Found Deceased VA - Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, Charlottesville, 17 Oct 2009 - #8

[winterrose]

after seeing you seem to want to help and be active i thought i would point you to
http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2009/10/29/cover-findMorgan-E.aspx
this article is a good summary and should help you catch up.

Thank you,I have to get away from Shaniya's case and I just had it in my mind that maybe Morgan took off with a friend to get away.But,I just saw the distance to that Lannigan Field where her purse was found,it's a straight shot when you get on Copeley.Whereas if she was going to Amtrak she would have turned to go onto Massie.She still could have been looking for someone to give her a ride to Amtrak.

So,there was an emergency phone broken there?And also,I wonder if there's been any incidents of stalkers,rapes or abductions at the UVA campus this year?

 

[winterrose]

I was just looking at the Copeley Rd and she would have walked past the huge parking lot of all those cars for the concert over to that Lannigan field where her purse was found and the broken public phone.
In google maps I put in John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville to Lannigan Field in Charlottesville and then Satellite view.Actually,it's hard to tell if it's for the concert or University Hall for the college.It looks like it's more for the college.

 

[wadahoot]

http://www.metallicabb.com/index.php?showtopic=113903&hl=morgan+harrington

Look at post #17... just wondered if maybe she wrote that. That person hasn't logged on since Sept., was going with three friends, their first Metallica show, and seated in section 312.

Wondering if LE is aware?? Perhaps they could check into it, see if the user's email matches Morgans, and if so, see if she exchanged pm's with anyone on the board regarding the show? In that thread, pre-date, for the C-ville show, a lot of people were mentioning the hotels they were staying at, meeting up, or asking about local pubs/restaurants. Just a thought.

Does someone here at WS know how to go about passing along this info to LE?

 

[wadahoot]

That's very common at big concerts, also another reason i doubt she went outside for a cig, she could have smoked in her seat if she wanted, they don't care if people smoke weed, they sure won't care about cigs.

I'd ask someone not to smoke cigarettes, but not bother someone with a joint ... but that's me. I see them (or smell them!) as two totally different things, and cigarettes bother me MUCH more.

 

[Waddles]

Waddles how do you know DS? Why were you having to remove links off her site?

Sorry, didn't see this before. I am an admin on the FB HFMDH (although wasn't yet at the time) and she contacted me through FB just to discuss the initial posting of footage of her and the speculation it was MH and the whole huge thing that happened and the second we realised it was her we tried to remove everything with some resistance as people were slow to believe it, but anyway she wrote to thank me for that and she was really sweet.

 

[wadahoot]

Not much info in this.

Basketball Team Members Interviewed as Witnesses in Disappearance

http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=11565778

One of the comments from this article helps to answer questions we've asked about freight trains (assuming the comment is accurate):

Coal empties go west to the mountains, load up, and go back to the ports in Norfolk. By now, she would have been found. The coal car would not discharge fully, prompting someone to see why the chute was clogged.

http://www.topix.net/forum/source/nbc29/TU4NEUP15QPG2FKIF

 

[weetziebat]

respectfully snipped:

As for a ticket stub, even if she had it, she couldn't get back it. The arena's policy for the concert was once you exit the concert building you can't get back in. If you buy another ticket, maybe, i'm not sure if the box office was still open at that time or if they took cash only, etc.

The only reasons i can think of Morgan wanting to leave is if she was having a horrible time (fighting with friends) or she was supposed to meet up with someone she had either met inside the concert..

What happened to that lady who posted her husband saw someone he took to be Morgan trying to cajole someone into buying her a beer, inside the arena? And then she said two security guards (one male, one female) escorted 'Morgan' down a corridor, I believe.

Now that I can buy. Its about the only legitimite reason I can think of for Morgan, who was anxiously waiting for the concert, to leave the arena. Actually I have no idea if that is the way it is handled if someone is seen trying to obtain alcohol if underage. Seems a bit overly strict to me.

But if she was escorted outside, and the security guards spread the word not to let Morgan in again, even if she bought a new ticket - they might not be anxious to admit it was them perhaps.

That would explain why she was outside the arena, why she attempted to try getting in through other doors, and maybe the friends believed her when she said she'd try getting a ride home with local friends. But that is stretching it a bit too much, in my opinion, unless they knew who was taking her home.

Still doesn't solve what happened outside the arena. :banghead: Certainly hope LE has more ideas than I do. Hoping they have a POI in their sights and we'll be hearing about it soon.

 

[KAE]

I found this link to the JPJ 3d seat finder on the FindMorgan.com forums:

https://www.seats3d.com/ncaa/university_virginia/

It might come in handy.

ETA This is cool: Click on 'Find Your Seat', enter a section and row and it will generate a 3d view from that area.

 

[Waddles]

Why was she talking to a basketball team,was she looking for a ride,was she drinking and just running around hanging out with whoever she saw?It doesn't say what time she was talking to them,does it?It makes me wonder if she was taking some kind of a drug before going to the concert and she was just off the wall,not thinking right.I can understand if she was asking for a ride to Amtrak or something.

The only info I was able to glean from people in contact wirh investigators was that the witnesses had said she appeared to be waiting for something/someone. Otherwise absolutely no info released/leaked as to her condition or what was said to them and how long they talked, whether she was alone when they left, if she was there before they arrived if she was talking to anyone else apart from them, whether this is where she was seen borrowing a phone and placing a call or was it elsewhere etc -zilch.

Incidently her purse found in the RV lot (not cage lot-was wrongly noted by the officer) -makes you wonder when she separated from it if she then had to borrow a phone-or maybe she borrowed a phone because she'd dropped and lost the battery when she was seen dropping her purse multiple times in the main parking lot...

 

[Waddles]

Does someone here at WS know how to go about passing along this info to LE?

the tipline http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=162224546575&ref=ts

Morgan's 24/7 Tip Line:
434-352-3467

State Police E-Mail:
bci-appomattox
@vsp.virginia.gov

 

[Wes]

"I was there. Drove in from Lynchburg. Got a speeding ticket halfway there... Great show by all the bands!
I was way up in sec. 312. TRIED to make it to the floor. One lady wouldn't let me and I was anxious to get back in the arena."
http://www.metallicabb.com/index.php...rrington&st=50

Not sure what he means that he tried to make it to the floor. Was the "lady" a security guard? Surely the "floor" is not outside the arena. I don't understand what he means.

He got a speeding ticket halfway between Lynchburg & Charlottesville? LE surely would have a record of that incident. Maybe Cofinail saw something up there in 312.

That part about wanting to get back in the arena could just be referring to being out in the corridor and then wanting to get back in the arena area. I've been to JPJ numerous times and if you are in the upper deck section, you have to go out of the 'arena' into the corridor and then down the steps to get to the lower level. While you're still inside the building you aren't actually inside the arena where you can see the concert.

 

[eachandevery]

Having been to my fair share of concerts, the "floor" is considered general admission and you need to have that specific ticket in order to be allowed into the area; people with actual seats have different tickets. It's possible to sneak down from the seating area and get onto the floor, but security is usually closely guarding the area to avoid such incidents. At a Metallica concert, I highly doubt there were chairs on the floor and that people were instead left to just stand around, chat with each other, dance when the bands played, form incredibly annoying mosh pits, etc. I really hate being stuck in the general admission area because I'm super short and everyone tends to be much taller, thus obscuring my view of the band; however, these seem to be considered "the best" tickets. Is it possible Morgan made it onto the floor and was injured when a random mosh pit formed near her? They're often really violent and it would be easy to get knocked down, hit in the face, etc.

I still can't find a single, reasonable reason as to why Morgan would end up outside of the arena. At shows I've been to, there were security guards near the exits who would have made a point to let you know that you wouldn't be allowed back in if you decided to leave. The wandering around in not-so-nice weather really makes me scratch my head, as well as not one of her friends offering to give her the car keys when they found out she would be missing the concert - or for one to even go so far as to leave the show in order to keep her company/make sure she wasn't alone for safety's sake. As much as I loved the band, if one of my friends ended up not being able to come back inside the venue with me, I would leave in order to be with them. And I would be really worried if they said something along the lines of not to worry about them, they'd find a way home, etc. The phone call doesn't sit right with me. Did the friend(s) who spoke with her notice any sort of difference in her voice, like if it sounded as though she was being forced to make that statement? It might have been hard to notice given the noise inside.

Note: I am NOT blaming Morgan's friends for the fact that she is now missing. I'm simply trying to figure out why things unfolded the way they did within the group.

 

[MBLover]

If she was trying to get from the Arena to Amtrak,it would be a little over a mile on Main St.

Even though Roanoke is the Norfolk Southern hub there is no passenger rail service here. Closest you can get to Roanoke is either Lynchburg or Clifton Forge - both about 1 hr away.

I'm sure MH would know that she coudn't get to Roanoke by rail.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Just thinking about the girl who was mistaken for Morgan in the beginning, who apparently had similar clothing on as Morgan. I was thinking maybe LE would want to interview her to see if anyone at all approached her during her concert experience; i.e.; offering to take her backstage, or inviting her to a party, etc. Since she seemed to be mistaken for MH, then just supposing if one of the theories of MH being approached inside the arena during the concert was true, maybe, just maybe that same one tried first with this girl. (Probably farfetched idea, imo though) Also, I sure do understand her need to maintain her own privacy, but if she would allow herself to be shown in a photograph, then anyone who has come forward with reports of seeing Morgan may be able to say for certain...no that was definitely not the girl I saw on the bridge or walking with four guys, etc. and then LE could tweak their timeline a little more. I sometimes wonder if many or all of the sightings involved in the timeline could actually be this MH lookalike or even someone else.

 

[winterrose]

Even though Roanoke is the Norfolk Southern hub there is no passenger rail service here. Closest you can get to Roanoke is either Lynchburg or Clifton Forge - both about 1 hr away.

I'm sure MH would know that she coudn't get to Roanoke by rail.

Thank you,so that's why she didn't go that direction towards the Amtrak and wanted to use a phone,I guess.She had to have pased that parking lot if she went to use that phone and talk to those team players.She was possibly angry and upset she couldn't get back in,battery went out,and her friends didn't come out to be with her.I wonder if she was trying to use that emergency phone,someone came up behind her,and there was a struggle,him breaking the emerg phone,her battery was taken out and purse thrown next to the Lannigan field,going toward parking lot and road.I believe that's the college parking lot and should be cameras around there.I'm surprised she wasn't on any cameras.Someone could have followed her from the arena,drove thier car down towards the road next to field.Could have been more than one person,one grabbed her,the other stayed in car they drove off.I can't believe she wasn't on any cameras from the Arena to the emergency phone,it was on college campus,playing fields and the UVA Hall with that big parking lot there.

 

[MeoW333]

respectfully snipped:
What happened to that lady who posted her husband saw someone he took to be Morgan trying to cajole someone into buying her a beer, inside the arena? And then she said two security guards (one male, one female) escorted 'Morgan' down a corridor, I believe.

Now that I can buy. Its about the only legitimite reason I can think of for Morgan, who was anxiously waiting for the concert, to leave the arena. Actually I have no idea if that is the way it is handled if someone is seen trying to obtain alcohol if underage. Seems a bit overly strict to me.

But if she was escorted outside, and the security guards spread the word not to let Morgan in again, even if she bought a new ticket - they might not be anxious to admit it was them perhaps.

That would explain why she was outside the arena, why she attempted to try getting in through other doors, and maybe the friends believed her when she said she'd try getting a ride home with local friends. But that is stretching it a bit too much, in my opinion, unless they knew who was taking her home.

Still doesn't solve what happened outside the arena. :banghead: Certainly hope LE has more ideas than I do. Hoping they have a POI in their sights and we'll be hearing about it soon.

I've not heard that "sighting" yet, however LE did say that they have no reason to believe she was kicked out of the arena, they said this in the first press conference. I'm sure that they interviewed all the security there that night. There is always the possibility a security guard kicked her out and lied about it CYA and was afraid of repercussions, however i honestly don't think she got kicked out.
It seems she went outside to meet up with someone, who didn't show at least at the time they were supposed to, if at all.
Unless Morgan had a fake id, (which wouldn't be uncommon at her age) if she did want a drink, she would have had to find someone to buy it for her. If she even wanted to drink..

It also was said she kissed her friends goodbye on the cheek before going to the bathroom. This seems almost like they would know she was going somewhere and that she was leaving, not just for the bathroom. If this is true (i have no idea whats true or not in this case) it may be why none of her friends accompanied her outside to wait for someone; if she had plans somehow to meet up with someone outside. Whether she met them inside or not is anyone's guess.. also a kiss on the cheek maybe would imply they weren't fighting. However they could still be fighting and maybe Morgan did it anyway if she's the forgiving type.
If she was just a touchy feely type person maybe she kissed them on the cheek before leaving to only go to the bathroom.. depends on the individual personality..
Such a bizarre case where it's hard to tell whats true or not.

As for the many sightings, it's possible that there were a ton of girls there that resembled Morgan. You could probably find almost her exact outfit or one pretty similiar at Hot Topic in your local mall. I think that's what is confusing a lot of the sightings of her. People have good intentions, yet the girl they seen that night and Morgan may be different people in some of these sightings. Without LE telling us which ones are legit (aside from the BB players who seem legit) it's hard to know what to make of some of this..

 

[Cardinal47]

Just thinking about the girl who was mistaken for Morgan in the beginning, who apparently had similar clothing on as Morgan. I was thinking maybe LE would want to interview her to see if anyone at all approached her during her concert experience; i.e.; offering to take her backstage, or inviting her to a party, etc. Since she seemed to be mistaken for MH, then just supposing if one of the theories of MH being approached inside the arena during the concert was true, maybe, just maybe that same one tried first with this girl. (Probably farfetched idea, imo though) Also, I sure do understand her need to maintain her own privacy, but if she would allow herself to be shown in a photograph, then anyone who has come forward with reports of seeing Morgan may be able to say for certain...no that was definitely not the girl I saw on the bridge or walking with four guys, etc. and then LE could tweak their timeline a little more. I sometimes wonder if many or all of the sightings involved in the timeline could actually be this MH lookalike or even someone else.

Personally I don't think any band members would approach DS the gal in the video that looked like Morgan. She was with her boyfriend and two other big guys dressed in black. I don't think they would target her.

 

[Cardinal47]

Thank you,so that's why she didn't go that direction towards the Amtrak and wanted to use a phone,I guess.She had to have pased that parking lot if she went to use that phone and talk to those team players.She was possibly angry and upset she couldn't get back in,battery went out,and her friends didn't come out to be with her.I wonder if she was trying to use that emergency phone,someone came up behind her,and there was a struggle,him breaking the emerg phone,her battery was taken out and purse thrown next to the Lannigan field,going toward parking lot and road.I believe that's the college parking lot and should be cameras around there.I'm surprised she wasn't on any cameras.Someone could have followed her from the arena,drove thier car down towards the road next to field.Could have been more than one person,one grabbed her,the other stayed in car they drove off.I can't believe she wasn't on any cameras from the Arena to the emergency phone,it was on college campus,playing fields and the UVA Hall with that big parking lot there.

That baffles me to no end..the no video and no pictures. Maybe Morgan was a Ninja and able to leap tall buildings at a total leap. No cell phone pictures sent to friends..nothing.
That is what leads me to the conclusion she never left Harrisonburg where she went to meet up with her friends and called her dad to say she arrived safely. I don't think she made that last leg of the trip.
I surely would like to know if they have any video of the friends coming or going?????

 

[Hucklepie]

Has LE released the type of phone Morgan had, or whether or not they knew it was broken? (By that I mean... whether they think the battery fell out or was intentionally removed?) I was thinking about it yesterday when I took up phones from my high school students - I always make them give them their phones before tests so they can't text one another and cheat. I passed around a plastic box, and two different kids made comments about, "Be careful, my battery falls out really easily." Sure enough, one kid's battery was in the bottom of the box after they picked up their phones after the test.

I have a hard time believing that even an experienced predator would have the foresight to remove the battery and toss it aside, so it would make sense to me (and be a little less ominous) to think that Morgan's phone just has a battery that doesn't stay in very well.

 

[MeoW333]

Has LE released the type of phone Morgan had, or whether or not they knew it was broken? (By that I mean... whether they think the battery fell out or was intentionally removed?) I was thinking about it yesterday when I took up phones from my high school students - I always make them give them their phones before tests so they can't text one another and cheat. I passed around a plastic box, and two different kids made comments about, "Be careful, my battery falls out really easily." Sure enough, one kid's battery was in the bottom of the box after they picked up their phones after the test.

I have a hard time believing that even an experienced predator would have the foresight to remove the battery and toss it aside, so it would make sense to me (and be a little less ominous) to think that Morgan's phone just has a battery that doesn't stay in very well.

They didn't mention the type of phone, however her father and possibly LE both said that the battery fell out a lot so it may be irrelevant, if someone knows the direct qoute it'd be great..If she dropped the phone a lot in the past, the cover that holds the battery in may have been broken and the battery more likely to fall out somewhere.

However on the other hand, a lot of people (all of us here at least) know that if you take the battery out it can't be pinged, so it may be safe to say that a lot of perps are aware as well.
As our technology advances, a lot of criminals have to as well, otherwise they risk being caught.
If i am not mistaken, the purse and cell phone were found together i think. In the RV lot.