12/2/09

Body Found in Lynchburg is Not Morgan

There is another victim whose family got the gruesome news that their daughter and sister is dead, as police released the identification of the body found Sunday in Lynchburg.

The 23-year-old victim is Cassandra Ann Morton, who lived in Lynchburg, police from Lynchburg and Campbell County told The News & Advance.

They are treating the case as a homicide.

Morton was last seen Oct. 10 and her family reported her missing on Oct. 14, three days before Morgan Harrington vanished from the Metallica concert. A hiker found the woman’s body near Camp Hydaway.

12/1/09

Authorities Wait for ID of Body Found in Lynchburg

The Campbell County sheriff apparently thinks the body found on Candlers Mountain by a hiker Sunday afternoon is a person local to that area.

“We have several people who are missing from the Lynchburg area. Based on the description of clothing one of them was last seen wearing, I have a strong hunch,” Sheriff Terry Gaddy told The News & Advance.

The State Police, who are heading Morgan Harrington’s case, are looking into the discovery of the badly decomposed body, according to spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

Sheriff Gaddy said the clothing found with the body, believed to be a female, doesn’t match what Morgan was reportedly wearing when she disappeared. He said identification on the body could be confirmed as early as this afternoon.

Geller said Harrington’s case is in national databases and they get reports of found bodies from other states fairly regularly.

They try to notify Morgan’s family as soon as they receive any such reports so they aren’t surprised by media reports, Geller said.

“Unfortunately, it’s not easy for them when remains are found,” she said.

And while tips in the case have increased to about 500, Geller said there is nothing new to report at this point.

11/13/09

New Details: Morgan Likely Hitchhiking

Morgan Harrington

The State Police said today that, based on witness accounts, they believe  Morgan Harrington was hitchhiking when she disappeared.

The last known sighting of the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student was on the Copeley Road bridge near U.S. 250.

Police also released a photo of a distinctive necklace she was wearing, along with the black “Pantera” T-shirt, black mini-skirt and black knee-high boots.

Nearly 400 leads have poured in to police in the case.

Follow other area coverage of Harrington’s disappearance:

The Hook

The Daily Progress

NBC29

Newsplex

11/5/09

Morgan Harrington's parents, Dan and Gil, talk about a community search for the missing woman that will be held this weekend. — Photo: cvilleblotter.com

New Sign-in Location for Weekend Search Parties

Volunteers for the Morgan Harrington search parties this weekend (Friday through Sunday) will have to sign in at the Department of Forestry building at 900 Natural Resources Drive.

The searches will begin at 9 a.m. each day.

Volunteers must be at least 18 to participate and all must provide photo identification.

The preparation meeting is still scheduled for 7 tonight at the Cavalier Inn’s Jefferson Room at the corner of Emmet Street and Ivy Road.

11/4/09

Harrington parents organize weekend searches

(Update: Corinne Geller, State Police spokeswoman, said they had received numerous calls about police activity in the Pantops area this afternoon. After receiving a tip, police did conduct a search in the area but had not yet turned up anything new.)

Dan and Gil Harrington announced today that with the help of authorities they have organized a volunteer group search for their missing daughter, Morgan Harrington, this weekend. The first search effort will be on Friday, to be followed with additional search efforts Saturday and Sunday. An informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cavalier Inn here in Charlottesville. More information can be found at findmorgan.com.

The first community search will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, with participants meeting at the Cavalier Inn. The searches on Saturday and Sunday begin at the same times and place. Participants must be at least 18 and provide photo identification.

Morgan Harrington, who vanished during a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones arena on Oct. 17, has now been missing 18 days. The weekend searches will cover the area around where the 20-year-old Morgan was last seen, the Copeley Road Bridge (see below map) near U.S. 250. They hope to comb areas where police either missed or were unable to cover.

They have organized the searches along with State Police and Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth Smart, who was found after she missing went in 2002 and was found nine months later.

Many people from the Roanoke area have already volunteered, Dan Harrington said during a press conference outside University Hall, not far from the Copeley Road bridge where Morgan reportedly was last seen.

Gil Harrington also spoke, talking directly to her daughter and whoever may have kidnapped her.

“Be strong,” she said to Morgan, “we are trying to find you.” She paused, then added: “to the person who took her, please let her go.”

Dan Harrington recently contacted Ed Smart, who agreed to come to Virginia and help the family deal with their tragic situation.

“It’s a very difficult situation for the Harringtons,” Smart said. They are “in a club that nobody wants to belong to.”

The Laura Recover Center is helping orchestrate the search. The center was founded in memory of Laura Kate Smither, who was abducted in 1997; her body was found 17 years later.

Dan Harrington said the search will augment “what police have done,” noting that authorities have enough on their plates already without organizing more searches for Morgan.

The missing Virginia Tech student’s father noted how Elizabeth Smart’s case “shows that people do come back.”

Corinne Geller with the State Police answered questions after the Harringtons.

Noting that police have received more than 350 tips, Geller took questions about some confusing details, including where Morgan’s car was the night of the concert.

• Police say the vehicle was at the arena but the Harringtons have said was parked at James Madison University. Geller said the car was at the arena and one of Morgan’s friends had the keys.
• Morgan’s purse, found in a grassy parking area for overflow and RVs, had her identification inside it. Morgan’s cell phone, minus its battery, was found there as well.
• Why did Morgan leave the arena? Without going into details, Geller said investigators are concerned with what happened to Morgan after she ended up outside, not with what happened inside or why she left the building. She also said friends and family have been cooperative.
• Last phone contact. Geller said one of Morgan’s friends called her at 8:48, and that was the last phone call on Morgan’s phone.
• Video surveillance. Investigators have combed over hours of video from the arena and surrounding buildings, including banks.
• Last known sightings. Police received reports of someone matching Morgan’s description on both sides of the Copeley Road bridge.

The Harringtons, Ed Smart and Geller asked that anyone with information call police on the main tip line at (434) 352-3467 or by e-mail at bci-appomattox@vsp.gov.

A fund has also been established to help with costs of searching for Morgan. Those who wish to donate may do so through the findmorgan.com or by mailing donations to: Find Morgan Fund, P.O. Box 7588, Roanoke, VA 24019.

10/29/09

Map of the last known sightings of Morgan Harrington, according to state police.

10/23/09

The reward offered for help in the disappearance of Morgan Dana Harrington has been increased to $150,000, the 20-year-old woman’s father Dan Harrington said Friday evening. He said a Metallica band member called and said they were adding $50,000 to the reward offer. In another development, NBC29 reports that a possible witness has emerged, someone who may have seen a struggle between a man and a woman who looked like Morgan Harrington.

The Harrington family also is doing all they can to keep Morgan’s disappearance in the public eye. On Saturday alone, Dan Harrington said he and his wife Gil will be appearing on MSNBC, The Today Show, CBS Morning News and Heraldo Rivera.

While police are investigating the case as a crime, they have yet to say they believe Morgan Harrington was abducted. But Dan Harrington said “that is what I fear.” Prior to the concert, nothing in Morgan’s actions pointed to anything out of the ordinary. Before she left for the concert, he said Morgan asked if he would be home that Sunday to help her study for math class and with balancing her check book.

The State Police are heading the investigation, with help from UVA Police and now the FBI.

10/21/09

Police said Wednesday that they have little evidence to go on and that they are interested in any tips they can get.

“We have a purse and we have a missing cell phone. We have a missing girl,” said Lt. Joe Rader of the State Police said during a press conference Wednesday. “So we need to draw conclusions based on tips.”

There also reportedly will be a $50,000 reward offered for help with the case.

As the search for what happened to Morgan Harrington, an online movement has emerged as one of many tools being used in the search for the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student, who vanished from the Metallica concert Saturday.

The joint investigation continues in the search for a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student missing since the Saturday Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena, and police are asking for fans to check any photos or videos taken at the concert, according to reports.

Morgan Dana Harrington, of Roanoke County, was last seen at the arena where she became separated from friends, according to police. Her purse was reportedly found in a parking lot at the arena along with her car.

Friends have set up a facebook page seeking for help in the search for the missing Virginia Tech junior, who is studying education.

Police said on Monday that they are following leads in the case. They have searched along the roadside of U.S. 29 and Interstate 64  and in the woods near the arena and search helicopters have been hovering over the city.

Harrington went to the concert wearing a black T-shirt with “Pantera” spelled in tan letters across the front and a black mini-skirt with black tights and knee-high black boots. She has long blond hair, blue eyes, stands 5 foot 6 inches and weighs 120 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call UVa police at (434) 924-7166 or e-mail them at police@virginia.edu; the state police can be reached by phone at (434) 352-3467 or e-mail, bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov.

Links: UVa Police / State Police / Updates / Va. Missing People / FBI Missing People

Tags: John Paul Jones arena, Morgan Harrington, State Police, UVA, Vanished

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 6:17 pm and is filed under CNN, Facebook, Metallica, Missing Person, State Police, UVA, YouTube. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.