Morgan Harrington Case: Separating Fact From Fiction Part I
Charlottesville, VA– Just passing the month mark, the disappearance of Morgan Harrington from the John Paul Jones Area located on the UVA campus, leaves us with more questions than answers.
The lack of clarity and verifiable, factual accounts regarding the day Morgan seemed to vanish is staggering.
In an attempt to sift through the garble and streamline information to progress her case; we visit the list of inconsistencies.
The Purse And Cell
I am at an utter loss as from what I can tell, there is a report of a purse S T O L E N from a vehicle from the Park section of the lot minutes after Morgan is allegedly seen at the opposite end of the campus. This appears to occur at 9:30PM, however the report indicates the theft occurs at 5:38 PM.
This call status ends up suspended, but when? Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a UVAPD insider expressed shock when I called it to their attention. “That almost never happens” I was told.
Could it be connected to what happened to Morgan? 
Could this call to Campus Police be the reason they are asking if anyone knows if she borrowed someone else’s cell? If that call came directly from a blue box phone, it dials directly to UVAPD.
Do they suspect this was Morgan?
Adding to the above obvious confusion, Morgan’s purse was not found in the Lanigan Lot as stated. Included in the UVAPD’ s own logs, it was found in the CAGE lot, which is on the opposite side of Copley Rd than the Lanigan Lot and accessible for parking only by athletes and UVA Athletics Donors such as season ticket holders.
According to Corrine Geller, VSP, they lose contact with Morgan, based on sightings and cell phone activity at that exact time; 9:30 PM. According to Gil Harrington, Morgans’s mom, there is some texting to an undisclosed individual that ceases at 9:20 with no further activity on her phone.
We know that Morgan interacted with UVA basketball players in this area, which through their spokesperson, refuse to comment on exactly which players were involved.
Newspaper Delivery Lady “Parson”
“I know what I saw,” says Norma Parson, a newspaper delivery woman who believes she saw Morgan– or an incredible lookalike— coming out of a room on UVA’s West Lawn at 3:45am October 18, six hours after the last confirmed sighting on Copeley Bridge.
“She was tall and thin,” says Parson, who says the woman’s high black boots had heels making her appear taller than Morgan’s reported height of 5’6&Prime and that she wasn’t wearing the black hose or tights police have described.
“I thought, ‘What’s she doing out here dressed like that,’” Parson recalls. When she learned of Harrington’s disappearance two days later and saw photographs of heavy mascara- and eyeliner-wearing Morgan, “I knew immediately it was the same girl I saw,” says Parsons, who credits art training for teaching her to examine facial details— even those she sees in passing. “I never had a moment’s doubt,” she insists.
Ms. Parsons seems to be somewhat upset that LE is not taking her tip seriously. Could it be that in the interest of disclosure if you have a relative working in the art department on staff of “The Hook” it is good to lead with that information if your concerned about credibility. I am not implying Ms. Parson does not believe her statement, but readers should be made aware if someone is an employee of their paper.
To be Contined in Part II
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I will take that witness account as fact..
Watch out for groups of drunk males.. This girl was attacked. That battery removed on purpose.. wonder where the rest of her clothes are..
Somebody is covering ..
jmho
Wow. Let me make sure I’m reading this right. You are saying the location of the purse, the steaming hot spot upon which so many armchair speculations have been made, was actually inaccurate. When did this come out? How did this not come out sooner? One armchair quarterback writhing at the screen.
Anyway I’ve said it before. We don’t, as the public, have a right to the information. But there are so many willing to invest their energies in unraveling this mess. The location of the purse has been of paramount importance the whole time.
And all the while the purse was found in a lot… “accessible for parking only by athletes and UVA Athletics Donors.” And the bball players are not suspects. Yea.
All of the lots in orange color on the map are listed as “reserved for qualified VAF donors”. The question then becomes wheither or not the Cage lot (the smallest lot and the one to the leftmost side of the map) was given over to JPJ arena event parking for the Metallica concert as the larger lots were.
It seems astounding that the VSP waited a month to get out the correct info as to where her purse was found?
I am not sure they made the connection
B
I now wonder if she had reported her purse stolen earlier, had her cell, and got a call while going to the bathroom that her purse had been found which is what brought her outside the arena. If so, her friends would be aware that her purse was missing/stolen, and I can’t fathom why LE would withhold that info. If she had no jacket, how was she carrying her ticket and cell phone? Doesn’t seem like her outfit had pockets. It’s too cumbersome to hold a cell phone and ticket w/o a jacket pocket, especially for a woman accustomed to carrying a purse. If she were to leave her purse, I would think the purse would have contained the cell and ticket, but witnesses say she WAS inside the concert.
The RPT was responded to at 9:30, the same time Morgan is last seen? Hmmnn, the campus police went to check on the purse missing 4 hours later? We can see other incidents they responded to, but it is an hour later that the next call-in occurred, so those incidents weren’t mattering as far as prioritizing.
The big question is Who was the caller reporting the purse missing? A name had to be given. No need for Morgan to lie if she is the caller, and no sensible need for LE to withhold that info. If it was not Morgan calling to report a purse missing, I wonder if this was set up to give an alibi for the “mall cop”.
Knowing if Morgan actually had her purse on her inside the arena is key. If LE knows the caller was NOT Morgan, maybe it’s a local big wheel they don’t want to cast suspicion on until they have proof of something, fearing a lawsuit? I dunno, but I do know this is not sitting well with me. Thank you Blink for uncovering this. You’re amazing.
“We deal in absolutes,” says Geller. “We need to be sure that what we put out there is 100 percent accurate.”
What the Hell??? Wish I had more time right now.
Blink – I hope you post a thread soon on this business of the Ants
attorneys now trying to cast suspicion on Kronk. Baez and Lyon
were on the Today show this morning saying some pretty outrageous things!
Quote:
Subject: Can’t confirm the claims of the website…
Posted by: Hoo-80 on Thu Nov 12 2009 5:38:46 PM
Message:
but I can confirm this much. I have an employee that was parked
outside the JPJ all evening waiting for passengers. He saw a girl that
matched the description of Morgan, down to what she was wearing. He
also saw her interact outside the arena with 3 “very tall” black men, and
saw them walking together towards U-Hall. They passed right in front of
his vehicle. My employee has spoken to the police 3 times since that
evening about what he saw. This certainly doesn’t prove anything at all
relative to any UVA basketball players, but unfortunately it does give the
story some credibility. When my emplouee told me the story, my fisrt
thought was please,please,please, don’t let any basketball players be
involved in this.
end quote:
This is another eye witness.
That makes 2 that see her..one see her with players and the other see her walking out of building half dressed.. hour later.
BUT Both witness see her with no indication of harmed or in need of help.
A good Friday morning to you, Blink
You clearly always have Morgan Harrington’s best interests at heart, while you continue to seek truth and justice – - – for Morgan, and those like Morgan and the Harringtons.
“Separating Fact from Fiction” is truly needed and welcomed.
Hats off to you, Blink.
TY and Top O the Friday. More on the way
B
If in fact her purse was found in the Cage parking lot instead of the Lanigan Lot it makes me seriously question the information that we are taking to be “facts”. But it’s important to note that according to the UVA website, parking at the Cage lot is open during JPJ events for event goers. In other words, we cannot assume that only athletes or season pass holders would have access to this lot during the time of Morgan’s disappearance.
Here is the link. (This is my first time posting so I hope this works.)
http://www.virginia.edu/parking/events/jpja.html
~mosaic
How is location of the reported stolen purse determined for purposes of the police report? Is it verified by an officer responding to the call or is it just based on the location as identified by the person reporting the crime. If it is the latter, there is obviously room for error in the identification of the location, especially if the person making the report is unfamiliar with the area.
I’m the author of that article, and there is no relation between Norma Parson (no ‘s) and our art critic, Laura Parsons. Unfortunately, I misspelled Norma Parson’s name once in the article near the word ‘art’, adding an ‘s’, which perhaps is what’s leading to the confusion. I apologize for that error and have corrected it online.
Courtney, no apology necessary, I will correct it on here as well. Thanks for taking the time to clarify. My readers would also like to know if you verifed the male witness’s account of his encounter with Morgan with Police.
Thanks
B
Question…I don’t know the area but is it possible that the person who recovered the purse was actually walking through the Lanigan lot to the Cage lot when they discovered the purse, called police from the Cage lot therefore the police responded to the Cage lot instead of Lanigan????? Just curious if this would be a likely scenario as the information being released seems to lack actual FACTS and is blurry at best!
Blink
I am so confused I am trying to follow but the pages keep changing. How do I keep following this on your site. Why is there always another thread. Is there a easy way to get to each thread. I only found this because it was on FB
set the rss feed on the article your reading.
B
I never believed the hitchhiking story. It does not make any sense to leave a concert that you have waited for months for and leave your car to the people who left you outside. If making a scene at security to get someone to deliver the keys wouldn’t work, I’d be half tempted to break into my own car. What I’m unclear about is if the bathrooms in the lobby are accessible without displaying a ticket first. Some arenas allow you into the lobby, but have the ticket checkpoint set up further in. Therefore,she could have stayed there and at least hear the music.
However, her brother was a recent student there and she had already attended several concerts at JPJ. Was he an athlete or have friends on the BB team? She could easily have known people there through her brother.If she recognized someone OR was supposed to meet friends he knew at the show, that could have led her outside into that particular parking lot.This could explain the texting.I still wonder if she ended up in a dorm -either to warm up or invited by the perp(s).
On the Metallica board, the friend posted that the other girls expected her to return to her seat after using the restroom.
I hope this link works for everyone
http://www.virginiasports.com//pdf4/651691.pdf MUCH easier to see!
If not, click here, page down and download pdf map
http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17800&ATCLID=1104208
basketball parking.
Do we know that the call that came from the Cage lot actually means that the purse was found there? Could that have simply been the closest blue light phone?
An old article I found about the new (at the time) blue light phone system at UVA indicates that the new phones had cameras on them. Also, it indicates that non-emergency calls can be made from a keypad. See below:
By Elyse Franko
September 20, 2006The campus blue light system is undergoing changes to make lights more visible and reliable, said Public Safety Chief Michael McNair.
A total of 25 new blue light phone systems are being installed all over campus, McNair said. These lights will be located near the old ones, which will be removed once all the new lights are installed.
McNair said the new phones, which will be installed by Oct. 31, will feature keypads for non-emergency calls. The blue lights will also have surveillance cameras, which will cover most of campus with their range of vision.
“Generally, if you can see the phone, then the camera can see you,” McNair said. “The cameras will significantly improve Public Safety’s ability to patrol the campus.”
The cameras will be fully installed by Dec. 31, McNair said.
Correction – that is for a different school – but, question remains, were the UVA phones the same? Could there be cameras? Could there be the ability to make non-emergency calls?
Worried I am emailing you
B
I’ve always felt she left the arena to meet someone. I don’t care how high or drunk you are, you don’t accidently walk out. I’m not leaving a concert I waited months to see unless there’s a good reason. She may have gone out to buy drugs. That type of deal wouldn’t go down inside a crowded arena but rather in a remote location, like say, a parking lot. She probably thought she’d do it quickly and be back in time for the show only do discover they wouldn’t let her back in. Then the best laid plans went south…
Do you think it’s possible that somebody grabbed her purse inside the arena, breaking the strap, causing her to fall and cut her chin, and she then followed that person outside of the arena to try to get it back?
Thanks for the clarifications, Blink. Some of us are getting dizzier.
Tribephan, you had me so hopeful that a blue-light-phone camera may have our info!
Drat. Thanks for your contribution, though.
I hope they have been analyzing every scrap of fiber of that purse.
I am really starting to believe it was not Morgan who was texting on her phone.
The car is a piece of the puzzle, was the car that was in the lot hers or someone elses and that’s why she wasn’t in control of the keys. The friends are a puzzle, I feel they knew exactly what Morgan was going to be up to, thus they just drove back to whence they came and didn’t give a second thought to where Morgan may be. I’m still not convinced that Morgan ever entered the arena even though I’ve read that her ticket was indeed scanned. I’ve also read that Dan Harrington bought 9 tickets, so where are the others, and if used have these people been questioned? And which ticked WAS Morgan’s, kwim?
I’m sorry Blink and others, I am new here, but have been reading for awhile now, just thought I’d start posting.
This linked pdf has the specific parking map for the Metallica concert, for confirmation.
http://www.johnpauljonesarena.com/documents/MetallicaParkingOptions.pdf
Lizzy- did you review that? It confirms what I am saying. Unless she was prepaid she was parked at the park (where purse reported stolen) or Ivy, there was no availability in the lot where the report says her purse was found.
B
an obvious question would be…do any basketball players live in dorms on the west lawn????
Well thats a great question, and also note someone on west lawn needed medical asisstance in the wee hours.
B
Questioner – I think the “9″ came up with the tickets because there was talk about the 9 close friends that included Morgan. People heard that, and may have jumped to the conclusion that all went to the concert. However, I believe it’s been confirmed that Dr. Harrington only bought 4 tickets.
Good work Blink!
Now, maybe you can use your resources to find out if any good criminal defense attorneys have been retained by the suspended basketball players.
I’m not, however, suggesting that the players have anything to do with Morgan’s disappearance.
Hey Blink,
When I was watching the earlier press release that someone had linked from Oct 21, I believe, he said that Morgan called her friends at 8:48, not the other way around. If this is true, she may have called them from someone else’s phone — thus, the reason they are looking for someone to come forward who’s phone she may have borrowed.(??)
No. I believe the friends called Morgan at 8:48 from one of their cell phones, that is confirmed.
B
I would assume that a person found the purse in Lannigan RV lot but used one of the blue phones to call it in. Thus, the Cage parking report. BUT …This map
http://www.virginia.edu/Map/lightedPathwayMap.pdf
shows 4 blue phones around Lannigan field and others are closer than the Cage Lot.
OR Maybe the person that found it at RV lot and was walking to Cage to turn it to lost and found when they spotted the blue phone to call.
I feel the purse stolen is not connected.
perhaps, but what do you make of the suspended call?
B
M – Thank you for that clarification.
B,
I would think that maybe the person that suspended it found her purse (drunk moment, blonde moment–misplaced or something)
I will now allow the opportunity to re-read your own comment. See above.
Still don’t think it could possibly have merit?
B
Tribephan I still think you’re on to something about those embedded cameras. Seriously, do we think UVAPD only just–thanks to Blink–figured out these inconsistencies? Surely they have reviewed any blue-light camera footage by now, but must that be spelled out for them?
Too much time is gone to dust the handsets for prints … or has it? But what would they do if they found her prints on a phone? I can’t think of ways it gets them anywhere now … except the remote possibility they get Morgan’s prints and can tell if she made any other calls from that phone, and to whom, given it also has a regular keypad and not just a straight dial to 911.
@mjh: I still do not think it’s confirmed the purse strap was broken. Blink, that is a big fact-vs-fiction piece to clarify if you can. Could have happened inside if she was carrying it, with all its long backpack straps, and a strap got caught on a railing as she walked or climbed. And then she could have fallen, too. Anything could’ve happened.
As a mom who for the first time is paying attention to a case like this, I find this news/these inconsistencies so disheartening. How her parents maintain composure is beyond me and my hat is off to them.
Finally, Blink (and please don’t post this if you think there’s even an iota of a chance it could spoil anything): I don’t know if you read the Daily Progress article about the Harringtons putting Morgan pics up on the Copeley Bridge on Wednesday (same trip during which they delivered her dental records). What are the chances that was a ruse to try and draw out the perp? Is that just the sort of thing they do on TV shows, or would that possibly work, drawing the perp to the bridge to see what’s new there? I hope LE is watching that area like hawks. Surely VSP knows what it’s doing, better than UVA police anyway?
I wrote this once and I’m not sure where it went, so here goes again. The purse I felt was turned in at the Cage, and found in the Lannigan field, but then we see the police reports written, wouldn’t LE have given the exact location found of that turned in purse, not where it may have been turned in?
if someone needed medical assistance, regarding drugs or alcohol, it would be reported to the college and actions would be taken for any violations of state law and/ or school policy… wow!!!
#17 Tribephan excellent information .
“Generally, if you can see the phone, then the camera can see you,” McNair said. “The cameras will significantly improve Public Safety’s ability to patrol the campus.”
SO it’s safe to say from the date of that article these cameras were up and running . If I am to accept witnesses accounts that puts Morgan within eye site of at least 8 of those blue phones on that evening according to the timeline . DO we not have a visual timeline for Morgan based on that article ? I am led to believe from the article that if I can see the blue phone from “anywhere” then the camera can see me , 360 degrees of surveillance from a min of 8 blue phone locations tells me now it is impossible to not have at least one frame of footage of Morgan Harrington on the UVA campus . http://www.virginia.edu/Map/lightedPathwayMap.pdf
Now that brings to question if being that we have no crime scene and no crime did anyone of substance view the surveillance footage from the UVA campus . At this point I see no grounds for a warrant to take possession of the footage , no ground to even view them without consent . Maybe we are getting our witness confirmation or the lack there of from the same forces that have Circled the wagons around an EMPIRE worth HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS , setting aside the priceless PRESTIGE of the University Of Virginia .
See no evil
Hear no evil
Speak no evil
UVA & Company’s behavior is absolutely expected . The silence of the friends is absolutely unacceptable . The catalyst that was during the trip or inside the JPJ arena with an end result of Morgan ending up outside , injured and moving away of what most would be perceived as safety/friends and long awaited event would help narrow the path to what may have happened to MORGAN. I do not believe at this point the “friends” are responsible for Morgan’s disappearance ( not yet ) but I do believe they are aware of the catalyst !
What could be so damn valuable to keep hidden in the dark , even if it meant bringing Morgan into the light .
Dakota
…or a prank played on someone.
wow,imo, the school should be so concerned,busyfamily week,basketball :women’s,men’s,metallica,the parking lots are full,parking attendants ,concert security, campus police,local police,arrests at jpja,concert employees, arena employees,lot employees,security camera systems,all that paid help,did any of it help?and who saw her thumb out? where’s john morgan,one of his kind ,would advance this case.
My husband was at the concert with a friend and saw Morgan right before matillica(sp?) was getting ready to come on, at the beer stand trying to get someone to buy her beer he said the next thing he knew was security came up to her wanting to see her wristband which she did not have b/c she is 20 years old- he then saw her being escorted by security do the hall way on the areana.
My oh my Ms. Blink-
I surely hope you are added to their (VSP and UVA) payroll. Obviously, this information opens a whole new set of possibilities.
1. Where were those 2 BB players cars parked?
2. If the theft occurred at 5:38, then Morgan’s friends would know about the theft—that would appear to discredit that 5:38 timeframe, imo.
3. Did she leave her purse in the car. Her friends would have known that, as well. Something just isn’t right there.
4. Why is the case status suspended? What exactly does that mean? Did UVA attempt to follow up with the caller? Did they find them? Assuming it was Morgan who called it in? Wouldn’t it be protocol to give a description of the item that was stolen?
5. If Morgan was the caller, it could be possible that the thief didn’t want her making that call. Since the calls are directly linked to the UVA PD, does that also mean that they know which blue box the call came from?
6. I thought it was pretty standard practice for LE to review crimes that occurred around the time of “things” (for lack of a better word) that happen.
7. Why didn’t UVA correct the inconsistency with the reporting of the purse being found in the Lannigan field?
B-I know, lots of questions. So few answers.
Actually, I pulled the report and lots of cases were suspended.
Larceny, traffic accidents, lost property..etc.
I was under the impression from your article that its rare that a case gets suspended…but thats not true according to the log itself.
Well that comment came from the inside so I am inclined to believe maybe he meant the purse and contents stolen from inside the car part. Pulled the incident report?
B
I’ve seen a few questions I may be able to help with…the parking area down by the Cage is usually open during concerts, and it would be more deserted than the others (JPJ and U-Hall along both Massie and Copeley Roads). If Morgan found herself there, she would be far from the safety of the well lighted JPJ, and most of the security would have no idea she was down there. The Lannigan parking area is not much better, as they’re both dark, and have the tracks running along one side. If the purse was reported stolen from the Park, that is another area entirely…wouldn’t you agree Observer? The Park is a complex of turf fields, softball fields, and parking, over behind the JAG school. Graduate Business and Law use these fields, and people sometimes park back there to have access to the Rivanna Trail. I’m not sure I understand if the missing purse was called in from over there, but if so, that would put Morgan about a mile and a half away at that time. Someone could have said the Park but meant to get out “parking lot”?
Also, in answer to basketball players possibly living on the Lawn…yes, there are usually a few athletes living over there, but most residents are politicos and kids who are class officers, etc. A lot of athletes used to live over in the University Heights Apartment complex, and I remember it could get pretty rowdy there. I believe they do still live there, as it’s pretty close to Scott Stadium, JPJ, and U-Hall. U-Heights is on Ivy Road, about a mile west of the intersection at Copley and Ivy Rd.
There are lots of blue lights around school for anyone in distress to use, but would Morgan necessarily know what one was? Do they have them at Tech? Are they at all schools? It may not have occurred to her that it was a safety feature, there for her use.
No, just pulled it from the wesbite.
I wonder what their definition is to suspended is.
LE stopped or the person reporting stopped it?
Everything about this case leaves my nerves as raw as a knuckle bone.
Lizzy, thx for the specific Metallica parking info. I hadn’t seen it before. There is a phrase/comment there that gave me the willikins. It was suggested that although the directions seem to be taking you farther from where you want to be, you should trust them because they take you along “roads less travelled by” and will eventually get you to your destination. Shivers, anyone?
The suspended stolen purse call does seem sinister in our nerve-raw status. Could the caller have said, “oh, never mind, I found it”? However, if Morgan had her purse stolen earlier in the evening, she could have been lured out by someone who said they found it. A security officer, possibly?
#42 Yes, Va Tech does have the blue light phones. They are all over the campus, so Morgan should have known.
B and all- first time posting; been following for just over a week.
Welcome.
B
But Morgan’s purse was found the next day, Sunday morn, but some good samaritan, yes?
http://www.ucrime.com/va/university+of+virginia
Blink, there were nine incidents reported on Oct. 17 by uva police, with six arrests made. Two incidents were listed as “Other” but are denoted as related to the missing person, MH.
In their explanation of the above, I found this last sentence very odd: “Police officers from Charlottesville, Albemarle, UVA, Virginia Tech and James Madison University are all involved in the investigation. race of the young woman.”
Question: I’m sure you’ve investigated all of these, but can you say if any of the incidents or arrests have a connection to Morgan’s situation?
They are mostly public drunkeness charges. That in and of itself should some indicator had Morgan been as impaired as has been implied by some, I think UVPD would have noticed.
B
#30 mjh
mjh, yes, at the October 21 presser, Rader did say it was Morgan who called her friend, expressing (paraphrasing here) she was locked out of the arena and not to worry. Unless he meant as the “last” communication, but he did not mention the friend initiated the calls.
Rader didn’t specifically say she used “her” phone nor alluded to the “found” phone or speak about any phone for that matter – - just on the call communcation from Morgan.
Also, it was text communications – - no voice, if I recall, which opens up to question, at 8:48pm was it actually Morgan’s phone, was it actually Morgan doing the texting.
Blink,
can you further clarify and please correct me on anything.
Thank you.
8:48 friends call Morgan.
Some texting to/from Morgan’s phone up until 9:20 (nonspecific). Cell activity done 9:30PM
Blink & Company,
Great sleuthing once again. The purse was found in the cage lot. I would think that would be a huge mistake in the UVAPD’ s logs.
So in essence what this means is her purse was found closer to the area where athletes and athletic followers would feel most at home. Am I right in this assumption? Is this also where she was seen speaking to the basketball players?
Eagerly awaiting part 2 Blink.