Morgan Harrington Case: Virginia State Police On New Search
Charlottesville, VA– Virginia State Police are searching an area of route 64, between mile markers 112 and 114 today in their efforts to locate missing VT student, Morgan Harrington.
Located approximately 4 miles west of Charlottesville, VA, the stretch of highway leads up to an early area of interest, Crozet, VA.
VSP PR Manager, Connie Geller says the area is not being searched based on any new tip.
Check back to blinkoncrime.com for this developing story.
Update #1. Jim Hanchett, Newsplex, reports the search has ended for this area today, and is awaiting any news of other possible search areas.
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Its just so crazy that the same girl that everyone thinks is Morgan actually was an acquaitance of hers and they had mutual friends.
Someone needs to get Dee S. on the phone. No?
When Dr. Harrington thought that Morgan had left her car at JMU, did he also believe that Dan remained at JMU? When Dr. H said that Morgan texted someone 60 miles away did he mean Dan, who he assumed was still at JMU?
Did Dr. H give Dan’s first name to The Examiner because he now knows that Dan was in Cville? Or did Morgan text the other Morgan, who also may have been in Cville, not at JMU? What to believe?
If MH contacted someone in harrisonburg (60 miles away) for a ride soon after getting shut out of the arena, 9:30 would be plenty of time for them to get there.
Photo: Morgan Nichols & Dan Cassagne
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30625822&id=1564500045&fbid=1241656092575#/photo.php?pid=30625823&id=1564500045
Rachael Livesay’s Photos ‘Halloween And 21st Birthdays’
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036708&id=1564500045&page=3
Well now, life certainly does go on for this crew, doesn’t it?
I dare one person to say that comment is uncalled for. Double dare.
I know the Harrington’s to be kind and fair. I would not want to be around when they see those photos if they haven’t already.
Noticably absent” Amy Melvin.
B
http://breezejmu.org/2009/10/22/search-for-tech-student-continues/
Also seen in ‘Halloween And 21st Birthdays’ are Sarah Snead and Amy/Amelia Melvin. These photos are from Halloween 2009.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036708&id=1564500045&page=3
And Blink, regarding the video of Morgan and my speculation… if you feel they are relevant in any way, by all means, you may post them. I trust your judgment.
My main concern was that some might find the video upsetting, especially the Harrington family. God knows, I don’t want to add to their pain. My heart just breaks for them.
I agreed with your asessment in that regard, relevant or not, kwim?
B
rabbit19,
Who is the tall fellow pictured with Morgan in the photo from the 2008 Electric Chameleon “Dreamin’ On Launch Party”
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=66687172&albumId=2393547
Can anyone summarize the just-linked Facebook photos for those of us who want to help think through the problem but who shun FB registration?
Blink,
I did not see the post by RNmom and your reply regarding the fellow in the photo with Morgan (not Dan), before I asked rabbit19 for ID help.
Re 552 Did you notice 241 on the door?
Tucker dismissed from basketball team for academic reasons. I know lots of folks refused to believe what people around the program were saying — that his leave of absence from the team for personal reasons was to get a class or two in order, but this seems to confirm it. Exams just ended last week and the grade he needed will be in.
From UVA press release:
CHARLOTTESVILLE— Virginia men’s head basketball coach Tony Bennett has dismissed Jamil Tucker from the team for academic reasons.
“We expect our student-athletes to perform to certain standards academically and Jamil has not met those standards,” Bennett said. “We wish him well and will provide assistance where we can, but he is no longer a member of our team.”
Bennett announced on Nov. 11 that Tucker, a 6-9 senior forward from Gary, Ind., was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. He returned to practice with the team on Nov. 27, but has not played in any of Virginia’s nine games this season.
UVA has a very specific Student Athlete/Academic protocol. For starters, he would need to be on probation for 2 semesters. No way. He may have nothing to do with Morgan’s case whatsoever, I am not buying that. He was practicing with them again since the 27th. In these situations a tutor has been known to accompany these guys everywhere This guy sheds 30 lbs in the off season this year, undertakes a completely new regimen in his senior year and flunks out?
B
B
Tucker lettered each of the last three seasons for the Cavaliers. He played in 88 games, starting seven, and averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds a game.
In response to Mag603. It’s not just you. I believe that Morgan never made it to the JPJ arena either. I also believe that whatever happened to Morgan happened after her arrival @JMU. The new information released today confirms it, to me, even more so.
Finally, we read that there is no video or photo evidence of MH in Charlottsville. There is ZERO definitive evidence that places Morgan Harrington inside the arena. Not one photograph. These friends are all about posting their every movement on the Internet. They would be taking pictures. They have grown up in this digital age. Camera phones, digital cameras, etc. This was a monumental event to them. Every Facebook friend and their cousin’s knew they were going to be seeing Metallica that night. They would be wanting/needing lots of pictures for their Facebook pages.
I have kept up with this story from the beginning–and have looked through countless photos on Facebook, etc. I noticed at one point there was a picture on FB that included some of the friends that was titled “The Doubles.” There were two Morgan’s, two Sarah’s, Two Amy’s, etc. You get the picture. In other words, the poster of the pic was stating that the friends in the photo had the same first names.
Here’s a bit of my line of thinking right now:
Morgan and Amy arrive at JMU at around 2pm. MH calls her Dad to let him know that they have made it safely. Yet, they are only half way to their final destination. I question why Morgan didn’t call her parents once she reached the concert. That would be important to me as a parent. I would want to know that my daughter arrived safely in Charlottsville.
Okay–so Morgan and Amy arrive at JMU just before 2PM, to pick up Sarah and Dan. Dan is going to drive them to the concert and back. Morgan makes her call to her dad–and then she is free to party. And she does–they all do–only something goes wrong in Morgan’s case. It isn’t really the friends fault, exactly. But, they panic because they are all in some way feeling culpable. They then hatch their scheme to fake Morgan’s appearance, and disappearance at the JPJ arena. They take her purse, cell phone, everything they can physically take, to make sure they leave it there so that it will appear that Morgan went missing from that particular spot on this planet. They may well have gone so far as to have someone wear her clothing. Also they made certain that there would be plenty of strange behavior out of the blonde in the black mini skirt and boots–enough to warrant “eyewitness” accounts. This would be crucial to throw investigators off the original crime scene.
I propose they made the phone calls and text’s from Morgan’s phone themselves. There were plenty of mutual friends to help them out with their scheme.
In the VSP timeline, they are careful with their wording whenever they recount the eyewitness interactions or sightings. They state “The Person Matching Morgan’s Description.” The VSP NEVER state definitively that this person truly was Morgan Harrington.
Of course, her scent is there on the bridge since this is where the “double”, if you will, did her thing. She made certain that she was seen. This person most likely did stick her thumb out on both sides of the bridge for good measure. Whoever acted the part of Morgan Harrington had been told to interact with people in and outside the arena. She was told to make certain that she was SEEN and HEARD. And not just by one person, but several.
I know, I probably watch too many crime shows too. LOL. But, something just isn’t right with all of the “sightings” of Morgan acting erratically. Emphasis on “ACTING.” Someone wanted to be noticed.
This is all just my opinion from all of the arm chair sleuthing I have been doing. This was my first gut instinct, and I must admit that I waffled a bit when I heard of all of the eyewitness acounts. But, now, I am back to believing that whatever happened to dear Morgan happened long before her friends arrived at the arena.
My prayer is that one of her friends will take the high road, and let the Police know where Morgan’s body can be found. Morgan deserves a proper burial. Morgan deserves to have someone who will be a true friend to her and her family–by coming forward.
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-30376-Private-Investigations-Examiner~y2009m12d22-Help-find-Morgan-Harrington-missing-young-Virginia-woman
This is what 2 Blink editors believe as well.
B
the thing that stands out is not necessarily the timing or content of the pictures, but that, in fact, there are pictures…. this group looks well- versed in having their pictures taken for all occasions. lack of concert photos is very suspicious~
the halloween pics make me think they were not close to morgan or they know where she is???? look like they don’t have a care in the world.
also, if dan is so tall, did he play bball in high school and maybe have bball playing friends at uva?
blink baffles again, lol. kwim = ??
sorry,
kwim= know what I mean?
B
Comment by clementine —
Photo: Morgan Nichols & Dan Cassagne
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30625822&id=1564500045&fbid=1241656092575#/photo.php?pid=30625823&id=1564500045
I’m not a facebook member. Is there another way to see this photo.
Is the girl in the green Morgan Nichols and is she pregnant?
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30625821&id=1564500045
Noticably absent” Amy Melvin.
B
_________________
Noticeably Present – Amy Melvin
Here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036708&id=1564500045&page=3#/photo.php?pid=30625809&id=1564500045&fbid=1241655572562
Here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036708&id=1564500045&page=3#/photo.php?pid=30625808&id=1564500045
You are 100% correct Clementine. I did not recognize her, I should have known better than to go by “sight”. Yeesh.
B
And Here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30625810&id=1564500045
I am an avid reader but have only posted a couple of times. My D is a student at JMU so this story has captured my attention from the start. I cannot believe the photo of Halloween 2009 (a mere 2 weeks after one of there own goes missing) these girls are partying like rock stars. Something smells sooo darn fishy here it makes me ill…..
WHY???????
Announced today, Jameel Tucker dismissed from UVa basketball team-ACADEMICS-
“Noticably absent” Amy Melvin.
B”
Disagree, I think that the scantily-clad mummy is AM, just mistagged in one photo. As RL commented under one photo, “Amy looks possessed or something.”
Your right, on both counts. If it is possible, I actually feel worse.
B
***post at your discretion***
P.S. Can’t take that double dare. From your comment, I thought “well, maybe her roommate was grieving.” After seeing those pics, my thoughts are that this group is utilizing the same kind of grief “coping” skills as Casey.
From Blink…
“Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner.
Dan Cassagne, was the driver. He has a brother John who is a teacher in Waynesboro, and his Dad runs the Hedge Fund circuit in NYC. The family is from Suffolk Cty NY. He is the boyfriend of Morgan Nichols, not Sarah Snead, fyi.”
Could the brother be Robert, not John? Is it a coincidence that he is a teacher in Waynesboro? Wasn’t that an area related to Pantops and Crozet? In another life, I dated a guy who went to high school in Crozet, lived in Charlottesville during college, and had family in Waynesboro, but I cannot picture the location of each of these in my mind because it was so many years ago! Local and sky, can you help here?
#548 Observer
(Note: I’ll post the above on the other more recent MH thread)
Is there another thread that is more recent than this one?
On Morgan Nichols facebook page picture:
http://www.facebook.com/friends/?id=859175180&flid=0&view=search&q=dan&nt=0&nk=0&s=0&st=0#/profile.php?id=1569960021
Is that Morgan H. at the top of the pic of the three girls?
Yes.
B
I also meant to have this in my previous post:
By Blink…
“Well now, life certainly does go on for this crew, doesn’t it?
I dare one person to say that comment is uncalled for. Double dare”
I am mighty glad you said it, Blink, so one of us didn’t have to. “The 9″ have been friends for how long? 9 minutes? That’s what it looks like from these Halloween pictures two weeks or less after one of their best friends has gone missing.
Wowsers!
merrykrismouse,
He went to Northside but I’m struggling to put a name to his face..lack of sleep is getting to me. I’m working on it.
I’ve been reading for the past 90 mins. trying to play catch up — my head is spinning —
please correct me if I am wrong:
this is from an article describing what various witnesses saw, the Richmond bookkeeper: >>With the blonde were four young, white men— a conspicuous group, says the witness, because of the direction they were headed: away from the Arena. ** >>It wasn’t the last time the Richmond woman saw the young blonde. After she, her husband, and friend parked near U-Hall, she says, she saw the same group of five gathered around a vehicle in the RV Lot, or Lannigan Field overflow parking lot— the spot where Morgan’s purse and phone were found and one of the last places police have officially placed her. <<<<
I throw my hat in w/ posters who believe OYE is Ramona and find it curious she has stopped posting —
But this is still my original question, and perhaps Localgirl and/or Observer or anyone else familiar w/ the area can bring some light to bear — WHY was Morgan on the Copeley Rd. bridge ? when I was floundering in the hopeless Land of the Lost and realized I had come to the same area twice — I uttered: damn — and did a u-turn at the same area — I didn’t know if I had gone straight, I would have ended up intersecting w/ Massie Road — and that’s my point — why would there be any traffic on that road except going to/from the concert ? At 9:30, the alleged time of the last sighting — Metallica was onstage — if Morgan was walking away from the arena, why be HH’g on that road and not on Ivy — who is going to be driving over Copeley Bridge Rd except cars ostensibly coming from the arena — and me, being lost, but I never saw Morgan, if she was there, I missed her by minutes —
here is a link to mapquest for that area — you may have to hit the zoom out bar a couple of times — I’ll post the link at the bottom of the post —
but my point is, if you are a local person, would you drive through the arena site — where Massie and Copeley intersect — unless you had business in that area — If I were local and needed to drive in that area, I’d avoid the arena area itself like the plague to avoid potential traffic — as an example, when Nascar comes to town, the local news stations warn motorist not to drive in that area unless you absolutely have to —
which leads me to think that if Morgan was seen hh’g on the bridge, it’s because she knew the person in the car that picked her up, and she stuck out her thumb as a joke —
Now that Dan’s been outted, if he has an atty, I’d be making a public statement that I was inside the arena at the time of Morgan’s disappearance —
someone else posted, and this makes sense, even if Morgan tx’d a person 60 miles away, that person could have sent a txt to others stating she was outside, which ultimately led to her downfall.
I just for the life of me can’t see this as a crime of opportunity committed by a stranger — whoever picked Morgan up on that bridge had to have been someone she knew in some capacity —
And if Danny boy was not sitting with anyone, and no one laid eyes on him specifically in the arena after 9 PM, then as Blink said weeks ago, the time of stating this was an accident has come and gone —
several posters have made the comment that why would anyone come forward about their interaction w/ Morgan that night — well, if you didn’t cause her to go missing, why not come out and make a public statement — account for every move you made, every person you spoke w/ — the BB players have cast doubt upon themselves by being so conspicuously quiet —
The circle is closing — I agree w/ Blink —
Morgan will be found !!
PS, Suz, you are a riot ! — here’s that mapquest link — tell me why it makes sense that Morgan is HH’g on Copeley Rd and why anyone would be driving on that road at that time of night –
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Charlottesville&state=VA&cat=john+paul+jones+arena&country=US&latitude=38.029202&longitude=-78.476898&geocode=CITY
So many pictures of happy Halloweeners and none of MH at the Metallica concert.
Skylar, I agree with you about her presence on the bridge. A planned meet up with someone heading to or coming from the immediate area. A student who lived on or near campus or possibly someone staying at a hotel.
Not buying Jamil Tucker dismissed for academics.
Blink, Above I think I read that Dan Cassagne is from Suffolk co NY. While searching on the internet I see that there is an Inspector Cassagne who is the commander of Suffolk County Police’s 1st Precinct.
Any relation you think?
Yes, I do. I am also aware of that connection.
B
How special. The one on the right is the cops daughter.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30625808&id=1564500045
Did anyone else notice the 2-4-1 that is painted on the door that Amy also appears to be humping?
What a mess.
Blink, I personally welcome any and all pictures of Morgan and /or her group. I didn’t like the way the PI did it because it felt almost like blackmail. I don’t feel anyone here is trying to hurt Morgan, we are all trying to help her. Again where are the Metallica pictures?
sorry, above link not working. trying again.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30625809&id=1564500045&fbid=1241655572562#/photo.php?pid=30625810
B
The person that obtained an attorney was in the car on the way to Charlottsville? Not DC.
Sorry these links don’t work. It is photo 50 from the 21st birthday party.
Comment by merrykrismouse — December 22, 2009 @ 7:15 pm:
[Comment by clementine —
Photo: Morgan Nichols & Dan Cassagne
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30625822&id=1564500045&fbid=1241656092575#/photo.php?pid=30625823&id=1564500045
I’m not a facebook member. Is there another way to see this photo.]
Not that I know of, unless someone with a photo-sharing account can copy the pics and post a link to their own page. Sorry, merrykrismouse, if I had an account, I would.
It’s easy to open a facebook account, and well worth it for the amount of facebook links posted here, and elsewhere. You don’t even have to use your real name. You can open one under ‘Kris Maus’
: )
Blink, I am not sure if I should post this – - will leave it up to you.
Morgan Nichols, boyfriend of Dan Cassagne from NY (6″4″ baseball player for and student of JMU – - yes, he continued to play after Morgan’s disappearance, according to JMU’s stats) also has facebook friend Zach Murter who has facebook friends Sarah S. and Gergo Spolarics. Like Dee Spolarics, Gergo attends JMU.
Dee Spolarics was on video from the Metallica concert at JPJ Arena with Zack Murter who was wearing the black Metallica t-shirt with white cuffs (or a white t underneath). ZM’s profile photo after the concert was of Dee S. hugging him in that black Metallica shirt. Dee and Gergo Spolarics are from NJ, as is David Gardner, the JPJ parking lot buddy of Morgan’s “party”.
Who all were in David Gardner’s “party” (he says he was with his brother, his cousin and a friend) – - don’t know.
Who were the other males in Dee’s “party”, don’t know that either.
Yes, MKM, all correct and ok to post. Zack is Dee S. Boyfriend. I have a pic of them in the front of JPJ before the concert. I have wondered if DG was in that party and eluded to it because of the way he spoke. Her party, our party.. blah blah.
B
Dan is also the guy dressed as the ‘Wheaties’ box.
Comment by belleboyd — December 22, 2009 @ 7:54 pm:
[So many pictures of happy Halloweeners and none of MH at the Metallica concert.]
Unbelievable, isn’t it? These girls take pictures of every move they make. The pictures are out there, and certainly not hard to find. If there are, indeed, pictures from that night, my guess is that they weren’t released because they showed them to be partying/consuming alcohol.
Just my guess, not fact.
Skyler-Give serious thought to your question “why not come out and make a public statement?” Let’s see, we have Mr Kane from the previous thread, maybe a real creep, but with no evidence against him that certainly didn’t stop wild speculation about his connection with Morgan’s disappearance. Shannon McDaniel, the Happy Hippie, Dee, all, if not accused, have been “analyzed.” What about the wannabee/former security person (maybe his name is Townsend, not sure) from a previous thread. At one time he was the flavor of the hour. Seems that every female friend Morgan has ever had is now being “investigated” by amateur sleuths (be warned all about your social networking sites.) Even without their names and public statements, there’s been a ton of speculation about the members of the basketball team. Would you really make a public statement if you knew that for the rest of this school year at least, your name and every utterance you might make was going to be blanketed all over the internet. NOW, we have Dan. It is very possible that the only thing he did that night was drive several friends from JMU to Charlottesville, but now that his name is out, it will become public fodder. It’s sad to think that often innocent people have to “lawyer up” to protect their name and to keep unwanted “investigators” and reporters away from their door when their connection to a tragedy is oh so innocent. “Lawyering up” as you all like to call it, is not cheap. Sounds like Dan’s family can probably afford the expense if he has engaged an attorney, but not everyone close to this case have the same circumstances. For me, if I had any suspicions about an individual, that suspicion would go directly to the authorities. I would only resort to a public assassination of a person’s character if I had absolutely, irrefutable proof of wrongdoing that was going unpunished.
Blink re post #553 in fact Amy “Amelia Melvin was present at the Halloween party photos: # 49 and #50
Sorry but “the party must go on vibe ” of these pix just turns my stomach and makes my blood boil.
Oh God we must keep Morgan in our minds , hearts and prayers and I don’t give a damn if she had any kind of problem with any substance ( which has never been substantiated) or anyone .Morgan did NOT DESERVE to disappear or be victimized under any circumstances. WTH!! If my friend or my daughters friend was missing , feared for dead I would be greif stricken and traumatized.
WHAT is wrong with this picture?
I hope Dan and Gil Harrington continue to give out pieces of information re Morgan, to help us piece together what went down. Sigh … growl …..
Blink, isn’t Dan’s brother in Waynesboro named Robert.
I have to ask another mouse, brb.
(out of breathe..) Yes she says my bad, it is Robert. No cheese for me.
B
Skyler, as you probably know, Copeley & Massie roads intersect near the JPJ. Massie Rd. goes on up the hill and around past some dorms, the Law School, the Darden School, and the JAG School to Arlington Blvd., which takes you to one of the entrances to Barracks Road Shopping Center. Arlington continues to its intersection with Rt. 29. I don’t know about 9:30 on a Saturday night, but on most fall evenings there is a fair amount of traffic on the Copeley Rd. bridge — people coming from the shopping center who wish to avoid the congestion on 29, kids heading toward the dorms from the athletic facilities (U-Hall, JPJ, the fields and the track), and so forth. There are restaurants and stores on that nearby stretch of 250, too, so people who are coming from or going to those establishments often use Copeley.
In other words, it’s a fairly convenient cut-through. I travel it often, day and evening, and I’ve never seen it deserted.
Hope this helps, or at least doesn’t further confuse anyone.
Morgan Nichols is not listed as a “friend” on Dan C’s facebook page. I find that odd. Are they still dating?
I’m astonished at those halloween and 21st birthday pics!! Part of me agrees how painful it would be for the Harringtons to see them and the other part of me wants the Harringtons to see this unconscionable behavior so that they might question the integrity of these young women’s accounts of the night of Oct 17th. Who parties this way a mere two weeks after their friend of so many years goes missing??
moonchime post 562 _ I agree with you 100%.
Something stinks and it isn’t all the cheese.
Certainly not the cheese. Lol
B