Morgan Harrington Case: Separating Fact From Fiction From Facebook Part II
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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. Part II
The Faces of Her Facebook
Help Find Morgan Harrington was developed by a few concerned individuals interested in spreading the word about Morgan’s disappearance and boasts over 30,000 members. Not all posts are welcome.
In particular, a member by the name of Nelson Kane was recently banned for posting very detailed hypothesis scenarios that sparked a firestorm of interest in the self-appointed athlete scout. His posts were deleted at the request of Law Enforcement who admit tasking two officers with monitoring the web for such activity in Morgan’s case.
Additionally, Mr. Kane reached out to several individuals on facebook as well as the Harrington family’s findmorgan.com site in attempts to speak to the family directly and request an interview. The Harrington’s were made aware of the concern for such requests by sources close to the investigation.
He has recently changed his facebook drastically. 
Mr. Kane, a member of the family owning the longtime furniture store of the same name in Charlottesville is also a UVA alumni and season ticket holder. In addition to UVA, Kane also claims to have attended Virginia Tech on many of his many social networking profiles. He also fancies himself as somewhat of a Rock band critic.
On his site, nkscouting.com which he has maintained 
since 2001, Kane chronicles his trips to scout mostly High School basketball and football athletes. In an effort to make his site more interesting (his words) he details the travel experience, routes, times and in some cases photos of his visits to High Schools mostly within a few hours driving distance.
Very early on in Morgan’s case, blinkoncrime.com explored the idea that perhaps the double murder of VT freshmen David Metzler and Heidi Childs on August 27th should be investigated as a possible link to Morgan’s case simply because they attend the school and Morgan and Heidi bare a remarkable resemblance to one another.
As far as very odd coincidences go, the location of Nelson Kane’s scouting foray the evening of the August 28th could not be more relevant.
Kane scouted the game at Jefferson Forest High School. The very 
School Heidi Childs graduated from a year earlier. Unlike most of Kane’s other journal entries of his athlete accolades, there is no mention of his travel experience to or from Forest High School so it is unclear where he left from, when he got there, or when he returned home.
This is in no way an accusation that Mr. Kane had any involvement whatsoever in such a heinous crime, of course, but given his proclivities for leaving at all hours of the day and night his keen attention to travel detail and familiarity with the area: Perhaps he saw someone or something amiss in his trip that could help investigators.
On Saturday October 17th, Kane scouts a game, listens to the UVA football game on his way home and is home in plenty of time to make the concert.
Blink how do you know he was at the concert you ask? I do not. I do know he knows alot about security at the JPJ Arena, how to navigate the different lots near Uhall, and of course that there are blue portable lavatories next to Lanigan Field. His posts from the Charlottesville Daily Progress below:
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Catching up this a.m. and a couple things popped out (sorry if the discrepancies have been addressed already):
@1853, Skyler: Can you recall where the friends said she was stepping out for a cigarette? I have never seen that … I thought their story was she was going to the restroom??
@1858, Mary Too: The parking deck, as in parking garage? I wonder. Admittedly I have not watched the granny video, but did any of you think she was referring to anything except a parking *lot*? There are two garages: In additon to the JPJ garage is a UVA garage off Ivy Rd right there (see red garage in link below).
May be just semantics, but the use of “parking deck” by The Hook struck me. I still wonder why Granny’s story was, according to The Hook, dismissed, when so many of you find it compelling.
http://www.virginia.edu/parking/events/jpja.html
Has it ever been determined exactly how many tickets Dr Harrington purchased and if all of them were actually scanned?
JustDesserts (1877) re:
I’m not sure what that cryptic answer to the Justice’s post (1789) was about either, but your parenthetical, “(Is your Blink-Meter going off like the wild rectangles around “This Is Not A Joke–You Are the 100,000th Visitor!”) made me laugh out loud … and now I think others in my office may be catching on to the fact I’m wiling chunks of my workday away “Web sleuthing.”
And, JustD, in re: (1878)
Excellent questions, in addition to the best summary of the facts on the ground I’ve seen yet.
I’m completely with you on question/scenario #4.
get past the exit,get past dee, get past the bb players,get past the hitch hiking,get past the friends,get past the xboyf,get past where would she be going-she had no keys,get past no sensible statements,get past no foul play ,get past no suspects,get past no predators,get past no more searches,get past all old leads ,get past no new leads.so whats left get past the fact that morgan harrington dissappeared from an event at the john paul jones arena during family weekend at university of virginia in charlottesville,virginia oct 17,2009,i guess there nothing left i can do except get past it.ive only been to the airport.
jeez, Alex—that sounds like a nightmare. Why don’t you move?
One of these must be at play for the perp:
1. Dumb luck
2. Criminal brilliance
3. Friends in high places
Which fits best??
http://blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/botetourtview/2009/10/20/morgan-harrington-a-genuinely-good-person/
” . . . She served as Tater Benson’s student aide in his Special Education Class.
Benson had this to say about Harrington:
“Morgan is an outstanding person. She was an aide in my class. She had a positive effect on my class and is a genuinely nice person and she made our class a lot of fun. We are all praying for her safe return.”
Harrington is majoring in education at Virginia Tech . . .”
Two thoughts regarding this:
1. Mr. Benson is the head football coach at Lord Botetourt, in addition to being a special education teacher. I noticed this because at the beginning of the (LONG) thread, I was searching for football/basketball connections for Morgan.
2. To just transfer into a school and be a teacher’s aide for a special education class in the same year seems like it would have to be preplanned. Maybe Morgan did transfer in for that opportunity, rather than transfer away from something. She did have a history of working with youth, and planned to major in education. (I know this will be greeted by incredulity from many of you, and I merely put it forth as a possibility.)
Comment by CG #1861 “I don’t agree with the way that VT handled this sad April day either, but I don’t think that any college would have been prepared for something of that nature. It’s a day I will never forget. Since the VT tragedy, a lot of policies have changed regarding student and family alerts — thank goodness.”
With much respect , I am not sure we learned “enough “. I ask you to read the article linked , pay close attention to the word GUN ! “Daniel has been acting very suicidal recently, purchasing a $200 pistol, and claiming he’ll go through with it,”
Va. Tech faces $43M suit over student’s suicide
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20091209/NEWS01/912090313/Va.-Tech-faces-43M-suit-over-student-s-suicide?plckFindCommentKey=CommentKey:7feb69c7-2e2d-4442-a6f2-4e4bcdc530b2
Also , keep in mind VT is nowhere near the BILLION DOLLAR EMPIRE as that of UVA . I will leave it at that .
In a Cynically tone —————- > Can someone remind me of where Morgan Dana Harrington vanished from ? That FACT seems to be fading fast . If I were UVA I wouldn’t polish up that crown and put it away too fast .
SILENCE will NOT heal this wound !
Dakota
susanm – good points. I guess all that’s left is a phantom alien BG with no fingertips or DNA as we know it who is able to transport himself and his victims without leaving a trace of anything as well as erase the memories of everyone who saw or heard anything of relevance.
I know this sounds harshly sarcastic but my frustration level with this case has reached an all time high which is why I’ve been reading and not commenting. What else do we have to work with other than the confusing and cryptic information coming from LE – and the bizarre stories coming out of the woodwork from people with a fetish for orange high tops or psychic dreams or commenters that like to write out gruesome ‘what ifs’ in order to get a reaction out of some of us who really care about Morgan’s fate and her family’s feelings. Blink I don’t know how you keep your sense of humor and your sanity sometimes.
1906-very plausible.Happens all the time.Thank you for that angle.
!907-Dakota,I would like to read your perspective of this case as it stands today.TIA,R
Police say that they are hoping for a “peaceful and happy result”. Previously said they have no evidence yet of foul play. Makes me wonder if they do, in fact, have reason to believe she is still alive. Article also says that the FBI joined last week as well as other LE agencies, which is wonderful to hear.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/223797
I think this is just wishful thinking on my part, looking for any glimmer of hope that this beautiful young woman with her whole life in front of her still has a life.
Did Morgan have tattoos? New ones? One(s) the parents/friends might not know about, but that the BG might have gone with her to get–or he might have gone to get them and she went with? A canvas of tattoo parlors around VT/her other usual hangouts might jog someone’s memory.
PS Piercings possible at tat parlors, too.
OT: Alex, get batteries/cards in those security cameras. They are your protection! I know in this economy it’s very difficult to sell a house, but please let those cameras be your eyes.
Now I’ll go back to lurking…..
we should leave because the bullys want us to? sorry to talk on here about it. i only want justice….for all…Caylee, Morgan and all of the wronged. we will not be intimidated to leave our home. we did nothing wrong. it hurts that LE tells me to “get over it”…noble but not easy
Judi at 1:47 – The article from the Roanoke times RE: the FBI joining the investigation last week and VSP Spokeswoman Corrine Geller hoping for a happy and peaceful resolution is dated Oct 25.
Maybe the FBI has been involved since early on. I wonder if C. Geller would make the same “happy and peaceful resolution” statement today?
I am as confused as ever!
I admit I have become addicted to this site and reading the insight and sleuthing processes of Blink and the posters here. So for my first post…
I have read others mention it before but has it ever been confirmed that Metallica was the band Morgan was really looking forward to seeing that night? I am a fan of the band and know seeing them (for me anyway) would definitely be something to look forward to. But she stayed for LOG and Gojira and exited before Metallica took the stage (“we’re her to see Metallica, right?”). If she was being so closely monitored by her parents it would seem to me that it would be alot easier for her parents to accept the music of and purchase tickets for Metallica than LOG or Gojira (not a musical opinion from me but remembering my musical taste back in the day and my family’s reaction to certain bands). This might explain why she left before Metallica and may have had alternate plans outside the arena.
Dakota,
This is not a competition between VT-UVA. We all just want to find Morgan.
Was Ms. Geller’s comment about a ‘peaceful and happy ending’ recent?
If so, that would give me hope that she is still alive.
Here’s a photo from the Friend’s vigil. I hadn’t seen it before. Tricky close up button, but good to have this photo.
http://en.calameo.com/read/00007801953816da9d7f2
Comment on post #s 1910 & 1915:
I also saw the Oct. 25th date on that article and thought, “Bet they wouldn’t be singing that ‘peaceful and happy’ tune now!”
But then it hit me: As of a week following Morgan’s disappearance, LE spokespeople were acting as if SHE WOULD BE FOUND ALIVE.
This seems like very strong support for feeling that LE felt, early on– and of course this may have changed over the several weeks since– that there was some element of volition or control exercised by Morgan in her leaving. I’m not LE, but if they had assumed from the outset that Morgan had been abducted, wouldn’t they have treated it forthrightly as a CRIME, and proceeded somewhat differently? Hoping someone will chime in on this.
Judi, they need the DNA for the data bases, but also to rule out unknown DNA.
Let’s say they find DNA from three different people on a piece of evidence. Dr. and Mrs. Harrington’s DNA can now be excluded (if present), as it wouldn’t necessarily be unusual to find their DNA on something belonging to Morgan.
Regarding Abi’s comment in #1916:
Really interesting first post!!
I’ve never been a heavy metal fan. . . mostly regarded it as just too raucous, too loud… ignored the stuff when I could (being an “old fart”). But then comes this case, disappearance of a girl from my hometown that happened in the town I’ve called home for 40 years, and it’s very connected, IMO, to Morgan’s tastes in music. And beyond the music, to different lifestyles and value sets that various kinds of music celebrate or cater to.
So, after figuring out that Morgan’s Pantera shirt didn’t celebrate a fast car by Lamborghini, I looked up the band Pantera. One of its founding brothers shot dead on stage (along with 4 bystanders who tried to prevent it); lead guitarist/vocalist OD’s on heroin and “clinically dies”; lyrics of their songs sexually and physically violent (putting it mildly!), bitter about every social and religious hypocrisy you can think of. By comparison, Metallica is nearly lyrical– certainly more “acceptable,” “mainstream” by middle class American standards; rebellious, sure, but not spawn of the devil.
It wasn’t a Metallica shirt that Morgan chose for the concert– and, yes, I read all the posts about which t-shirt you’d wear– but I agree: Morgan, attuned as she was to music, would not want to be caught in an outfit that was just a pose, a “see-how-cool-I-am,-I-know-other-Metal-bands” statement. No, I’m interested in your theory, Abi, because it seems possible that LOG or Gojira might have been more to her taste, and Metallica a possible “cover” rationale for going.
Welcome to the debates!
SECURITY UNIFORM is NOT black. Not yelling, but getting a hair-trigger about that misconception.
Comment from Blink on Dec. 5th:
No, it is white shirt with a black vestie thing for inside with khakies.
~They wear a white shirt, khaki pants, black vest.~
tia…
Lol, everyone got that? I dont know for sure if it changes if one is stationed outside for parking though..
B
to Justice #1789 – Have you tried researching from the records of the county tax assessor/township assessor. That’s public info and they usually have pretty good maps. May have some on-line. Even if mailing address is a PO Box, they would need some 911 address (I would think) if there is an improvement on the property or has something that utilities are hooked up to.
to Doug #1874 – I don’t remember where I read it, but somewhere from some board, someone who posted as if they knew what they were talking about wrote that the service trains go inland to pick up loads of coal then head back toward the coast to unload. If she had jumped or fallen into an open car and met her demise, a body would most likely have been discovered by now. A body would have clogged some chute used to load/unload. It sounded plausible to me at the time.
My take on the whole situation is she probably was asked to leave the arena for some reason. When she realized she couldn’t get back in, she told her friends she would either meet up with them after the concert or would get a ride somewhere to meet up. I think she did call or text someone she knew and tried to get them to come get her. The BB players would be someone I’d talk to whether I knew them or not. I think she would identify with them better because they were students, about the same age, etc., and not just someone who was there to attend the concert. I think she probably told them (or one of them) a little bit about her situation. I think they know probably about as much as what the friends know. However, I do not believe she would HH. The only way I see her doing this is if she was scared and willing to take her chances of getting picked up and getting raped/murdered, because if she stayed where she was that’s what she thought was going to happen. So, the way I see it, there are 3 scenarios. (1) The BB player(s) were involved; (2) the person she called/texted to come get her did in fact get her and something happened between them or (3) stranger abduction. I myself am leaning toward #2.
Point taken on parking attds. They would likely have an orange or yellow vest on over clothing.
Skyler or others there that night may have seen them.
I did verify that there are parking attendants (cf disability parking need to show official status to pking attd.)
Summer volunteers at the uva health systems have a type of uniform:
“Yes. Volunteers follow the same dress code as employees. Volunteers are not allowed to wear blue jeans, shorts, sweatpants, sweatshirts, open toe or heel shoes, or t-shirts with writing on them. No halter tops or bare midriffs. Some patient areas have additional dress code requirements. All volunteers must wear their hospital ID badge while on duty. If a uniform is required for your role, it will be provided to you. Uniforms are worn over the volunteer’s street clothes.”
JustDesserts, Morgan doesn’t strike me as a real metal head of any type (judging by the almost nothing that we know of her of course), and besides—Pantera has prolly been kind of mainstreamed since (the very rocking) Cowboys from Hell made its appearance as the hardest song on Guitar Hero 1. I think she was just playing dress up (as a cute make believe metal head) for this concert of gray haired ol’ Metallica (not that they can’t still bring it!).
Then mebbe roadies or stage hands in all black, if not security, as someone had suggested above.
This is my current belief:
Approx 8:30 pm- I believe Morgan was ejected from the arena after security saw her drunkenly fall or being belligerent or smoking weed. There is absolutely no reason for her to leave before Metallica to have a secret meeting. She was 20 years old and had her own apartment, she doesn’t need to sneak around, she’s not an eighth grader. I also don’t believe she thought she could get back in, or accidentally got outside.
8:30-9:00- Now she’s outside and spends some time arguing and trying different entrances. She gets the call from SS and tells them what’s going on. Security probably tells her she needs to leave the premises and not hang out front causing a scene. At this point she knows she’s not getting back in and moves on to plan b: calling or texting someone else. She knew that the friends planned on going to party after the concert somewhere on or off campus and that’s where I believe she was trying to get to. IF you are to believe anything OYE said, the “don’t get drunk at that party” statement would make sense here. I don’t think she would try to get a ride back to Harrisonburg. Where would she go once she got there?
9:00-9:20- At this point she is walking away from the arena through the parking lots making her way toward the bathrooms because she’s been drinking and she has to pee. Her phone has died and she is also looking for someone who might have her same battery so she can get a number out of her phone. She meets the basketball players and tells them her situation. Maybe one offers a battery but it doesn’t fit and she never puts hers back in, it’s in her pocket. Now she knows there’s only one person she can call, a last resort…someone whose number she knows by heart. Maybe she used one of their phones to make the call but probably not because of LE’s question about her asking to borrow a phone. Bb players exit. Perhaps she somehow makes the call.
9:30- She’s on the bridge. IF she got in touch with the guy she might be waiting for him to pick her up. Police say she was hitching. Now I know everyone wants to dispel the hitchhiking scenario because “no one in their right mind hitchhikes these days”. I have to tell you that hitchhiking ON college campuses is very prevalent. When I was in college in Colorado just 5 years ago it was extremely common to see students hitching from one end of campus to another, or into town, or an off campus apartment complex. The same went for other schools I visited during that time. Students feel safe with other students. We know Morgan was somewhat familiar with UVA and knew people there. It is entirely plausible that she knew where she wanted to go, it wasn’t very far, and she felt she could probably flag down some students or some young Metallica fans to give her a ride.
After 9:30- One of the following occurred:
1) She was picked up by someone she knew, maybe an exbfbg and what happened from then on no one knows. LE may have knowledge of this person and he may be a POI, perhaps they checked his phone records and there is an incoming number he cannot account for that they cannot trace to a specific individual.
2) She is picked up by an unknown individual and that person actually drops her off at her destination and what happens after that is unknown, perhaps something goes terribly wrong at destination and panic ensues. Person is afraid to come forward.
3) She is picked up by an unknown individual BG and is abducted.
4) She is picked up by unknown individuals who invite her to hang with them and something goes terribly wrong and panic ensues.
Finally there is the question of the purse.
If you believe scenario above #:
1) Then the exbfbg may have picked her up on the bridge and they pulled into the parking lot for some reason, a fight ensues, she tries to get out he pulls on the backpack to drag her back in and the strap breaks and bag falls and there it stays OR he dumps the bag there later on to make it look like something happened to her there.
2) She had to have dropped it there accidentally and drunkenly went on to the bridge without it.
3) The abductor dumped it right then and there.
4) The individuals she went to hang with did something with her and went back and planted the purse later or she drunkenly left it behind.
I really want to believe the incident at Boyd tavern somehow ties into scenario 2 or 4 but can’t seem to make the timing fit unless the witness was unsure of the time or got it wrong.
Ok, so two things I want to respond to…
I said this before, but I’ll elaborate on a few things. In my mind it is not that odd that a) M. might have been studying in the car and b) that she was planning on studying with her dad the next day. I already stated that I do reading for school in the car if I am really busy and need to make the best use of my time. I also said that I used to party all night in college, basically sleep for 5 hours and wake up and do hw the next day. That is just to lend credibility to the possibility of these events. As this relates to M.: She comes from a financially stable and educated family. She was majoring in education. Learning, education, and thus school work was probably important to her. I’m the daughter of two educators (this is probably why I respect and value education and perhaps why I study in the car on trips). I also keep thinking that it’s entirely possible that M. had a test that week. Many college classes– especially large lecture hall type classes– give 3 tests during the semester. They may also collect and grade homework. But the tests have a huge effect on your grade. You need to take it seriously and study. The tickets were purchased 6 months prior to the concert (so maybe in April). There would be no way for M. to know that one of the classes she was taking in the fall was going to schedule a test the week after the Metallic concert. That could have happened and she could simply have been determined to go to the concert…even if it meant having a friend drive so that she could study. I just realized that this also gives a decent (in my opinion) reason for someone else to drive her car to the venue. I have had my boyfriend drive my car to my parents’ house for visits so that I can read on the way. Riding in the car can be dead/wasted time to someone who is busy or is under deadlines. I also did this once with friends. I sat in the back seat because it allowed the other to sit up front and chat or listen to music or help navigate. There is also something about feeling a little bit rude having one’s nose buried in a book, so you try to do anything to let the others enjoy themselves while you’re doing work. I’m just saying– I’ve done it, it’s not that weird. This idea of her having a test (which could be verified by someone who knew her class schedule and could get the syllabi for the classes) also explains (imo) why she was meeting up with her dad to study the next day. If it were an important test or she felt pressure to do well, she was probably thankful that her dad was willing to help her study. Perhaps he knew the material and so it was an extra bonus to study with him. The study session may have also been seen as a good way to reinforce the information she had been studying. I think learning occurs best when it involves multiple senses, when you learn it different ways, when you have to be actively engaged. So while she may have been studying on her own, the study session may have been an opportunity for her to have to explain or “teach” the material to someone else which simply cements one’s understanding of the stuff. I’m just saying… This idea of cramming for a test would also reinforce the idea that her disappearance wasn’t planned.
The second thing I wanted to bring up is in regards to a) thinking about the most simple scenario and b) thinking about who could/would take her. So someone suggested following the most obvious scenario and identified that as M. wanting to go to/be at the concert….M. getting kicked out by security (for whatever reason)…M. being frustrated, angry, unsure of what to do next. She needs to get warm, get home, or kill time until her friends get out of the concert. I still feel like the BG is someone she knew on some level. It could have been an exBF or it could have even just been a friend. But my line of thinking is that MH was pretty, sweet, lively, etc. As a young woman myself and only out of college for a few years, I imagine that M. was trying to think of who she could call and who she could count on to come get her on a Saturday night. This guy would either have nothing going on (meaning he could have been on the social periphery) or he could be partying or something… but either way he would have to be willing to drop everything for her. A lot of girls have guy friends like this. The guy doesn’t always have to have romantic feelings for the girl, but perhaps in this case (because something went wrong and she didn’t return) he did. If the guy was busy doing something else that night, then the pull of M. would have had to be especially strong…like that of an exBF. Think about it… he would be M.’s knight in shining armor by arriving to scoop her up out of the cold drizzle and give her a ride home, hang out with her, whatever. I also think its plausible that this guy M. called/texted could have been someone she wouldn’t normally hang out with (now, anyway). This could include a guy her parents disapproved of for his controlling behavior and anger/jealousy issues. While she might have seen how he wasn’t a good BF, she also knew that in that situation he would absolutely be there to get her. Following this train of thought, I would want to know what numbers were called/texted after M. was ejected from the arena and exactly where those people were when she called them. How long would it have taken them to get to UVA from where they were at that time? They would have been arriving at roughly 9:30. Finally, I also imagine that he walking around the parking lot could have been to kill time while she waited for this dude to show up. She may have called a few times to get updates on his location. I agree with an earlier post that said that she could have gone to the bridge to meet her ride. She could have stuck out her thumb as his car (or an identical car) approached… giving the impression of HH…but not HH in actuality. I have done this. Its silly. So what if the guy picks her up on the bridge? He could then ditch her purse immediately if he had bad intentions or he could return later to ditch it if things just got out of hand as the evening progressed. But he could also tell the police (who saw the calls/texts…if they did actually happen…) yeah I was supposed to pick her up but when I got there my calls went straight to voicemail and I couldn’t find her. He would say: She’s my friend, she’s been in my car a million times so her DNA might be in there, but I didn’t get her that night. Sorry. And for now, that’s all LE has to go on even though they know its not the truth.
Comment by JustDesserts — December 10, 2009 @ 3:16 pm
I think you may be reading too far into it.
Take my youngers years as example:
I am a fan of ALL genres of music. I favor any concert that can show me a good time! I mostly love country but I have been to some of the most raunchy Rap concerts and death metal concerts in my day.
I am a God fearing Christian but I love all types of music!
Case in point: I went to a Marilyn Manson concert and it was the most amazing stage show I have ever seen. Attending the concert, me and my group of friends wore the appropriate attire, Goth (mind you I am more a trendy girly girl than Goth girl–but it was like a costume for the show)
I was hassled by a religious groups that were protesting the concert.
What upset me was they had no idea who I really am.
It was just a concert. I wasn’t going to worship the devil.
My point is, sometimes music is just for music lovers and not to be stereotyped.
It looked like to me Morgan loved music too. She had the likes of Zepplin, Marley, Pantera, Beatles..etc..on her wall.
Food for thought.
Judi, it looks to me like your article with the police hoping for a happy conclusion, and the FBI joining “last week” was from Oct. 25. So has the FBI been on the case all this time? I thought they hadn’t been invited in yet.
To answer JustDessert’s question (strictly as a layperson) about how the VSP initially responds to a disappearance like this, they almost always treat it optimistically absent an actual eyewitness who saw the victim struggling and taken. JMO, of course, but that’s pretty much how it usually looks.
Really, now just where was the purse found?
By Lindsey Henley | WSLS10 Reporter
Published: October 22, 2009
Updated: October 22, 2009
6:10 p.m.
Morgan Harrington’s parents confirmed to WSLS Thursday evening that there is a $100,000 reward for information that will help police find her.
The new tip line is (434) 352-3467.
Officers from State Police, the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office, and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office re-searched parts of the University of Virginia campus Thursday. Investigators searched the area near University Hall where someone found Morgan Harrington’s purse this past Sunday morning. That search included looking through thick underbrush.
We also have a better picture of the timeline that lead up to Morgan Harrington’s
Xactly. Cage Lot, next to UHall. Limo driver said they were walking toward University Hall.
B
(Um, I think I just won a puppy when I clicked in…)
B, et al –
This is a silly question, but what does “TIA” stand for? I’m usually on-point with figuring out/knowing acronyms (I work in government, so I practically speak in them), but I missed the memo on this one, and I keep seeing it here. Have run the possibilities through my head… Stumped.
Thanks in Advance. My Bad.
B
Re: DH buying the tickets for Morgan and her friends –
When I was in college I totally had my mom buy my concert tickets all the time. I didnt have a credit card to buy them. I cant tell you how many times she bought tickets for me and my friends.
So I dont think this is a big point at all.
Only thing, I thought you were only allowed up to 8 tickets, 4 in some cases on the same card. I read he bought 9…but again, I dont think number of tickets purchased or by who is any sort of factor in this.
Human remains found in Suwanee
by Jason Wrightwrite the authorDecember 10, 2009 | 02:08 PM
What police believe is a human skeleton was found Dec. 10 off Old Peachtree Road near Lawrenceville Suwanee Road in Suwanee.
Investigators said the identity of the remains are unknown, and that it appeared the body had been there for several months. At this time, police said it could be homicide.
Police said a demolition crew was removing an abandoned mobile home off Old Peachtree Road at about 8:30 a.m. when workers found what appeared to be a human skeleton underneath it. The mobile home, which was in the woods, was to be torn down for road construction, said investigators.
The workers called 911, and officer soon arrived. They confirmed the remains looked human, at which time the scene was marked off.
County crime scene investigators, detectives and personnel from the Medical Examiners Office processed the scene, and the skeletal remains were collected and transported to the Gwinnett County Police Department morgue.
Gwinnett homicide investigators are requesting help from the public. Any persons with information about the incident or knowledge of the identity of the deceased are strongly encouraged to call Gwinnett County Police at 770-513-5300. Information can also be relayed through Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).
Anonymous tips are welcome and could lead to a monetary reward of up to $2,000.
Found this on Facebook, wasn`t aware of it before……..3 girls(2 of them roommates and one morgan) drove to JMU. They picked up the girl and her boyfriend at JMU.
They drove Morgans car with the 5 of them to UVA, 4 girls and 1 guy.
One of the girls, not the guy, had the keys after they parked in the main lot. They stayed with a friend in UVA after the concert and left in the morning, assuming Morgans phone went dead and she had a ride…
Where did they stay? With whom? Was that part of the original plan? Anybody else who never showed? Sounds like there was plans set for that night by her friends, maybe even possible there were seperate plans for Morgan. Im also aware that when the searches were being conducted, people were asked to keep a lookout for a digital camera which Ms Harrington was known to have on the evening but not recovered as yet…
Why oh why has the BB players not made public the interaction they had with Ms Harrington? Is there anybody here who can even get 2nd hand information from them? Maybe Ms Harrington had an argument with maybe 1 or more of her friends and left, might even explain the scrape/cut she had on her chin. Either that or a current g/f of her ex was at the gig and gave her hassle…… Having said all this, its my opinion one of the BB players abducted and murdered Morgan Harrington. My opinions are just food for thought and if wrong mean no harm to anybody, silence sometimes speaks more than any words…..
AtotheK, I too went to a Marilyn Manson concert just to see what it was all about (and having just read his book). I was expecting, I dunno, TROUBLE and DANGER, and so were the cops who had showed up in force to monitor the show and shut it down if he bared his little behind or something. My goodness, it was the tamest show I’ve ever been to! Filled with very polite young people who sat very calmly in their seats, applauded nicely, ate cotton candy and drank slushies. The nice young goth couple in front of me were sweetly holding hands. It was just so…orderly. And it wasn’t cuz of the cops—it was just a nice crowd. I was floored but found it so very sweet and unexpected. It wasn’t cuz of the cops, who sat in their own section near the stage. It was just…nice peeps who came to see the show.
I suspect Metallica is pretty tame, too, esp. being a vintage band of sorts. Still wouldn’t mind seeing them do Enter Sandman, tho…!
jen (re: #1928)
Very sound logic to me. What you aptly laid out is the relatively simple scenario that’s always made the most sense to me (see back about 1500 posts ago). With so many variables in the basic formula of this case, there are a number of possibilities, making just about all of the speculations here potentially on-target. But, the most obvious scenario is probably the most likely being that she had a destination when she left the arena and it was a short amoutn of tiem before she dropped off the grid. Thus, little room for statistically unlikely scenarios involving attacks and fights and doomed reunions with poseessive exBFs, etc. The longer she was alone or vulnerable in the area, the mroe likely they would become, but she’s hung around, like 30 minutes tops. So, I’m back (with jen) believing the basics –
(intoxicated/kicked out of show with limited options in Cville and no car/texted X requesting X come get her, and knows what direction X is coming from, heads that way (Ivy Lane vicinity) because phone is dying and she wants to make sure X reaches her/phone dies at 9:30/flags down car X is in/gets in vehicle/something happens after that time)
I highly doubt any premeditation of her demise on the part of X – she was outside of the show she’d wanted to attend for 6 mos. by total chance. Something happened with X unexpected…there’s no way of knowing if it was violence or an accident or an OD, but it *is* obvs that whatever happened, X didn’t call for help or attempt to get authorities involved when/if she was in distress, and clearly didn’t want her body found after she had perished. Not sure what that points to. On its face, one would think she was victimized and a crime is being covered. But if this was a person/people within MH’s age bracket (which I believe X to be), it could also be someone/people with an immature sense of personal responsibility, still arrested in teenage development. (Sadly, not that uncommon in the college-age years)
It’s also obvious that whatever prevented X from coming forward in the first place is still preventing him/them from doing so, and LE doesn’t have enough evidence (all circumstantial) to do anything but surveillence at this point, if that’s what’s happening. LE also doesn’t seem to believe that she was hidden in the immediate Cville area, as there have been limited (and non-LE coordinated) searches.
Piquing my interest is:
If X came from somewhere relatively local (within 45 minutes tops, based on speculative phone interaction with X around 8:45 – I note this because MH had a plan *already* figured out when she talked to SS at 8:48. If she didn’t, she’d have probably asked for her keys.) So again, it takes X between 30 and 45 minutes to get to Copeley/Ivy area, and wherever X entered town from, they likely took Rt. 250 in, since – I believe (where’s localcvillegirl when you need her?) – it’s the highway that would deposit motorists in the area from which she was picked up.
What city is about 45 minutes away, and would be a natural direction to come from if one ended up on Ivy Road/Lane? (Well, many places), but which city would MH be familiar enough with to know it would route X in that direction, thus making her way to that intersection … perhaps because she entered Cville from the same direction herself? Also, what’s an end-of-night location it would make sense for MH’s friends in the show to drive her car/books back to? (ie “home”/”getting a ride” back) …?
It seems like Harrisonburg would be a natural fit for all of these (sure, could be others, but it makes the most sense as far as what we know and what’s logical). I know this has been discussed and it’s not a revelation or anything, but it was never as clear to me as it became when I thought it all the way through, as I did just now.
Harrisonburg-based GG/BG/POI also makes sense in the seemingly nonsensical, at-times contradictory stories of her JMU/Harrisonburg-based friends. Not that they’re involved, but that she implied she’d be getting ride back up their way and see them at their apartment when they returned from the show, only to never appear once they returned.
So, *who* did she know up there enough to call? (Who’s lawyered-up in Hburg?)
I bet LE knows the answer.
>>Comment by J2K — December 10, 2009 @ 4:48 pm
(Um, I think I just won a puppy when I clicked in…)
Oh, please take mine and get her all trained and then bring her back — she is a 1 y/o purebred border collie with papers that stretch all the way back to England, and we just adopted her on Nov. 1st — she had zero training prior to that — I work from home, and she takes great delight in barking at the cats when I’m on the phone — ha — : )
>>>Comment by Word Girl — December 10, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
Point taken on parking attds. They would likely have an orange or yellow vest on over clothing.
Skyler or others there that night may have seen them. <<<
WG, you were reading my mind before I read your post — I’m trying my best to remember what the one security person, who was female, had on — when I just pulled into the VIP parking lot street off Massie, bodies came forward from everywhere, but there was one lady in particular who had a walkie in her hand approached the car, and I know she had on a navy blue nylon jacket — because I remember it was unzipped and the wind caught it under her arms — it was cold even at 4:30 — but I think she did have on khaki-colored pants — and she was very nice. I just said I was dropping ‘em off and she raised her hand and smiled and nodded — but they were on their A Game — and they were out enforce in the parking area at that time — the next time I saw them was at the conclusion of the concert, and they were everywhere w/ flashlights —
and the million-dollar question — where was Morgan ?
And pull out the violin, I’m about to wane philosophical — but if this were my child and I read only a portion of these posts, I would be so overwhelmed literally by the kindness of strangers —
we don’t all agree — and that’s good — I think everyone contributes excellent points, people have brought up ideas I would have never thought of — except maybe “you know who” — but we are complete strangers who have joined together for a common goal — and when that much “good” is put out, there has to be a “good” return — meaning, hopefully we have answers soon.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is to the effect: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men (and good women!) do nothing.”
Based on that, then evil will not triumph in this cause.
Peace to all, Sky
oh, somebody asked me where I got the cigarette info — that may have come from the police and not the friends — I think you’re correct, it was reported the friends said “bathroom” in the beginning, but then it got changed to smoke a cigarette — because my own bad child smokes (not w/ my blessing, but he is 18, what can you do?) — and he said there were smoking areas inside the arena because he and I discussed that issue — he couldn’t figure out why she left, either especially since Metallica hadn’t taken the stage yet — you couldn’t have budged him outta there w/ a backhoe — the first thing he said when we heard about it was: she was meeting up w/ a dude —
but we don’t know — and those who do know, ain’t talking !!
I was reading through these and thinking about her potential removal from the arena. Wasn’t there a witness who saw Morgan over by the beer venders? If she got someone to buy her a drink and was caught with it sans wrist band she probably would have been booted out.
I’m on board. I now believe she was removed from the arena vs leaving of her own accord. Still on board with the perp being someone she knew.
Blackpearl, I think your theory on her studying in the back seat based on your own personal experience is plausible. I may not buy it because my experience has been different. Not that I wasn’t/am not concerned with education, I graduated from Penn State w/ honors BUT the weekends were the weekends and our syllabus usually mapped out exactly when our tests would be. Would there have even been room for her to make a go at getting some review done? I don’t know, the car seemed pretty full. I guess we would have to know Morgan to get a better grasp on this, and for now agree to disagree.
so the reason Morgan wasn’t driving her own car and the reason she didn’t have her keys, was so she could study on the way to the concert..? Okay, I am wondering why the driver didn’t return the keys to Morgan once they arrived at the concert. The first thing I do when I drive someone elses car is return them as soon as I turn the car off. Wouldn’t her house keys also be with her car keys?
Morgan’s Fall Inside the Arena ????
This is pretty interesting — I scooted over to the FB page to see if there was anything new — on the LOG video link, someone said if they had seen her fall, the person who saw her fall should have helped her more — and this is the response. So if this was Morgan, then this post answers several questions — No. 1, yes, she was definitely inside the arena during LOG on the floor near the stage — yes, she was taking pix — and yes, she fell — and according to this witness, she was “impaired” and holding a drink in her hand — it could have been a soda — but this person says she had a misstep and that’s why she fell —
>>Debbie Parrish Carson: I was there that night and saw Morgan hit the floor during Lamb of God…she was taking pictures and came down off the step and fell flat on her face. When we helped her up we didn’t notice any bleeding (but remember it was dark in there)
November 24 at 5:07pmKelli Lewis- Pam Taylor: thank you for posting Debbie!!
are you the one whose dad posted on the findmorgan.com boards about you & your husband seeing Morgan fall?
November 24 at 6:02pmDebbie Parrish Carson: Hi – not sure but that does sound like my dad. So yes, my husband and I saw her fall and me and another girl standing close by helped her back onto her feet. She was pretty out of it…she could have definitely been hurt by that fall…it didn’t seem like her hands caught her at all.
November 25 at 5:23amDebbie Parrish Carson: To clear up any confusion with whoever made the comment that ” when we noticed she was incoherent and let her be”…..She was walking okay it seemed like, and when she fell, we helped her to her feet, her drink was still in her hand, and still contained liquid so even after the fall, her drink was still up in the air. We asked if she was okay and she didnt’ answer, she simply tried to gain composure and began to walk forward (and out of the area where we were standing). She did seem very incoherent. We did not see any blood from the fall, which is not to say it didn’t happen moments later, but at that moment in time there were no visable indication of trauma the few seconds we made contact with her afer the fall. Yes she was completely out of it, as were 1000′s of other people who were there that night. I could not take it upon myself to follow every potential incoherent person around that night to ensure they were playing it smart. There is not a selfish bone in my body. I was not in fear of any weirdo’s as I too am a weirdo. I was not afraid of being busted because I don’t do drugs, and the 2 drinks I had while I was there were sweated out of me in the first hour of the show. So in the interest of trying to locate Morgan , let’s try to focus on the facts and not speculate as to the selfishness and behavior of the person(s) who tried to help her.
November 25 at 5:43am
@ Skylar
Re:
I don’t know what post you were referring to in particular, With the scant information available to the public, I think everyone is just trying to think both inside and outside of the box as to what may have happened and where she is.
From witness accounts, it *appears* Morgan was impaired — either thru a head injury when she fell inside the arena, or from ingestion of alcohol or drug use. That said, I think if you go back to the beginning and read thru the thousands of posts, you’ll see many many references where people have said: I was young once, too, and did my share of partying.
__________________________________
I too have been hear since the beginning, and have already read thousands of post. I realize that the majority of us want Morgan returned safe and sound or at the very least the person/or persons responsible brought to justice and off the streets. The comment that you are referring to was made because two recent posters on this board that angered me very much so. Maybe if you re-read the post you will understand that statement was very specific to these post. Also, we were all young once and did things that some would consider risky behavior, my statement was that no matter what she was or was not doing, it doesn’t justify a missing girl. Again, that was directed at specific people or person with two names. I believe maybe you mis-read my post. Below are the specific post that angered me and maybe I mis-read those but, it sounds like they were in fact placing blame on the victim.
Comment by on belief — December 5, 2009 @ 7:32 am
Definately male.
B
==================
Lemmee see. It couldn’t possibly be Morgan’s own doing or that of her beloved family’s. She must be missing due to some nefarious reason that some evil person caused. Her parents are less than forthcoming yet its LE’s fault for any information withheld?
The truth doesn’t change. Rev. Diana said the UVA LE called the Harringtons at 8:30am. DanH said he called the friends when Morgan didn’t come home for her 12pm math study and check book balance lessons.
LE said all along Morgan’s car was at UVa. Dr. Harrington insists Morgan’s car was never there.
The friends let Morgan go without alarm for some reason. Either it has normal for her to go off on her own; or they knew who Morgan was hooking up with that night.
It is not the rest of the world’s fault that these girls made bad choices with dire consequences. Personal accountability never goes out of style.
Comment by OPEN YOUR EYES — December 9, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=9576645&op=4&o=global&view=global&subj=162224546575&id=505480153
If the “struggling” person refuses, sooner or later, friends eventually write them off because it is just too frustrating to deal with. Parents deny “this doesnt happen to us”, “she would never do that” “this is someone else’s fault” blah, blah & try to deal with it quietly.
If you notice the language of mom about the outfit: “she was covered” before concert, her mom’s constant referral to her as “our baby”, etc. they were not ready for Morgan to grow up. Morgan seems to have broken out of the shelter, and, unfortunately, most likely to her detriment. There may be a BG, but there was DEF a BGIRL too, IMHO.
Limo driver witnessed Morgan talking to the BB players, and he also saw them walking toward University Hall, where purse was found.
Maybe after BB players left, Limo driver offered Morgan a ride. She would probably trust him.
How much do we know about Limo driver??
Since LE has no evidence of foul play as of yet, does that mean that perhaps they believe Morgan left with someone of her own free will (but someone her parents think could be a danger to her)? I don’t think she would simply run away, but just playing the other side for a minute. The pure lack of evidence and leads is maddening. What do you think about this theory Blink?
@ Just Dessrts
Re #s1709, 1750, etc. Is There a Pastor in the House? This issue has been batted around several times; Lisa pointed it out, Rnmom frowned at it, Lizzy and Blink seem to see it as a non-issue. I’ll try keeping the ball in the air by
Actually, Lisa posted a link to an article in regards to LE notifying parents at 8:30 am on Sunday. I merely asked if that was a fact, I wasn’t frowning on it. This thread is separating fact from fiction right? I only asked if it were true how long had she been in the past and in my follow up post said if indeed they were having serious issues they may have turned to the pastor for help. I did not think I was frowning on it. I do however, agree with you. If this is indeed true it could make someone uncomfortable.
Does anybody remember the article about a maintenace man leaving his tools somewhere? Where was that? Maybe be nothing but wanted to revisit it.
Jen (#1928)…You’ve pegged the scenario that’s been floating in my head (all the way down to the four possibilities for who might have given her a ride).
And J2K (#1939) I’m with you on your thinking about possible ride coming from approximately 45 minutes away (JMU)…this makes sense on many levels. The piece that’s nagging at me though is there would have been record of her communication with this person on her phone (textee maybe) Wouldn’t LE have then searched this person’s car?
I remember Morgan’s parents commenting that textee was not from (or in) the area. Again, this supports your theory. Could it be possible that LE searched textee’s car and it’s not public knowledge?
If the ride that picked her up on the bridge at 9:30 (if we are to assume she was picked up by car) came from JMU the communication to arrange for that ride would have had to happen about 45 minutes prior. That would be around 8:45 presumably when her phone was still with a battery. That communication should be on her phone records.
That’s the piece that doesn’t fit for me, wondering why that record of communication would not be enough to obtain a search warrant to textee’s car.
However, if she made arrangements for a ride from someone else’s phone then we would not have record of communication. But then it shoots a hole into the “he came from Harrisonburg” theory because the bridge timing would not work….unless he’s a really, really fast driver.
Personally, I hold equal weight to Jen’s other two possible scenarios: the ride that picked her up was an unknown person and things went awry.