

What evidence do we have that no one is talking? True, no one is talking to US, but why would they?

thanks gnomony.i guess i base that on the fact its been 4 months,150k reward,not 1 poi has been relayed to us or the public.jmo i could be wrong.i think LE knows that there is public outcry to bring someone or ones to justice.im just really surprised that they have not said we have several pois that we are looking at.it seems in the beginning they have been very quick to rule out suspects.but they seem to be grasping for clues.jmo

 

[arielilane]

I'm sorry, I don't see it being the simplest solution. If that were the case the perp would have already been arrested.

I don't think Col. Mustard did it in the library either...however it seems there's a bit more to this than someone killing a young lady and dumping her on a farm.

Lots of killers leave "calling cards" if you will. Lots of killers are cryptic and who knows why they do some of the things they do.

This case is anything but simple and the simplest answers haven't brought any conclusions. JMHO.

I got to thinking about this and you are correct MBLover. Look at the Zodiac killer…a lot of killers and who knows this could be a serial killer like to taunt LE; and many think they are smarter than anyone else.

 

[Walker]

Well it is JMO....but the idea that someone choose Anchorage Farms to "anchor" her down etc is way too complicated LOL

Very far fetched

we don't know all that LE knows...nor should we...this is not an armchair mystery or Agatha Christie or a game of "Clue". I don't think that Colonel Mustard did it in the Library.

I hope it is "solved" soon for her family but I don't word games will be the answer

Once again...look for the simplest solution...in 99.9% of the cases here that is the answer....it is isn't hard to see that.

Most likely : she took a ride with a semi stranger/friendly cute stranger/semi known guy.....who turned out to be a creep who forced himelf on her....she fought back and probably also afterwards he knew she could identify him and he killed her....he is probably familiar with the area and he took her body to Anchorage Farms

I feel pretty certain he was not playing word games and leaving clever "clues"...JMO

Logical, please read first link in my post. You will see what I mean.

 

[Walker]

Well it is JMO....but the idea that someone choose Anchorage Farms to "anchor" her down etc is way too complicated LOL

Very far fetched

we don't know all that LE knows...nor should we...this is not an armchair mystery or Agatha Christie or a game of "Clue". I don't think that Colonel Mustard did it in the Library.

I hope it is "solved" soon for her family but I don't word games will be the answer

Once again...look for the simplest solution...in 99.9% of the cases here that is the answer....it is isn't hard to see that.

Most likely : she took a ride with a semi stranger/friendly cute stranger/semi known guy.....who turned out to be a creep who forced himelf on her....she fought back and probably also afterwards he knew she could identify him and he killed her....he is probably familiar with the area and he took her body to Anchorage Farms

I feel pretty certain he was not playing word games and leaving clever "clues"...JMO

My theory is that MH was targeted by a Manson-style group. We don't know why they picked MH as their victim (yet); but the Manson family's motive in killing Sharon Tate was never clarified either.

Some of the Manson fans enjoyed the fact that the depraved & cultish ring had managed to kill some rich people: resentment at the victims' supposed wealth was perhaps all it took.

Sixties Communist radical Bernardine Dohrn:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardine_Dohrn

In a speech during the December 1969 "War Council" meeting organized by the Weathermen, attended by about 400 people in Flint, Michigan, she said about Tate (who was 8 months pregnant at the time of her murder) "Dig it! First they killed those pigs and then they put a fork in pig Tate's belly. Wild!" She said of the LaBiancas (who were repeatedly stabbed): "Offing those rich pigs with their own forks and knives, and then eating a meal in the same room, far out! The Weathermen dig Charles Manson!"

Oddly both Dohrn & her husband, Bill Ayers, actually came from fairly well-to-do backgrounds themselves, and today they are quite successful despite their criminal histories. Demented Dohrn is now a law professor.

 

[gnomony]

Most likely : she took a ride with a semi stranger/friendly cute stranger/semi known guy.....who turned out to be a creep who forced himelf on her....she fought back and probably also afterwards he knew she could identify him and he killed her....he is probably familiar with the area and he took her body to Anchorage Farms

I agree.

Everything about this case reminds me more and more about the murder of a University of Vermont student four years ago. A young woman, out for a night on the town, becomes separated from her friends. Her cell phone doesn’t work. A friendly construction worker lends her his phone. They apparently talk and then walk. Her body is later found about 20 miles away.

Here’s a sketch of the case (which was the subject of numerous WS threads):
The construction worker, Brian Rooney, was convicted of the 2006 abduction and murder of 21-year-old Michelle Gardner-Quinn. The UVM senior was last seen late at night in the nightclub section of downtown Burlington, Vermont, after she had become separated from her friends. Her half-dressed body was found a few days later in a river gorge about 20 miles away. An autopsy revealed that she had been sexually assaulted; cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.

On at 2:34 A.M. on the morning she disappeared, a Burlington jewelry store’s security camera showed Rooney walking with the victim away from the downtown area. Evidence showed that she did not know Rooney, but had encountered him on the street and had borrowed his cell phone in an attempt to reunite with her friends. (Rooney's guilt was based largely on the strength of DNA evidence taken from Quinn's body).

 

[p7byrd]

A little bit of interesting information I found: our chief "person of interest" (whom I will not name, but I am sure you all know who I'm talking about), his biological father was charged with "Failing to Tag Deer" in January of 2004 in Albemarle County, indicating a definite personal/family background in hunting. It's a common name, but it's without a doubt him: using cross-referencing, same birthdate (month and day) and the same fairly unusual spelling of his middle name.

As any Virginia resident would know, I found this information via the Virginia Court Case Information "Pay Online" system (different from the court records search system), which I have used many-a-time paying my speeding tickets when I was a carefree college student at Univ. of Mary Washington. hehe.

 

[LogicalMinds]

Hi Gnomony....yes this "feels" a lot like the sad case of Michelle Gardner-Quinn..and so many others....the gal in NYC, who was killed by the bouncer....that gal in Ohio who was last seen with a guy at a bar, even Natalee Holloway case...

usually the "perp" is someone in the victim's life...spouse/ex/sig other/whatever....but many times with young women the perp is a stranger or barely known....escalated rapes IMHO

I don't think an "ex" murdered Morgan...I don't think it was a conspiracy...nor someone targeting her for her charity work in Africa...I don't think her friends conspired to kill her....I also don't think a "stalker" would follow her 60 miles to a concert that she was attending with friends...how would a "stalker" know that she would get seperated from them and not have her car keys?? Why wouldn't a stalker simply stalk er around her apartment/campus??

And I truly don't think someone is playing "word games" here...nor do I feel this is a "cult"

Actually the fact that NO one has claimed that reward money is one more indication that this perp acted alone : he won't "rat" out himself

~~~~~~
p7byrd : Great find about the "hunting" connection

I think the "one" you are speaking of is very very possible...right age, nice looking, local, and now a hunting connection

 

[Walker]

Hi Gnomony....yes this "feels" a lot like the sad case of Michelle Gardner-Quinn..and so many others....the gal in NYC, who was killed by the bouncer....that gal in Ohio who was last seen with a guy at a bar, even Natalee Holloway case...

usually the "perp" is someone in the victim's life...spouse/ex/sig other/whatever....but many times with young women the perp is a stranger or barely known....escalated rapes IMHO

Not sure why, but I get the feeling that she wasn't raped, and that rape was not the motive. Murder itself may have been the motive.

I don't think an "ex" murdered Morgan...

Seems to me that the perp at least knew she was. MH seems to have been wealthier than the other college students around her, and she may have been resented for that fact.

I don't think it was a conspiracy...

A conspiracy could mean only two people planning to commit the crime. Seems to me that disposing of the body efficiently would take at least two people. Or if she were killed at AF, two people to coerce her into going out there. May have needed a lookout: they sure didn't want to run into any partiers or hunters that night.

nor someone targeting her for her charity work in Africa...

No one suggested that MH was targeted for charity work.

Sounds to me like perhaps one of my previous posts has caused a bit of confusion.

MH didn't do any work in Africa; however, her mother did go to Africa on charity missions. MH helped her pack boxes of supplies to bring to the Zambians. Unfortunately, sometimes the idealistic are used as tools to further the goals of the greedy. Zambian copper could be a sensitive issue. If GH's work was perceived as bolstering some political interest over another (say, nationalist) interest; her family could have come under fire. Also, international organized crime networks could have a stake in the outcome of (for example) Zambian mineral-rights policy. For a foreign agent to access the US is cake.

However, given that word game that they seem to be playing, the perp probably has to be an American or a long-term resident of the US (to be familiar with such things), and extremely mentally sick (like Manson).

Generally speaking, organized crime wouldn't bother wasting time with macabre jokes.

I don't think her friends conspired to kill her....

By definition of "friend."

I also don't think a "stalker" would follow her 60 miles to a concert that she was attending with friends...how would a "stalker" know that she would get seperated from them and not have her car keys?? Why wouldn't a stalker simply stalk er around her apartment/campus??

Someone lured her away from the group. Maybe he told her to leave her keys with her companions, as they would be attending a special event until way late.

And I truly don't think someone is playing "word games" here...

Did you read that link which I referred to?

nor do I feel this is a "cult"

A cult in the sense of Manson.

Actually the fact that NO one has claimed that reward money is one more indication that this perp acted alone : he won't "rat" out himself

Anyone who actually witnessed what went on at AF that night is probably guilty of several felonies.

 

[arielilane]

I believe the girl that LogicalMinds is referring to who was from Ohio is Julie Popovich.

 

[gnomony]

Unfortunately, sometimes the idealistic are used as tools to further the goals of the greedy. Zambian copper could be a sensitive issue. If GH's work was perceived as bolstering some political interest over another (say, nationalist) interest; her family could have come under fire. Also, international organized crime networks could have a stake in the outcome of (for example) Zambian mineral-rights policy.

Wild!

 

[PaulR]

Since the body was found on 29 south of town, could she have hitched a ride with someone claiming to head in the general direction of Virginia Tech? 29 isn't the most efficient way to get there, not as fast as I-81, but it is a way. South is Lynchburg, home of many colleges.

Charlottesville has some strange missing person cases... Judy Jones and Pat Collins. Barbara Nordin is a local crime writer, I wonder if she has been covering the Harrington case?
http://www.cvillepodcast.com/2008/05/04/wake-up-call-local-mysteries/

 

[Calliope]

Since the body was found on 29 south of town, could she have hitched a ride with someone claiming to head in the general direction of Virginia Tech? 29 isn't the most efficient way to get there, not as fast as I-81, but it is a way. South is Lynchburg, home of many colleges.

Charlottesville has some strange missing person cases... Judy Jones and Pat Collins. Barbara Nordin is a local crime writer, I wonder if she has been covering the Harrington case?
http://www.cvillepodcast.com/2008/05/04/wake-up-call-local-mysteries/

29S to 460W to Roanoke. (mostly) 4-lane, (mostly) limited access, not a bad drive. And as congested as I-81 can be (and with the tons of truck traffic at night) a lot less nerve-wracking, too.

 

[SusieMom]

Paul, I think you are heading in the right direction (pardon the pun)

I am a lifelong Virginia resident and my husband grew up in Blacksburg although we live in the Hampton Roads area now. Its not the "typical" route but it'd get you there and I HATE I-81 especially at night when the truck traffic gets even heavier than during the day. I have felt all along that when Morgan said she'd "find a way home" that she meant to Blacksburg, and that she meant she'd find other students that she'd hook up with for the ride "home". Maybe she'd get really lucky and find somebody she knew, either by calling/texting them or just randomly bumping into them, but a "stranger" from VT would do (or Radford or any student aged person heading to the B-burg or C-burg area.) She didn't need to be worried about her car. Her Blacksburg roommate and best friend was with the group and had the keys. Yes it was stupid, but at that point, she felt that all the smart options had been eliminated.

That has been and continues to be my primary theory that she voluntarily left with a stranger after finding herself in an untenable position without many options (she was outside in the rain/cold, no money, no phone, no keys) She was the damsel in distress and b/c she was a nice girl, well taken care of by her daddy and her brother, sadly with naive trust in her fellow man, she accepted aid from a safe-appearing stranger.

Maybe he had connections to Blacksburg or maybe he lied. Probably he lied, even. B/c that's what smart bad guys do... they 1. lie to establish rapport 2. lure/deceive to get the victim to leave a safe place 3. take advantage of weakness/opportunity and 4. cover up their crime and 5. talk to nobody until the benefit of doing so outweighs the risk.

I think he knew the area but not in an overt way. Some slight connection but he has a good memory. I do not think the current POI of ours is the right guy. He seems like a stupid bad guy to me and too much of an obvious suspect. I think LE would be closing in on him by now and we'd have heard about it. Also, I feel like the bad guy might be just a little bit older or at least older looking. He doesn't fit the "hero" profile in a way I think Morgan would have needed to feel safe enough to leave with just him (vs. passing on him in hopes of finding a group) I keep coming back to the point where I think she *decided* to leave with this individual. Whom did she think he was and where did she expect him to be taking her? I think she made the decision (that she wasn't abducted by force) so what would it have taken and what would have made her decide to decline?

I am feeling the perp is someone grad student aged who might actually have/had (or could realistically fake) a connection to Tech. Somebody who might also have a connection to UVA. Maybe undergrad at one/grad at the other? At least some reason from his past to have familiarity with the area. Decent looking, laid back demeanor, willing to help her out.... not scary, not seeming like a freak/girl stalker/charles manson type, he looks safe, trustworthy, capable.

 

[Calliope]

Paul, I think you are heading in the right direction (pardon the pun)

I am a lifelong Virginia resident and my husband grew up in Blacksburg although we live in the Hampton Roads area now. Its not the "typical" route but it'd get you there and I HATE I-81 especially at night when the truck traffic gets even heavier than during the day. I have felt all along that when Morgan said she'd "find a way home" that she meant to Blacksburg, and that she meant she'd find other students that she'd hook up with for the ride "home". Maybe she'd get really lucky and find somebody she knew, either by calling/texting them or just randomly bumping into them, but a "stranger" from VT would do (or Radford or any student aged person heading to the B-burg or C-burg area.) She didn't need to be worried about her car. Her Blacksburg roommate and best friend was with the group and had the keys. Yes it was stupid, but at that point, she felt that all the smart options had been eliminated. [respectfully snipped]

I-81 is horrible, especially at night. In my experience, 29 to 460 was just as (or nearly as) fast, and less harrowing a route than the interstate. IMO, she was headed for Roanoke, because she was to come over to her parents' on Sunday for (math?) help and work on her budget/checking with her Dad. It would make sense to go there then on to Blacksburg later on Sunday evening or even early Monday, rather than to Blacksburg and then backtracking to Roanoke.

 

[ThePhantom]

SusieMom, excellent post!

 

[part time prof]

Paul, I think you are heading in the right direction (pardon the pun)

I am a lifelong Virginia resident and my husband grew up in Blacksburg although we live in the Hampton Roads area now. Its not the "typical" route but it'd get you there and I HATE I-81 especially at night when the truck traffic gets even heavier than during the day. I have felt all along that when Morgan said she'd "find a way home" that she meant to Blacksburg, and that she meant she'd find other students that she'd hook up with for the ride "home". Maybe she'd get really lucky and find somebody she knew, either by calling/texting them or just randomly bumping into them, but a "stranger" from VT would do (or Radford or any student aged person heading to the B-burg or C-burg area.) She didn't need to be worried about her car. Her Blacksburg roommate and best friend was with the group and had the keys. Yes it was stupid, but at that point, she felt that all the smart options had been eliminated.

That has been and continues to be my primary theory that she voluntarily left with a stranger after finding herself in an untenable position without many options (she was outside in the rain/cold, no money, no phone, no keys) She was the damsel in distress and b/c she was a nice girl, well taken care of by her daddy and her brother, sadly with naive trust in her fellow man, she accepted aid from a safe-appearing stranger.

Maybe he had connections to Blacksburg or maybe he lied. Probably he lied, even. B/c that's what smart bad guys do... they 1. lie to establish rapport 2. lure/deceive to get the victim to leave a safe place 3. take advantage of weakness/opportunity and 4. cover up their crime and 5. talk to nobody until the benefit of doing so outweighs the risk.

I think he knew the area but not in an overt way. Some slight connection but he has a good memory. I do not think the current POI of ours is the right guy. He seems like a stupid bad guy to me and too much of an obvious suspect. I think LE would be closing in on him by now and we'd have heard about it. Also, I feel like the bad guy might be just a little bit older or at least older looking. He doesn't fit the "hero" profile in a way I think Morgan would have needed to feel safe enough to leave with just him (vs. passing on him in hopes of finding a group) I keep coming back to the point where I think she *decided* to leave with this individual. Whom did she think he was and where did she expect him to be taking her? I think she made the decision (that she wasn't abducted by force) so what would it have taken and what would have made her decide to decline?

I am feeling the perp is someone grad student aged who might actually have/had (or could realistically fake) a connection to Tech. Somebody who might also have a connection to UVA. Maybe undergrad at one/grad at the other? At least some reason from his past to have familiarity with the area. Decent looking, laid back demeanor, willing to help her out.... not scary, not seeming like a freak/girl stalker/charles manson type, he looks safe, trustworthy, capable.

Excellent points, and got me thinking about the Va Tech connection.

On October 17, 2009, #4 Va Tech played an away football game, against lower ranked Georgia Tech, which they lost 28-23. It was a night game.

Very close by to JPJ Arena is a wings place/sports bar, in Barracks Road shopping center. My thought...if the game had ended by 9:30 and the person who picked up Morgan was leaving that place, heading to parts west or south, going the "back way" to avoid Emmet street would put him (or her or they) on Arlington, Massey, and Copeley, where he would have passed a hitchhiking Morgan on the bridge (but on the side of the road without the sidewalk if following the route I'm suggesting) or at the Copeley/Ivy intersection if she made it that far (but again, in the right hand lane, with her across the street).

If he was decked out in Tech regalia (and possibly across the street, so no immediate physical threat), and maybe driving a nice car or truck (or motorcycle, for that matter), Morgan may have let her guard down.

"Did you hear about the game?" "No, what happened?" "We lost, 28-23...hey, you need a ride? Where you going?" "Roanoke (or wherever)" "Me, too..."

Or, if the game wasn't over by then, he may have invited her to go catch the end of it and wait for her friends.

This seems plausible to me, but there are a lot of people who wear Tech gear around C'ville, so it still doesn't give a sense of who it was, but maybe asking the patrons of the wings place to think about this one more time...

 

[Calliope]

Excellent points, and got me thinking about the Va Tech connection.

On October 17, 2009, #4 Va Tech played an away football game, against lower ranked Georgia Tech, which they lost 28-23. It was a night game.

Very close by to JPJ Arena is a wings place/sports bar, in Barracks Road shopping center. My thought...if the game had ended by 9:30 and the person who picked up Morgan was leaving that place, heading to parts west or south, going the "back way" to avoid Emmet street would put him (or her or they) on Arlington, Massey, and Copeley, where he would have passed a hitchhiking Morgan on the bridge (but on the side of the road without the sidewalk if following the route I'm suggesting) or at the Copeley/Ivy intersection if she made it that far (but again, in the right hand lane, with her across the street).

If he was decked out in Tech regalia (and possibly across the street, so no immediate physical threat), and maybe driving a nice car or truck (or motorcycle, for that matter), Morgan may have let her guard down.

"Did you hear about the game?" "No, what happened?" "We lost, 28-23...hey, you need a ride? Where you going?" "Roanoke (or wherever)" "Me, too..."

Or, if the game wasn't over by then, he may have invited her to go catch the end of it and wait for her friends.

This seems plausible to me, but there are a lot of people who wear Tech gear around C'ville, so it still doesn't give a sense of who it was, but maybe asking the patrons of the wings place to think about this one more time...

Game time was 6 PM.

Start 6:01 PM. Duration 2:57, so it was over by 9 PM.

http://www.theacc.com/gametracker/l...ool=acc&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=&

 

[SusieMom]

I-81 is horrible, especially at night. In my experience, 29 to 460 was just as (or nearly as) fast, and less harrowing a route than the interstate. IMO, she was headed for Roanoke, because she was to come over to her parents' on Sunday for (math?) help and work on her budget/checking with her Dad. It would make sense to go there then on to Blacksburg later on Sunday evening or even early Monday, rather than to Blacksburg and then backtracking to Roanoke.

That is good logic about her intended trip to roanoke.. but here's why I think b-burg...

1. easier to find people headed to VT than to Roanoke... "safe" student type people, that is, due to their tendency to wear clothing articles that label themselves. Presumably, of the pool of people she might know who could help in this situation, more of them probably were connected to her via VT than Roanoke.

2. her parents, presumably at home, would have been surprised to see her turn up at their house, dropped off by a stranger, and finding out she didn't actually get to see the concert... All of that behavior would have made her look like an irresponsible screw up to her parents and I assume she was currently trending that way due to the overdrawn bank account. I think she'd have preferred to avoid that. It would have been pretty easy if, once back at her apt in Bburg to call and reschedule/beg off the Sunday appointment with her parents with a palatable excuse (such as post concert headache.) And even that only would have had to happen if her roommate failed to return to Bburg with Morgan's car in time for her to leave. I think she thought "maybe I can get home and they won't even need to know any of it happened... that I am somehow such a dumb@ss that I got myself stuck outside the JPJ"

 

[Calliope]

That is good logic about her intended trip to roanoke.. but here's why I think b-burg...

1. easier to find people headed to VT than to Roanoke... "safe" student type people, that is, due to their tendency to wear clothing articles that label themselves. Presumably, of the pool of people she might know who could help in this situation, more of them probably were connected to her via VT than Roanoke.

2. her parents, presumably at home, would have been surprised to see her turn up at their house, dropped off by a stranger, and finding out she didn't actually get to see the concert... All of that behavior would have made her look like an irresponsible screw up to her parents and I assume she was currently trending that way due to the overdrawn bank account. I think she'd have preferred to avoid that. It would have been pretty easy if, once back at her apt in Bburg to call and reschedule/beg off the Sunday appointment with her parents with a palatable excuse (such as post concert headache.) And even that only would have had to happen if her roommate failed to return to Bburg with Morgan's car in time for her to leave. I think she thought "maybe I can get home and they won't even need to know any of it happened... that I am somehow such a dumb@ss that I got myself stuck outside the JPJ"

Good points. I wouldn't have considered she'd expect the person to take her to her parents' house, I guess. Perhaps more along the lines of "drop me off at the Hollins' exit McDonald's" thinking she'd get a friend from town to pick her up and either crash at their place or have them take her home.

In any case, I think the VT connection could be a valid one even though it's been pooh-pooh'd a number of times.