Found Deceased VA - Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, Charlottesville, 17 Oct 2009 - #1

[Waddles]

The avatar is one of the generic ones on here!

I think the lack of cameras in that area is a real worry though - especially for crowd control situations it is bizarre they don't have a CCT service there.

yes I found that very surprising too

 

[kant]

Except she seems to have a very close relationship with her parents. Maybe they haven't been wild about the guys she's met in the past or wouldn't approve of someone she may have planned to meet up with at the concert.

I see your point. Iow it wouldn't be about "permission" to see the dude per se, but more like a not-wanting-to-disappoint-the-parents-or-ruffle-any-feathers type thing. Like that? Especially if Mom and Dad are paying all the bills, and tuition, and car payment and yadda yadaa... and if Mom and Dad are very protective (I'm hesitant to say over-protective) and if Mom and Dad have very definite views about what is acceptable and what isn't. He is a dean of a medical school? and she is a nurse? (is that right?)

I can see a possible undercurrnet of a power dynamic at play there regardless of how close they are. Im saying I do believe they are close, but... oh heck, what am I trying to say?

I didn't say that very well. I mean that even tho they are very close (her coming home every week, calling every day) even with those indicators of closeness, I can still envision a possible subtle, unspoken dynamic at work there. Like an unwritten rule of obedience? No that's not the word, is it? I know what I mean; someone help me out here.

 

[Waddles]

I see your point. Iow it wouldn't be about "permission" to see the dude per se, but more like a not-wanting-to-disappoint-the-parents-or-ruffle-any-feathers type thing. Like that? Especially if Mom and Dad are paying all the bills, and tuition, and car payment and yadda yadaa... and if Mom and Dad are very protective (I'm hesitant to say over-protective) and if Mom and Dad have very definite views about what is acceptable and what isn't. He is a dean of a medical school? and she is a nurse? (is that right?)

I can see a possible undercurrnet of a power dynamic at play there regardless of how close they are. Im saying I do believe they are close, but... oh heck, what am I trying to say?

I didn't say that very well. I mean that even tho they are very close (her coming home every week, calling every day) even with those indicators of closeness, I can still envision a possible subtle, unspoken dynamic at work there. Like an unwritten rule of obedience? No that's not the word, is it? I know what I mean; someone help me out here.

lol-that all made sense to me!

 

[West]

Even if she was meeting a boy her parents 'wouldn't approve' of, would she really care enough to hide that fact when she's away from home with friends? I could understand her being concerned about them not approving if they were at the concert with her and meeting a guy or she was bringing someone home to meet them, but she's 20 years old and lives at school! She may talk to her parents everyday, but I am sure she is not divulging all the details of her social/love life-which is normal and common for many teens/20 somethings do! I certainly wouldn't care what my parents thought of some guy I was meeting at concert and was interested in, especially if they weren't around. Speaking from experience, I have definitely gone on dates and met up with boys who my parents would be appalled by, but I didn't care cause I was in college/it wasn't serious/just a first date/friend etc.

 

[Mellen]

I don't know that we can make the leap that she wasn't upset about missing the show. She didn't have a choice. They weren't going to let her back in no matter what. Thus, Morgan was faced with a couple of options. Play it safe, stay close to the building, and wait for the show to end and then go to her friends car, or wander around the parking lot chatting with people she met and try to see if she could hitch a ride back to where she came from.

It's looking like she made the bad choice of looking for a ride home from random people rather than just waiting for her friends.

I'm thinking that the fact that this show took place at a university, even if not her own, probably gave Morgan a false sense of security, more so than if it had been at a non-school-related stadium. I'm sure she wasn't happy about missing the show but looking for a ride and/or fun people to hang with while waiting probably seemed like a better option to her than waiting bored for hours.

The fact that her friends apparently did wait around for a while afterward says to me that she did not provide final contact saying that she had a ride. She may have texted or called them periodically up until 9:30 (mentioned as last time she was known have been seen or heard from), but because they were seen sitting around by their car (although I'm not sure how certain that sighting really is), I don't think they had been told that she had definitely found a ride. But, since they hadn't heard that she hadn't and she said she would look for one, they probably eventually thought that she must have found one. Kids do think they are invincible, and I'm doubting they were as alarmed as adults would be in the same situation. Also, since the battery was off the phone, any calls they tried to make to her would have gone straight to voicemail, indicating that the phone was out of power. They would have then been led to assume that her battery had died and she couldn't answer. I bet they would have been more alarmed if the phone rang and rang and she didn't pick up.

 

[CementPond]

This statement doesn't make sense to me:

"Her friends were aware they may not meet up with her after the concert and wasn't a need for an immediate alarm because Morgan said she would find a way to get "away from the vicinity of the arena""

Who in their right mind being hours away from home (in a strange place) would make such a statement? I know that I wouldn't tell my one and only ride that I'd be ok and that I would just find a way back. No way!!!

Instead, once I figured out that I was not able to get back inside, I would have stayed close to the doors/where security was/other people were/etc. until after the concert then met back up again with my friends out front or at the car. Plus, there are usually guards or someone around these types of events that will help someone who has become lost, separated from their group, etc. Just doesn't make sense.

She was either very trusting, stupid (not to be mean but..), brave, naive or a little of each.

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Shutterfly Hitting thanks isn't enough for all your help in so many cases here. Thanks soooooo much for the map of the arena etc. it really helps me out to see the area visually. We all really appreciate all that you do for us! :rose: :blowkiss:

raying: That Morgan, Hasanni Campbell, (I haven't forgotten about our little man), Haleigh Cummings, Stacey Peterson, Brittanee Drexel, Kristi Cornwell, Lindsey Baum, & too many to list are found, closure & justice for all of their loved ones.

:cry: :rose: Rest In Peace Somer! :rose: :cry:

:angel:

 

[Hucklepie]

I don't understand that either, CementPond. I've chosen to leave things like movies and concerts early on a few occasions, but I've always waited near the door or car where my friends can easily find me afterward. I can't imagine thinking it would be wiser to be away from everyone and everything.

I noticed that the Facebook group for finding Morgan is no longer visible in search results... was it deleted, and why would they do that?

 

[CementPond]

I agree.

Are you talking about this Facebook page?

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=162224546575&ref=search&sid=666482915.1685764065..1

I don't understand that either, CementPond. I've chosen to leave things like movies and concerts early on a few occasions, but I've always waited near the door or car where my friends can easily find me afterward. I can't imagine thinking it would be wiser to be away from everyone and everything.

I noticed that the Facebook group for finding Morgan is no longer visible in search results... was it deleted, and why would they do that?

 

[elle1919]

I haven't read all the pages to catch up with ya'll yet but can anyone tell me who Morgan rode to the concert with? And why they left without her unless they knew she didn't require a way back home? Sorry if this has already been answered. TIA

 

[kant]

I haven't read all the pages to catch up with ya'll yet but can anyone tell me who Morgan rode to the concert with? And why they left without her unless they knew she didn't require a way back home? Sorry if this has already been answered. TIA

She went to the concert with her roommate, Amy and the roommate's older sister, Amanda.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

I haven't read all the pages to catch up with ya'll yet but can anyone tell me who Morgan rode to the concert with? And why they left without her unless they knew she didn't require a way back home? Sorry if this has already been answered. TIA

Morgan rode to the concert with her roommate, her friend, and another friend (or two, can't remember) that they swung by James Madison University (JMU) to pick up.

It's being reported that Morgan called her friends once she was outside the arena and told them she couldn't come back in because of their no re-entry ticket policy and that they shouldn't worry about her because she would find a ride home. After the show, Morgans mom reported that they waited for a significant amount of time (and, at this point her friends weren't aware that her belongings were found) and then they figured she had gotten a ride back, and they left.

 

[West]

She went to the concert with her roommate, Amy and the roommate's older sister, Amanda.

So technically, her only close friend in this group of three could be her roommate Amy? From the reports it seemed as though she was traveling with a group of girls (under the impression that it was perhaps a group of 5 girls going together etc.) They did not meet up with any other friends at the arena that we know about? (hometown friends, college buddies etc.?)

 

[West]

I am also confused about the girls waiting around after the show at the car.

If Morgan had talked to friends and said to enjoy the show and she would find her own way home, as being reported, then why would they wait around the parking lot after the show? It was late and cold, and if they knew Morgan had made other plans why would they wait around in the lots for a 'significant' amount of time?

It's been said that Morgan was not the driver, which indicates that she probably didn't have the keys as they would have been in her purse--stranding the car and others in the parking lot. If someone else had the keys and knew that Morgan had made other travel arrangements, why wait in the parking lot at all?

 

[Angel Who Cares]

I found a few unsolved cases that I mentioned earlier...I found these on Monday & went to post them here, but my post went into thin air & I never re-posted them. I'll look to see if I can find any others.

*In this article there are 6 Unsolved Cases since 1986 near Charlottesville, VA

The Colonial Parkway Murders, the Route 29 Stalker and the Shenandoah Park Murders in Virginia: Could There Be a Connection?
Last Site Update: Friday, September 18, 2009
<snipped>
The following is a mirror of a series of articles, images, and video clips that I have found on the Internet concerning the Colonial Parkway Murders, the Route 29 Stalker case, and the Shenandoah Park Murders in Virginia. Each article found here explores these crimes in detail and, in some instances, discusses the possibility of a connection between them. With the exception of the Connecticut River Valley murders covered here, all of these crimes occurred in the State of Virginia over a ten year span of time, beginning in 1986 with the Colonial Parkway murders and seemingly ending with the 1996 murders of two hikers in Shenandoah Park. It is possible that a serial killer or killer(s) is responsible for these murders. All of these crimes remain unsolved.

The following is a mirror of a series of articles, images, and video clips that I have found on the Internet concerning the Colonial Parkway Murders, the Route 29 Stalker case, and the Shenandoah Park Murders in Virginia. Each article found here explores these crimes in detail and, in some instances, discusses the possibility of a connection between them. With the exception of the Connecticut River Valley murders covered here, all of these crimes occurred in the State of Virginia over a ten year span of time, beginning in 1986 with the Colonial Parkway murders and seemingly ending with the 1996 murders of two hikers in Shenandoah Park. It is possible that a serial killer or killer(s) is responsible for these murders. All of these crimes remain unsolved.

The Latest Case Added To This Article:
Police seek suspects in Virginia Tech students' deaths
The bodies of two sophomores with bullet wounds were found in a campground area of the Jefferson National Forest.
Friday, August 28, 2009
The bodies of two young Virginia Tech students from central Virginia were found Thursday in a remote area of Montgomery County, and authorities are considering their deaths to be a double homicide.

The victims are David Lee Metzler, 19, of Lynchburg and Heidi Lynn Childs, 18, of Forest, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

In the Virginia Tech student directory, Metzler's major is listed as industrial and systems engineering. Childs is listed as a biochemistry major. Both were sophomores.

Article:
http://labyrinth13.com/mirror/VirginiaMurders/index.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COVER- Cold Case? Alicia Showalter Reynolds & the fall and rise of Darrell Rice
Published May 17, 2007
<snipped>
This week's story is mostly about the terrors on Route 29, a series of illicit pull-overs that culminated in the 1996 disappearance and murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds. Next week: the Shenandoah National Park murders.
The white wooden cross has broken free of the guardrail and lies on the shoulder as cars rush past; its red bow and artificial greenery, buffeted by blustery spring winds, have flipped over and come to rest in the gravel and dust.

As cars flew past that spot on a March day in 1996, some drivers noticed a young woman standing near her white Mercury Tracer on the shoulder and talking to a man whose pickup truck was parked nearby. The hood of the car was up, and the man and woman were studying the engine; some observers saw her getting into his truck. She was never seen alive again.

Since then, her name-- Alicia Showalter Reynolds-- has been etched into the minds of many Central Virginians because of what happened to her that day. But the man was never found. Or was he?

Some believe the man at the side of the road was Darrell David Rice-- and federal prosecutors believe that less than three months after Alicia disappeared, he murdered two women in the Shenandoah National Park.

Rice, who has been held nearly 10 years for another crime in the Park, will be released from federal prison in two months, and his attorneys say it's unfair to link his name to other crimes. Indeed, 11 years after Alicia's disappearance, State Police have yet to charge anyone with her murder.

Even so, Darrell Rice continues to be a suspect in the three killings in 1996-- which, for women in Central Virginia, was a very bad year.

In 2005, in a Prince William County courtroom, Carmelita Shomo took the witness stand and swore that Rice was the man who had abducted, attacked, and robbed her. Rice's defense team labeled her identification of Rice as unreliable, since six years had elapsed before she was shown the photo lineup. They also pointed to inconsistencies they claimed stretched back to her earliest statements to police.

Darrell Rice Mug Shot

An early poster issued during the two months when Reynolds was missing. Inset: a later police sketch.

SIDEBAR- 29 stalker: Multiple stops preceded Reynolds' abduction
It was near Mountain Run Road at 11:30am on January 17, 1996 that smooth-talking "Larry," the Route 29 stalker, first appeared on the Culpeper Bypass. He didn't pull over a woman again until 6am on February 12. He waited two more days before resuming his ruse twice on Valentine's Day.

And then things began to accelerate. Between February 16 and 21, he stopped four more women -- then two on the 22nd, one on the 23rd, and three on February 24, in one case just an hour and a half after Carmelita Shomo was robbed and dragged near Independent Hill, about 40 miles away.

Darrell Rice later took an Alford Plea in the Shomo case. That means he acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him, but he didn't admit guilt or serve any additional time on top of the sentence he was already serving for the attack on Yvonne Malbasha (that occurred a year later).

1. date unknown, 4pm

2. Jan. 17, 11:30am

3. Feb. 12, 6am

4. Feb. 14, 11:50am

5. Feb. 14, 6-6:30pm

6. Feb. 16, 5-5:30am

7. Betw. Feb. 17 and 21, 6:40am

8. Feb. 21, 3:15pm

9. Feb. 21, 8:30pm

10. Feb. 22, 7-7:15am

11. Feb. 22, 7:30-7:45am

12. Feb. 23, 7:12-7:15am
13. Feb. 24, 12:30am (Carmelita Shomo)

14. Feb. 24, 2-2:15am

15. Feb. 24, 4:30am

16. Feb. 24, 7:20am

17. Feb. 26 or 28, 6:45am

18. Feb. 26, 2pm

19. Feb. 28, 6:45am

20. Feb. 28, 12:30-12:45pm

21. Feb. 29, 6:15pm

22. March 2, 10:30am

23. March 2, 10-10:30am (Alicia Showalter Reynolds)

Article:
http://www.readthehook.com/Stories/2007/05/17/COVER-amalg-29Stalker.rtf.aspx
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't think this may be related, but just the same it is unsolved yet. You just never know. Just looking at every possible angle at this point & time.

Missing Virginia Girl's Remains Found
9-Year-Old Jennifer Short Disappeared After Parents Were Shot Dead
BASSETT, Va., Oct. 4, 2002
<snipped>
Now that the remains of missing nine-year-old Virginia girl Jennifer Short have been found in North Carolina -- authorities are trying to track down her
killer.

Tests showed that she had been shot. Her parents were found shot to death in their home in August, and the girl hadn't been seen since.

Investigators want to talk to a man whose rented house and mobile home in North Carolina were recently searched. Garrison Bowman was last seen in the area the day after the Shorts were killed. A sheriff says authorities know where he can be found in Canada, and will be talking to him.

He said they were looking at the crime "from every angle." But he said they still cannot determine whether the target "was the child or the parents &#8212; or both."

Article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/20/national/main519243.shtml

:angel:

 

[KaylynnCouture]

So technically, her only close friend in this group of three could be her roommate Amy? From the reports it seemed as though she was traveling with a group of girls (under the impression that it was perhaps a group of 5 girls going together etc.) They did not meet up with any other friends at the arena that we know about? (hometown friends, college buddies etc.?)

No, according to Morgans mom on Nancy Grace last night, all the friends who went with her are a group of friends that Morgan has been friends with since highschool or before. The mom said she knew all the friends, they were a great group of girls, they were all like sisters, and they had been in and out of her home many times since they were young. She knew them very well, as did Morgan.

 

[Shutterfly]

God how I wish she would just pop out of a bathroom door somewhere or something, or out of a box in the attic like balloon boy did, and tell us it was all a joke.

God please, let Morgan come home....safe...upright....and smiling!

 

[secret_agent_mom]

This is the JPJ Arena, the brick structure, and you can see the athletic field as well. I gave you two vantage points cuz I knew you'd want to see both sides.

Sorry to make this such a large post, but I wanted to show all the pics. I posted this pic earlier (before the location of the purse was released). I wanted to post it again to show the other athletic fields near the arena. I think it is possible that her purse was found in one of those parking locations, too. Normally, the parking right across from the arena is for speical permits and is closely monitored/guarded. The parking lots further back have less LE supervision and are further away from public view and activity. (IMO)

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f200/tracynb/map.png

 

[secret_agent_mom]

Respectfully snipped....

The Colonial Parkway Murders, the Route 29 Stalker and the Shenandoah Park Murders in Virginia: Could There Be a Connection?
Last Site Update: Friday, September 18, 2009
<snipped>
The following is a mirror of a series of articles, images, and video clips that I have found on the Internet concerning the Colonial Parkway Murders, the Route 29 Stalker case, and the Shenandoah Park Murders in Virginia.

I can't believe you found this! As soon as I heard about Morgan I thought of Alicia Showalter Reynolds. I even looked the case up! That happened right after I moved to Charlottesville and was one of the first cases I followed closely.

Not long after that there was a serial rapist in Charlottesville. He was "supposedly" arrested and is in jail, but something never sat right with me about that case.

Suddenly, this area isn't feeling as safe as I once thought it was...

 

[West]

No, according to Morgans mom on Nancy Grace last night, all the friends who went with her are a group of friends that Morgan has been friends with since highschool or before. The mom said she knew all the friends, they were a great group of girls, they were all like sisters, and they had been in and out of her home many times since they were young. She knew them very well, as did Morgan.

So is there a final count on the group that she was with? It may be immaterial as to how many girls she was with etc. but I think understanding the group dynamics is an important factor in this case. If they were a group of high school best friends, I find their behavior to be interestingly negligent based on what is known about Morgan's timeline that night (no one goes with her to 'bathroom', no one comes to doors to check on her after shes been kicked out and not readmitted to concert she was super excited for? friends contact no one, including concert security after waiting around car for Morgan and just leave to go home? No one calls Morgan's parents in the morning when group realizes that no one has seen/heard from her since 9:40 pm the night before?). However, if they were just friends of friends or what not, I could see how they would not be too concerned if Morgan disappeared to 'bathroom' for a bit or may have not been overtly concerned with fact that she was not allowed to get back/wandering around by herself. I also think the number of friends with her is important...a group of 3 is definitely different than a group of 6 for example. If one girl decides to do her own thing in a group of 3, someone would undoubtebly be left alone, whereas in a group of 6, the girls may break off into pairs or something--2 girls go to bathroom together, 3 girls go smoke etc.