Found Deceased VA - Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, Charlottesville, 17 Oct 2009 - #15

[goldiegirl]

I'm really confused about this scroll. I have gone back quite a few pages, and I don't understand where this scroll came from. I'm sorry to bring up something that's already been explained, but can someone please give me a quick rundown? Is this just a theory, or was there an actual scroll found somewhere that is confirmed to be connected to Morgan's case?

 

[carbuff]

I'm really confused about this scroll. I have gone back quite a few pages, and I don't understand where this scroll came from. I'm sorry to bring up something that's already been explained, but can someone please give me a quick rundown? Is this just a theory, or was there an actual scroll found somewhere that is confirmed to be connected to Morgan's case?

There was a retreat of some sort hosted by one of the people who lives at Anchorage Farm (reportedly the owner's daughter, though I don't know if that's been confirmed, either), held a week or two after Morgan went missing. One of the activities was a group drawing on a large roll of paper, depicting themes from the retreat, or something like that. Many of them were inspired by or referring to Eastern religion. The attendees took pictures and posted them on the web.

One of the pictures on the scroll is a blonde Western-looking woman, very generic pretty woman but *clears throat* some people think that since Morgan was missing, this has to be Morgan. Et cetera.

There's quite a discussion in one of the earlier threads, and it comes up again every now and then.

The most interesting thing to me is that the attendees at this retreat appear to have walked quite near where Morgan was found and not noticed anything. Which makes me wonder whether she was put there later.

 

[goldiegirl]

Great, carbuff, thank you! I won't beat a dead horse by rehashing the issue, but it helps to know what people are talking about. I also agree with your last point about wondering if the body was dumped later.

 

[carbuff]

Great, carbuff, thank you! I won't beat a dead horse by rehashing the issue, but it helps to know what people are talking about. I also agree with your last point about wondering if the body was dumped later.

It sounds like LE has lots of information they haven't released about things like that.

 

[Walker]

There was a retreat of some sort hosted by one of the people who lives at Anchorage Farm (reportedly the owner's daughter, though I don't know if that's been confirmed, either), held a week or two after Morgan went missing. One of the activities was a group drawing on a large roll of paper, depicting themes from the retreat, or something like that. Many of them were inspired by or referring to Eastern religion. The attendees took pictures and posted them on the web.

One of the pictures on the scroll is a blonde Western-looking woman, very generic pretty woman but *clears throat* some people think that since Morgan was missing, this has to be Morgan. Et cetera.

There's quite a discussion in one of the earlier threads, and it comes up again every now and then.

The most interesting thing to me is that the attendees at this retreat appear to have walked quite near where Morgan was found and not noticed anything. Which makes me wonder whether she was put there later.

I agree that just the mere fact that the image seemed to resemble Morgan could be just a coincidence. But on the discussion forum at Find Morgan (which no longer available), posters pointed out that apparently the tattoos on the image also resemble the pattern on a skirt that Morgan used to wear. A picture showed Morgan wearing the skirt. And, Morgan’s large silver bracelet is unusual.

But even if you entirely discount this image as having any significance at all, just the fact that this group was doing South Asian themed scroll paintings at a point near in both time to Morgan's disappearance and distance to the location where Morgan's body was found seems a bit strange, because Morgan also had a strong interest in South Asian themed scroll paintings.

Could it be that scroll paintings are such a major college craze that almost everyone is creating them at almost every event?

OR could there have been guests attending the 7-Mile Sleepover who somehow knew Morgan personally?

Morgan’s VTech art teacher created scroll paintings, and sent at least one of them to Nepal. She and her team documented their trip to Nepal in a film called “A Gift for the Village.”

http://agiftforthevillage.blogspot.com/

Quote from the blog:

I am here, because of my fortune to have been Morgan Harrington's teacher.

I taught Morgan a course offered through Virginia Tech's Department of Religion and Culture, called The Creative Process.

…

As it happens, Morgan appears, briefly, three times in the film you are about to see. We did not edit her in. She was simply there, in our story, standing right beside Amchi Tsampa, the subject of our film when he visited our Virginia Tech Creative Process class during my semester with Morgan. And again, there was Morgan, at my home, with her classmates, as Jenna Swann filmed. You will see Morgan there for a moment, on my living room floor. She is the student who is smiling.

Morgan would have traveled with my film team and me this past summer for the world premiere of our film in Nepal. She wanted to go trek to meet the people with the fierce and gentle spiritual technology we studied. She told me that she wanted this experience because she was going to become a teacher.

Spiritual technology? :waitasec:

 

[Walker]

The most interesting thing to me is that the attendees at this retreat appear to have walked quite near where Morgan was found and not noticed anything. Which makes me wonder whether she was put there later.

AF photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=735702175&aid=157216&s=0&hash=89e8240f3b8560bd6da228d6f6cb9afb

Photo #33 looks very similar to the location shown in the various photos related to Morgan's parents & VSP's visit to AF on 1/25/11 (the one-year anniversary of the finding of Morgan's body). The vegetation is similar, and the distance to the tree line seems similar. The grass was quite high in the JC photos. Maybe someone could walk by and not see anything suspicious.

Also, maybe they had some clue (rumors?) that Morgan had come to harm somewhere in the area; even if they were not consciously searching for her, perhaps Morgan was on their minds.

Link: http://www2.wsls.com/news/2011/jan/25/state-police-retrace-steps-morgan-harrington-case-ar-798604/

 

[carbuff]

Quote from Walker: "Could it be that scroll paintings are such a major college craze that almost everyone is creating them at almost every event?"

Well, no, they're not THAT popular, but interest in Asian spirituality is very widespread and not just among college students. And the idea of a scroll painting, in a watered down American sense, appears at a lot of new-age type events. (And from what little I know, the AF scroll painting looks a lot more like the latter than the former.)

Morgan seems to have been pretty exotic for the part of the country she's in, but when I walk around Boston past the univesities and art and music schools, I'll run into a dozen girls just like her without even trying. It was kind of spooky while she was missing but none of them were ever her.

I know of two scroll painting classes being held in Boston this term, one a scholarly study through a university and the other taught by a Sri Lankan artist. There are Asian cultural studies organizations everywhere. Meditation and retreat centers. Spiritual tours of Buddhist monasteries in Nepal and the Hindi caves sponsored by mainstream tourist agencies.

 

[carbuff]

AF photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=735702175&aid=157216&s=0&hash=89e8240f3b8560bd6da228d6f6cb9afb

Photo #33 looks very similar to the location shown in the various photos related to Morgan's parents & VSP's visit to AF on 1/25/11 (the one-year anniversary of the finding of Morgan's body). The vegetation is similar, and the distance to the tree line seems similar. The grass was quite high in the JC photos. Maybe someone could walk by and not see anything suspicious.

Also, maybe they had some clue (rumors?) that Morgan had come to harm somewhere in the area; even if they were not consciously searching for her, perhaps Morgan was on their minds.

Link: http://www2.wsls.com/news/2011/jan/25/state-police-retrace-steps-morgan-harrington-case-ar-798604/

Yes, that's the photo I noticed. Also 29 and 31 seem to be very near. But then many of these hills do look similar.

That's only four weeks after Morgan went missing, so I imagine Morgan was still on their minds.

 

[Dejasade]

OT from the scroll discussion, but does anyone know whether or not the man who had seen Morgan hitchiking with his daughter had seen any suspicious passing vehicles? The article that I had read, I believe in The Hook, had stated that not many minutes passed from the time he had seen her driving to 7-11, than driving back from 7-11 to head back to his hotel...

i'm hoping LE has much more info. on this case than they are releasing. I'm also wondering why they have not released cause of death...?

 

[carbuff]

OT from the scroll discussion, but does anyone know whether or not the man who had seen Morgan hitchiking with his daughter had seen any suspicious passing vehicles? The article that I had read, I believe in The Hook, had stated that not many minutes passed from the time he had seen her driving to 7-11, than driving back from 7-11 to head back to his hotel...

i'm hoping LE has much more info. on this case than they are releasing. I'm also wondering why they have not released cause of death...?

Information like that is part of how they can sift useful information from mistaken information, and rule out false confessions.

 

[Walker]

Yes, that's the photo I noticed. Also 29 and 31 seem to be very near. But then many of these hills do look similar.

That's only four weeks after Morgan went missing, so I imagine Morgan was still on their minds.

#34 was uploaded on November 11, 2009; but the photo itself was associated with the 7-Mile Sleepover on October 24, 2009. Therefore, it may have been within one week or possibly even less than one week of Morgan's disappearance.

 

[Walker]

Quote from Walker: "Could it be that scroll paintings are such a major college craze that almost everyone is creating them at almost every event?"

Well, no, they're not THAT popular, but interest in Asian spirituality is very widespread and not just among college students. And the idea of a scroll painting, in a watered down American sense, appears at a lot of new-age type events. (And from what little I know, the AF scroll painting looks a lot more like the latter than the former.)

Morgan seems to have been pretty exotic for the part of the country she's in, but when I walk around Boston past the univesities and art and music schools, I'll run into a dozen girls just like her without even trying. It was kind of spooky while she was missing but none of them were ever her.

I know of two scroll painting classes being held in Boston this term, one a scholarly study through a university and the other taught by a Sri Lankan artist. There are Asian cultural studies organizations everywhere. Meditation and retreat centers. Spiritual tours of Buddhist monasteries in Nepal and the Hindi caves sponsored by mainstream tourist agencies.

In NYS/NYC there doesn't seem to be any great interest. Maybe New Age is old?

Due to political unrest, Nepal is dangerous for Americans.

Our State Dept advises caution.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_927.html

We have a thread about Aubrey Sacco who disappeared in Nepal:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104371&page=2

 

[chemcopout]

The two theories are just the same. The Manson family is a prototype for a group of mentally unstable individuals who suffered delusions, abused & traded illegal drugs and killed people for no logical reason.

Note: Some people thought that I meant that Manson himself was involved; what I meant was someone like a Manson.

Remember that a random attack by a stranger would not likely include drawing a scroll painting, leaving expensive & highly identifiable jewelry on the scene or planting tee shirts on a busy public street.

the only thing at all that morgan's case may have in common with the manson case is that if there is more than one individual involved, it's likely there was a manipulative ringleader.

people are usually more bold in groups than alone. if you had say for example one individual whose had an obsession with morgan, and he has some tag along follower friends with hormones off the chain, it's a bad scenario.

what walker is saying about a person like manson, sociopathic, superficial glib, fear control, charming if he needs to be, and ringleader makes sense.

i truly believe the ringleader would have had a strong obsession with morgan, obviously they thought out the cover up for her body, otherwise it would have been found right away.

as walker mentions, the t-shirt being planted, as well as lime being used, location, etc.

 

[chemcopout]

An innocent college girl gets killed for no reason. In the public mind, who have been the main suspects?

Not in any particular order, partial list follows:


1. Athletes
2. Frat boys
3. childhood bffs who were like sisters
4. LE moonlighting as security guards
5. goth musicians and fans
6. drug dealers
7. rich young men who grew up in NG
8. total stranger acting alone
9. middle-aged guy waiting outside arena for gf

respectfully snipped (i apologize for snipping, just want to save space)

walker what is NG?
what if it is a rich young man and he is so rich people are covering for him?

now goth musicians and fans? lmao that's very stereotypical and metallica is heavy metal.


i really think that your most logical of the list is#7 rich young man. he could possibly sell drugs too. #6 would just be his side job.
obsessed with morgan. obviously someone had to have had an obsession with her and likely stalked her to know she'd be at the concert that night. even followed every move to look for their oppurtunity to grab her and unfortunately that night he got it.
rich people afford good lawyers and usually their parents don't let them talk to cops. they sick their lawyers on them sadly.

back in the 70s there was a case here where they got away with murder since the parents wouldn't let them talk and they lawyered up.

 

[MsFacetious]

The East Coast Rapist has now been caught.... and he regularly visited his Mom... in Clarke County Virginia... which is 2 hours from Charlottesville.

I know he has been discussed in relation to Morgan's case before... and that it is thought that they would have compared the DNA from the 2005 case to the East Coast cases. Was there ever confirmation that occurred?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/04/AR2011030405132.html

 

[Walker]

respectfully snipped (i apologize for snipping, just want to save space)

walker what is NG?

NG is North Garden.

 

[carbuff]

#34 was uploaded on November 11, 2009; but the photo itself was associated with the 7-Mile Sleepover on October 24, 2009. Therefore, it may have been within one week or possibly even less than one week of Morgan's disappearance.

Oh, good point, I knew that but hadn't really connected the dates.

I dunno. I would think that if the body was lying in the field at that point, they would have smelled it even if they didn't see it.

Which makes me wonder if the body was dumped at the same time the t-shirt was thrown out? Was that before or after the snow started last winter?

It's hard to say whether the t-shirt was deliberately planted -- seems like, but possibly it was just tossed when the killer realized he still had it.

 

[chemcopout]

There was a retreat of some sort hosted by one of the people who lives at Anchorage Farm (reportedly the owner's daughter, though I don't know if that's been confirmed, either), held a week or two after Morgan went missing. One of the activities was a group drawing on a large roll of paper, depicting themes from the retreat, or something like that. Many of them were inspired by or referring to Eastern religion. The attendees took pictures and posted them on the web.

One of the pictures on the scroll is a blonde Western-looking woman, very generic pretty woman but *clears throat* some people think that since Morgan was missing, this has to be Morgan. Et cetera.

There's quite a discussion in one of the earlier threads, and it comes up again every now and then.

The most interesting thing to me is that the attendees at this retreat appear to have walked quite near where Morgan was found and not noticed anything. Which makes me wonder whether she was put there later.

morgan had been to events at the farm in the past; it might be possible that someone was making an artistic "tribute" to morgan? or maybe it was just random...
i think that the area where her body was found was a remote part and that only someone very familiar with the area would know that she wouldn't be found for awhile, likely thinking maybe spring.

i believe that the farm was a dump site. i'm not sure where the primary crime scene would be. i believe they had found carpet fibers, i'm not sure if it was from a vehicle or not, if anyone remembers that would be awesome.

morgan's family has been qouted as saying the killer is "sadistic" and a "monster" so we can only imagine the torment or cod that caused morgan's death. =(

this was no accidental type murder, imo. it was cold an calculated by likely someone who had an infatuation with her.

i really don't think this has anything to do with rituals or hindu or asian religions, imo

 

[chemcopout]

Oh, good point, I knew that but hadn't really connected the dates.

I dunno. I would think that if the body was lying in the field at that point, they would have smelled it even if they didn't see it.

Which makes me wonder if the body was dumped at the same time the t-shirt was thrown out? Was that before or after the snow started last winter?

It's hard to say whether the t-shirt was deliberately planted -- seems like, but possibly it was just tossed when the killer realized he still had it.

i really think it was planted. the killer obviously didn't have the smarts to burn the t-shirt. instead they ditched it, which in itself is odd since they went through so much trouble to hide morgan's body. even got lime.
that the t-shirt was found in a specific area, i would think the killer was trying to distract attention away from something. otherwise why ditch the shirt when they could have just burned it?

 

[carbuff]

morgan had been to events at the farm in the past; it might be possible that someone was making an artistic "tribute" to morgan? or maybe it was just random...
i think that the area where her body was found was a remote part and that only someone very familiar with the area would know that she wouldn't be found for awhile, likely thinking maybe spring.

i believe that the farm was a dump site. i'm not sure where the primary crime scene would be. i believe they had found carpet fibers, i'm not sure if it was from a vehicle or not, if anyone remembers that would be awesome.

morgan's family has been qouted as saying the killer is "sadistic" and a "monster" so we can only imagine the torment or cod that caused morgan's death. =(

this was no accidental type murder, imo. it was cold an calculated by likely someone who had an infatuation with her.

i really don't think this has anything to do with rituals or hindu or asian religions, imo

I hadn't heard that about Morgan having been at events at the farm. Do you have a pointer to that? I know, it's probably in one of the main articles and I'm just spacing it...

The LE spokesperson has been kind of noncommittal when asked about the accuracy of what Morgan's parents are saying.