MeoW333, law enforcement has most likely talked to everyone they can think of and some more than once. And Im sure they know much more than we do. One interesting thing about this case is that I have not heard anything about polygraphs tests being given to anyone. If you look at almost every other missing person case someone or several people have been asked to take a polygraph. Why not here? And something folks may not know, the lie detector test is rapidly going the way of the dinosaur. Almost all LE offices now have what is called Voice Stress Analyzers. Some VSA are about the size of a briefcase and hooked up to a laptop computer. Others at larger agencies such as the FBI or NSA are built into the walls. VSA technology is said to record psycho physiological stress responses that are present in human voice when a person suffers stress in response to a stimulus (question) and where the consequences of lying may be dire for the subject being tested. Its still very controversial but so are polygraphs. In 2003 VSP decided not to use VSA because it was still to new. I dont know if they do now.
You bring up a good point about the purse and LE saying she is w/o ID. So maybe she did lose it. But a real or experienced perp and not just some young college kid would never leave evidence like that behind. As I think about it more, if there was no purse then LE and the family would have no way of knowing she just didnt leave town or runaway. So that's a good point. And the text was sent from her phone if all this is too believed. But I doubt the call to a friend if one was made for a ride, was placed using that phone.
I like the way you reason and word your thoughts in your posts, they really make me think and research and that is a good thing!
You leave things open when you word them, they aren't one way or another.
It is a baffling case. I agree that LE knows a lot more than we do.
At this point, i don't think her friends who she went to the concert with have anything to do with her being missing. Another poster brought up a good point, Tamfish related about her friends, and what if Morgan was the "wild child" of the group, so the type of behavior by her would not be alarming to the friends? Also when Morgan's dad called the next morning, her friends explained what had happened the night before, which is when her father called police. So it seems that they all had no idea something "bad" could have happened to Morgan up until that point.
Is it possible that LE has a perp in their sights and is watching their every move to lead them to a body? If they told us via media, it would also alert the perp.
If LE feels that those involved in the case are telling the truth and have reason to believe they are, maybe they wouldn't need to give anyone any VSAs or LDTs thus far into the case?
I came across an article which elaborates a little better on the context of the phone call between Morgan and her friends:
"Harrington left her seat during the concert to go to the bathroom, her friends told police officers, but then ended up outside.
She was denied reentry to the arena between 8:20 and 8:30 p.m., because she did not have her ticket stub. Bystander reports place her outside the arena near the ticket booths until 8:48 p.m.
At that time, he said, one of her friends inside the arena called her, and Harrington informed her of the situation.
Her friend suggested other points of entry to the arena that Harrington might try to access, but Harrington then indicated to her friend that if she could not reenter, she would try to find a ride home from friends who live in Charlottesville, Rader said.
Multiple witnesses reported seeing someone matching Harringtons description in the vicinity of the exterior of the arena as late as 9 p.m., Rader said."
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2009/10/29/police-release-timeline-of-harrington’s-movements/
Given that this information is accurate, it would seem like she was taking her friends' advice and looking for another point to access entry into the arena again.
It might be possible that when she did exit the arena for some unknown reason, thinking that she would be able to get back inside even though their was a no re-entry policy. (That her friends were telling her other points of entry to try to get back in suggests she/they might have really believed that despite the policy, they could still get back inside once outside, when in reality it was strictly enforced.)
At around 9:10pm according to the timelines if accurate, she was seen at the University Hall area. So that's maybe say rounded off a 22 minute gap she would have last talked to the friends at 8:48pm and tried to get back inside the arena possibly? Reports say she was last seen at the Arena outside 9pm, which would make that closer to 12 minutes, which doesn't seem like that long a time to attempt to get back inside, however if her cell phone had died and she wasn't wearing a watch she wouldn't be aware of the time and every minute could seem longer than it was if she was anxious to get back inside, being not dressed for the bad weather outside.. not sure how far the walk would take from the JPJ to the UHA area..?
This specific article does say that she was denied re-entry since she did not have her ticket stub. I've heard conflicting stories on that, that she would have had to get another ticket.
Do you know if it was mentioned at what time the text was made around?
Only 2 known (mentioned to the public anyway) calls/text from Morgan. One coming in from her friends and later one text going out to a young man. You'd think the text to the young man would be a last resort since she couldn't get back in and didn't want to wait. Maybe she thought she could meet up with him until the end of the concert or get a ride home with him. The whole "text to a young man" is interesting and LE tells us nothing aside from she texted a young man.
It would explain though, in a why, why nothing else needs to be mentioned about him. If he is not directly involved aside from Morgan having tried to reach him by text, and the context of the text remains quiet, that i would think would be another piece to this puzzle.
For LE to think that she may have asked someone to use their cell phone,
possibly the young man she texted had received a text from her, yet not from her own cell phone number, and thus LE has the information that she borrowed someone else's phone possibly? If she did borrow a phone, it should be able to be traced to whose phone it really was, unless it was a prepaid cell phone under an alias and fake address.
Or maybe in the context of her text to him, she mentioned her phone battery dying and/or that she would try and ask someone to use their cell to text again, she was using someone else's cell, or some other type of clue that would lead police to believe she may have been trying to contact someone else from someone's phone, and they need that information.
The thing i will beg to differ on is that experienced perp or "real" one would leave the purse behind. Even the worst serial killers have made mistakes which have led to their capture. Perps can't always "get lucky" all the time. In haste of the situation, it is possible a perp could have tossed her purse due to it containing the cell phone. It would be cold out enough to wear gloves if one wanted to..
I do agree, that it could have been a college kid inexperience that tossed it as well, as it being found did accelerate the case much quicker than if it wasn't, i agree.
If the purse wasn't left behind, i think it would have changed the way the case is being looked at, i agree. LE always knows more than they tell us, within good reason.
Hopefully there will be a break in the case soon..