Missing VT Student Morgan Harrington Body Found Near Charlottesville
BREAKING NEWS
Abermarle Cty– VA
While official confirmation is not expected until the earliest this evening, sources inside the investigation have confirmed to blinkoncrime.com that the remains located on Anchorage Farm in South Abermarle County are that of missing Virginia Tech Student Morgan Dana Harrington.
Property Records reflect the farm is owned by The Bass Family, but has no known association to Morgan or the Harrington family.
The thoughts and prayers of the readers and editors of blinkoncrime.com wish to extend their deepest condolences to the family of Morgan Harrington.
Please check back for updates to this breaking story.
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I have nothing new or original to add to all this. I’m still just flabbergasted at the audacity of this perp. I thought maybe at first, she was dumped from a back road, but from the info from B and Observer, nothing I had in my mind fits.
Apparently, we are looking for a local or someone who knows this area like the back of his hand. We are looking for a control freak. We are looking for someone who is cold-blooded and calculated and apparently as cool as a cucumber.
Maybe the rumor of a white Jeep isn’t such a rumor any more. When the COD is released, it will tell us tons more about this individual.
B., do you think this spot has a special significance to Morgan and the perp? Had they been there together before? Do you think he had intentions of a murder/suicide and then chickened out?
I have been researching the property, as has the other Blink editors, we do not think the location bears a “message” per se.
We do however, believe the individual responsible has access to the grounds.
B
October 18th was a New Moon so it would have been pretty dark out. I was thinking maybe the light of a full moon could have assisted negotiating the fields, but not the case.
blink ,throwing the purse out the window,right in front of her.been there,does happen. but my issue is ;i dont know anything of her romantic life,seems there would have to episodes leading up to this event .unless he had maintained “just a friend”with secret longings.
Comment by dddeerma — January 27, 2010 @ 3:35 pm
Also, the turkey vulture comment was right on, suz. There would be a flock of them circling for days. Almost all farms have outside watch dogs–it is strange that the local dogs did not find her. If Morgan was there for very long, the various animals would have disturbed the remains.
Are buzzards present during winter months? Or do they migrate with other birds?
Sorry, kids, no magic cowpie mushrooms anymore. Cattle feed has a growth inhibitor.
Oh Blink, I just watched the video of Gil, Dr Harrington and Alex. I didn’t think my heart could hurt more than it did yesterday, but it does. It makes you want to reach through the computer and give them all a hug. I was glad to see Alex is home with them, I was worried about him yesterday. This was definetly the wrong day for me to start reading “The Lovely Bones”, I can hardly read between my tears.
Skyler, I so wish I could go with you to a Memorial Service, but know I will be with you in spirit. I couldn’t think of a better person to represent our BOC family.
**
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*
@dddeerma – Buzzards are commonplace everywhere in that area, especially during hunting season. Deer that run off after being shot, deer hit by cars and wounded that run off into the woods and die. Another thought, and not a pleasant one, is that there are lots of coyotes around too. But if Bass didn’t have cattle in that field, he’d have never thought twice about seeing a few buzzards circling in that area.
Red Hill-
I emailed you
B
#484 Starbucks
There is an aerial shot of at least 5 LE vehicles driving to the area of the site on that property.
I dont think my posts are going through?
Is there any feeling that Morgan may have been held in a barn, stable, house or other building — at least overnight, maybe longer — so the evil-doer(s) could take her (force her) to the field when there iwas some light outside — maybe early morning or early evening so he/they could see where he/they were going and wouldn’t have to use headlights.
IMHO, someone would have to know that area like the back of their hand to head up there at night. [This is me speculating, based on my own country upbringing]: too many fences, branches, holes, barbed wire, rocks, animals and vines for anyone to move through there at night — on an ATV or on foot.
THose turkey buzzards look just like undertakers when they are all lined up on your fence or in your tree. Just like in the cartoons. They are huge. My friend got mad and shot at them because they wanted her horse that had died, but they were really hard to hit. They must be mostly feathers.
“We will move on, we will find a way to be a family of three. (Speaking to the media) You all have these tripods they hold things. They are not as strong as a table with four legs. We don’t know how to make a tripod work but we will figure it out.” ** spoken by Gil at the press conference**
Oh how my heart hurts for them.
Sky, I would love to meet up with you for the memorial service, but I will be coming from the opposite direction, I live 35 mins from Roanoke. BLINK, you have my permission to give sky my email (as if you didn’t have enough to do).
Last night I stayed up for the 11:00 p..m. news and not one thing was mentioned about Morgan on any of the three local Virginia channels? This made me wonder if LE was about to make a move?
I keep going to the last place (besides the bridge, and I never believed the HH’ing part) Morgan was known to interact with anyone.
The RV lot and the BB players. Her phone shut down at 9:20, the BB players left at 9:20, and remember the confusion about the location of the pocketbook initially? Cage lot vs RV lot.
Then Blink posts **There are only 2 scenarios in my mind, and frankly I decided the second I saw her location.
1. She walked there in 40 degrees, pouring rain in some instances, or just misty, cold, and probably muddy for some reason.
2. She was forced by some means to get out and walk it, by threat.
If we believe #2, and there are a great many of us that do- Don’t we also believe this had to have been planned? **
I’m with you Blink, this was planned. All my questions below point to my main suspect.
Who could lure her out of arena?
Who lives (or did) in Charlottesville?
Who would have a weapon?
Who would have a cover, ie uniform or vehicle?
Who would know precisely what needed to disappear as in a camera?
Who knew she was at the concert?
Who knew how to make it look like an abduction?
Who “spoke to her that night and wished he had done more to help her?”
i luv gil ,i was worried when she said she wasnt interested in a search ,she’d rather not know,i knew she’d change her mind,but the weight of it, lifted 10 years, imo,she looked strong and great.i would luv to hear alex,i hope he is finding a way to express his feelings.
Comment by katesro — January 27, 2010 @ 4:10 pm
Are buzzards present during winter months? Or do they migrate with other birds?
*****
Buzzards are present in the Charlottesville during the winter. My parents live there and have woods behind their house. They saw a flock of buzzards circling about a month ago, and my father went to check it out with Morgan in mind. In this case, it was actually a deer.
Ok, folks, I’m going to go out on a bit of a limb here. Please work with me…
For clarification, re: Morgan’s purse: I believe one of two things happened:
1. Morgan placed it on the trunk of someone’s car (or roof–but probably the trunk rather than the roof) and forgot about it, from which point it later fell off as the vehicle departed the Lannigan/RV Lot. [Morgan would not have placed it on the hood of a car because the driver would have noticed it as s/he drove away.]
or
2. The BG tossed it out the window of his vehicle, w/ Morgan in tow.
I do not believe the BG forced Morgan to toss her purse out of the window.
#1 may be likely for two reasons:
a. It is consistent with reports that Morgan repeatedly dropped her purse, conceivably as a result of impairment. Her impairment would make her more apt to mistakenly place it somewhere, e.g., a car’s trunk, and subsequently forget about it–but only for a period.
and
b. If/when Morgan realizes she’s lost her purse (she’s uncertain exactly where she may have left it so is unsure where to look) she instantly becomes more vulnerable and panicky, and therefore apt to do something, e.g., catch a ride with someone.
However…and this is the big “however”: I firmly believe that Morgan’s credit or debit card was used—or, attempted to be used–by her (not the BG) after she exited JPJ. [A BG—even an inexperienced one—is not going to abduct or plan to abduct someone and subsequently use their victim’s credit card.] Assuming Morgan wasn’t carrying her credit card in her pocket (not many mini skirts sport pockets) and was not carrying it in her hand, then it was in her purse. Which leads me back to scenario #2 above, i.e., the BG tossed it out of his vehicle window. To wit:
Morgan, with purse in hand, is on the Copeley Rd. Bridge, walking toward Ivy Rd. The BG sees her, stops, and offers her a ride. As it’s rainy, cold, and dark, Morgan accepts, and they head directly to, say, the 7-11 close by on Ivy Rd. She enters the 7-11 and uses her credit card to make a purchase. She re-enters the vehicle.
Going up Copeley Rd. (and away from Ivy Rd.) BG heads back toward JPJ but instead turns quickly into the Lanningan/RV Lot. He drives to the farthest end of the lot where he assaults and disables MH (e.g., chokes her) while still in his vehicle. [The assault may have been spontaneous and completely unplanned, occurring only as a violent result of spurred affection.] In any event, BG fears that he has killed Morgan as she is now unconscious. He panics and tosses her purse out the window and exits the Lot, heading to somewhere he knows…the area of the Anchorage Farm.
Now, to Morgan’s remains: BG drives right by the turn-off from Rt. 29 to the Anchorage Farm Rd. and proceeds instead to the little-used, unpaved road described below by cvilleconcerned—-someone who is more familiar with this area than any us: [TY, cvilleconcerned, for this bird's eye view!]
“If this field is the back SW part of Blandemar Farm that has a wooded area that separates it from Red Hill Road, I can say that it is accessible via an unpaved, bumpy road with a non-4-wheel drive vehicle. While delivering Express Mail for the USPS around 6 years ago I had a package for the owner at that time…Anyway, the mailbox for this address was on Red Hill Rd and this patch of woods and the field were between Red Hill Rd and the main house on Blandemar Farm. The road next to the mail box was both unpaved and little used…I drove my Postal vehicle…onto that road that wound through that woods and emptied out onto the field. I followed the “road”, which was at this point really just the ruts left from pickup trucks or tractors from the past, out to I belive (sic) Waldemar Drive and on to the main house on this nicely paved road…I got mine through there without getting stuck…Also, all of this road and field area are very secluded from view of Red Hill Road and Waldemar Drive.”
The BG believes that he had murdered Morgan. Being panicked and in a rush to rid himself of her body, he impulsively deposits Morgan near the wood’s edge closest to this back, unpaved road, not deep into the woods–or, directly into the field itself, as cvilleconcerned indicated above that the road emptied into the field.
Regardless, BG quickly exits the area.
Morgan regains consciousness, but only enough to crawl out of the woods some distance into the field close by (or, father into the field). Completely disoriented, she continues her slow crawl. She loses consciousness again and subsequently dies of both her injuries and exposure, out in the field.
My thinking goblet is officially empty at this moment.
Exposure? Observer, where is that coming from? I feel like I am having dejavu, don’t ask.
B
#466 Redly
I dont know if this has been posted but found these aerial shots of property on websleuths. Scroll down to see them all.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93491&page=33
To Enquirer: Please see my latest post, re: my speculation regarding credit card use after 9:30pm and location of found purse.
Back to JPJ and all of the last people to see her in the parking lot, locked out and vunerable. Who were the 4 guys she was seen walking away from the arena with? Dee was inside then, Metallica was on stage. I never understood that sighting. I hope an arrest comes soon.
Could there be anything to Mrs. Parson’s sighting, with a tall guy with curly light hair and 2 others waiting to the side?
1) not all ATV’s are loud and noisey (is that redundant?)
2) it is not true that almost all farms have outside watchdogs
3) it is very common to see a flock of buzzards circling fields in rural Virginia
Ugh.
Seeing more defined location of body – I believe access was likely not through Anchorage driveway but from Chopin and then dirt road off the reservoir. This route would remain much more remote and less suspicious, although seems rather complicated to be other than someone who had been here before. Looks like there may be irrigation canal from reservoir that crosses fence line into subject area. Often there are two track roads with gate along canals so irrigator or ditch rider can check water. From there it is on foot or off-road driving but doesn’t look that difficult to drive if there is a gate.
Just FYI: typically wherever a cattle guard is installed it has a drive thru gate in the fence next to it, you can figure out why if you care. OT but horses are very often kept enclosed w/ electric fence – it is safe, humane, cheap and effective, I can explain if you really care. Mr. Bass would only frequent those parts of the farm where he winters his cattle – they would be locked out of most locations for winter. Perpetrator wold not know if hayfield would be grazed in fall so if body was not placed in timber he (assume he) would not know if concealment would remain any length of time, i.e. cattle could have been turned in that pasture soon after and body would likely have been found much earlier. Either this wasn’t carefully pre-meditated – I would expect a more concealed body, burial etc., or perp didn’t care about concealment & if he kept necklace as a trophy this has an even more disturbing take to it. I would think there is evidence at the scene of the body which will help narrow down the possibilities.
My two cents worth: I wouldn’t rule out anyone just yet. But I bet they will be able to start clearing some people soon if not already.
This is so off topic but I’m curious – Suz, Highlander would be much more knowledgeable in this area than me, but down here, we pretty much just graze our cattle in the summer and then when there’s not much grass, we hay feed and supplement with grain. I’d heard that the grain contained an inhibitor, but didn’t know for sure. Do Virginian cattlemen grain feed all year long? Would she really go tripping around in the dark looking for mushrooms growing in a pile of cow pookie?
Please disregard my last post, re: Morgan using her card at 7-11. Just shot holes into my own theories; am too tired and my goblet is far too empty to be making sense now…….
katesro: Are buzzards present during winter months? Or do they migrate with other birds?
They hang around. I see them all the time. They tend to get more “social” in the late Fall and Winter and so you see large crowds of them warming their wings or flying about.
–
Blink: You and your editors might add Albemarle CountyView to your arsenal. It is here:
http://countyviewweb.albemarle.org/welcome_page_Welcome_alt.aspx
(Old house on the farm had a boiler repair in 2008 — and before anyone leaps about the young registered sex offender just down the road, the company listed on the permit for the work is different than his current listed employer.)
Also unrelated, I think, but interesting: did anyone else notice other nearby sex offenders lived in an group adult home on 29S? The name is Pine Grove.
This stuff, the other stuff developed on the BOL threads about Morgan all have me a bit more aware of the dangers in these parts — no matter what the police said yesterday about Ch’ville being safe.
–
Observer asked about rental houses in Blandemar. I wouldn’t be surprised. At least one went into foreclosure last year and is now owned by the bank.
I’d be more interested in knowing who does the farm work in Blandemar to keep all those tax benefits for “land use” viable.
Blink: From Bass’s words below I have two questions about the “landmark historic farmhouse”:
1. Do we know who the member of his family is that now occupies the house?
2. How long has it been since it was rented to UVA students (and now occupied by a “member of his family”)?
http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/01/27/black-ribbon-harringtons-parents-express-emotions/
“The gates are to keep the cows in— not to keep people out,” says Bass. “This is not Glenmore.”
“He (Bass) says there are two houses on his 742-acre farm, a newer one toward the back of the property in which he and his artist wife dwell, and the landmark historic farmhouse which was long rented to UVA graduate students but now occupied by a member of his family.
Except for the main driveway which runs past the houses, Bass noted that his property is surrounded by barbed wire, and the field in which he found the remains of the 120-pound woman would be accessible only by foot or four-wheel-drive vehicles.”
New story posted by The Hook:
http://tinyurl.com/yzelwbx
–
In response to a question from a reporter, Bass said that in 30 years of owning the property, he’s never had a problem with trespassers and explained that the front gate along busy Route 29 is rarely closed.
“The gates are to keep the cows in— not to keep people out,” says Bass. “This is not Glenmore.”
He says there are two houses on his 742-acre farm, a newer one toward the back of the property in which he and his artist wife dwell, and the landmark historic farmhouse which was long rented to UVA graduate students but now occupied by a member of his family.
Except for the main driveway which runs past the houses, Bass noted that his property is surrounded by barbed wire, and the field in which he found the remains of the 120-pound woman would be accessible only by foot or four-wheel-drive vehicles.
I want to know when the grad students moved out before their daughter moved in.
B
I’ve been a long time reader of Blink and have followed this case since the very beginning since I’m local, but I’ve never posted since you all do a great job at covering the bases that you can. I’m so thankful for all that you guys do.
I really think it’s odd about that guy who is a registered SO with VSP, he lives way to close to where Morgan was found and he’s the same age. Maybe she knew him previsously. Or maybe he looked like he could be trusted. I wonder if he went to the Metallica concert. He obvisously would know the area well. I’m not sure, I just have a funny feeling about him.
ps, they think she died soon,(which makes gil happy to know she didnt endure hours of.. ),by the time metallica was over,(seems to me she’s saying). (did someone have to get back in time?)and btw mom of 3 ,i was on misty mountain lyrics page reading the debate on whether or not misty mountain hop is about the the hobbit(?)( of course it is in some way)i didnt read the hobbit,and havent seen any l(ord)o(f)tr(ings),so i’m not in the know, but to bend it ,i say morgan ,upon the perp ordering her to line up and march,she did runaway to a better life metaphorically, she had to open her eyes and see he really dont care which way the pressure lies and she decided what she’s gonna do now,so she packed her bags for the misty mountains,she’s where the spirits go now, over the hills where the spirits fly,and SHE didnt have to buy a stairway to heaven,it was waiting for her.
Kathy wrote:
Skyler, I so wish I could go with you to a Memorial Service, but know I will be with you in spirit. I couldn’t think of a better person to represent our BOC family.
**
****
*
DITTO
I believe she died the night of Oct 17 and that the crime took place away from the farm. October 17 was dark, cold, rainy and the location difficult to get to. I believe her body has been hidden somewhere else, and the perp moved to to the farm sometime later when he could do so and no one would think twice about seeing him on an ATV or other vehicle – e.g., someone with permission to hunt or be on the property for other reasons. I believe the evidence at the scene will support that.
No dogs on my friend’s farm, just oodles of cats. She definitely pursues all vulture sightings to see what on earth has died, as it could be livestock. I guess maybe Bass knew no cows were in that field so if he saw buzzards he wouldn’t care. Either way, i thought folks ’round those parts were on the lookout for buzzards after Morgan went missing. I’d read as much.
adding to above
4) barbed wire fencing on rural farms is not like razor wire seen around prisons. It is usually just a strand or two at the top of a regualr post and wire fence.
5) as far as noise, I have 40 acres in Louisa County (right next to Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Of that five acres are house and lawn, about twelve acres are fields where hay grows, and the remaining twenty three acres are woods. The entire property forms a retangle with house/lawn road side, fields in the middle and the woods in the back. Several years ago, my neighbor had some one harvest their woods, and the person that did the harvesting was unscrupulous and leaving about a 10 foot strip of woods after the fields, harvested a good portion of my woods. It wasn’t an accident, they had to make a 90 degree turn to hit my property. Point is, I never heard a sound. Also on the property, directly behind the house, was a 10 run kennel, with Bullmastiffs in it. They are a breed bred to guard estates in England originally although I personally feel they would do more damage with their wagging tails than their teeth, and they heard not a peep.
“Comment by SuzeeB — January 27, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
#484 Starbucks
There is an aerial shot of at least 5 LE vehicles driving to the area of the site on that property.”
I think they drove as far as they could, but had to walk the rest of the way.
I posted this on Find Morgan and this is meant for those here as well. The topic: How has this changed you?
The journey to find Morgan has changed the way I view humanity. This has not been about the criminal responsible. This is about total strangers coming together as one to help find Morgan. Throughout the journey of Morgan missing we have had our ups and downs with each other. At the end of each day we still had one goal to Find Morgan. We have provided support for The Harrington Family. As we have provided support for each other.
With spit spats here and there we learned to agree to disagree. Ultimately we never forgot why we were doing this, to find Morgan. To accomplish such an outcome we all had to start with whole heartedly caring motives. We did not come here day in and day out for money. No. We came to give whatever we could. Some were able to participate in searches. Others with the ability to research and provide critical thinking. Resulting in a bond we now feel towards each other as well as The Harrington’s.
In the end we accomplished what we set out to do Find Morgan.
The amount of devoted people involved in searching for Morgan and clues into her disappearance should speak for itself. Personally I never thought this was possible for so many to care so much towards someone and their family they never met. Then the search for Morgan began.
Now we all will continue to find the monster and bring him to justice. God Bless all of you.
“# Comment by zarpisimo — January 27, 2010 @ 4:41 pm
This is so off topic but I’m curious – Suz, Highlander would be much more knowledgeable in this area than me, but down here, we pretty much just graze our cattle in the summer and then when there’s not much grass, we hay feed and supplement with grain. I’d heard that the grain contained an inhibitor, but didn’t know for sure. Do Virginian cattlemen grain feed all year long? Would she really go tripping around in the dark looking for mushrooms growing in a pile of cow pookie?”
Here in SW PA we graze exactly as you suggest. I personally only feed hay in the winter months with no grain as I want my cattle to be pure grass fed. I’m probably in the minority on this. Grain was introduced to cattle to fatten them up more quickly so you didn’t have to wait as long to butcher. I tend to believe cattle are grazing creatures and only provide supplemental salt blocks. Some farmers here do use feed year round depending upon their setup (how easy it is to get the feed to them).
i wonder: bass said he thought it was a deer,but he was aware of morgan,had he not been aware of morgan ,what would have been his modus operandi regarding the supposed deer.
Hi All,
I haven’t been able to get back to Blink all day, and I’m on my way back out until about 8pm. I have missed you all though, and have been praying for the Harringtons every minute of the day. I do not know how they are getting through this. I have much reading to do to catch up.
#362…I am referenceing my post #362 from the wee hours of the a.m.
I posted some remarks that followed an article from The Hook.
A poster “Travelite” commented several times asking us to stop and look at the huge barn/rv garage at the back of the property from Chopin Rd-possible party spot. He referenced Google maps(like you could see this huge barn/garage), but there were no links to support it, or anything for me to pull over. I have not had time to go back and check this. At this point, it’s probably old info, and you all have probably looked at this. It just seemed important because he continued to post about it. If anyone has time, it may be worth a look. If not, I will catch up tonight, and see what I can locate.
I hope all of you are ok….especially you Blink!
Gotta run
Thanks Gifter- I have been speaking to a few locals and they are telling me that access point is very unlikely.
B
Does anyone know what the circumstances are specifically around the RSO? What did he do to get himself registered as a sex offender? If he was young…is it possible he was 18 years old and slept with a 15 year old and her parents found out and she said it was rape when it really was consensual? Just curious. By no means am I standing up for a ROS!! However, it happens, alot. The circumstances would help me to exclude him and move onto the next BG. Thanks.
zarpisimo, lol, my source was a local druggie/farmer who seemed very knowledgeable about why psilocybin mushrooms no longer grow on cow poop. It was mandatory vaccines or feed or some kind of treatment. Maybe he just meant it’s coming as the FDA steps up making you tag your cows, etc., but he was quite disheartened so i had the impression that the damage was done.
But yeah, you graze ‘em on grass in the warm months and feed ‘em hay in the cold months, with range cubes on occasion inbetween to train them to come when you call.
Comments on the “Remember Morgan” Board
STATEMENT BY DR. DAN HARRINGTON
Morgan’s mother, Gil, and I are overwhelmingly saddened by yesterday’s discovery, but we are also relieved because our questions can now be answered and we can give our daughter a proper burial. We know that because of the good life Morgan led and the love she created for everyone around her, she is now in a safer, better place. We appreciate everyone’s respect for our privacy at this difficult time and we thank everyone who has helped us through this tragedy and helped us find Morgan.
Observer: “Please disregard my last post, re: Morgan using her card at 7-11. Just shot holes into my own theories; am too tired and my goblet is far too empty to be making sense now…….”
Yesterday, it all seemed so clear to me. Today, swiss cheese.
Seriously, you consistently make so much sense, that I was reluctant to inquire about the 7-11 discrepancy, thinking it was perhaps my own lack of sleep. I have had the gut feeling all along, only more so now, that the GB is, for want of a better word, BRAZEN. It’s just that it is hard to reconcile that with some of the circumstances.
If that is so, will Cvillers be able to see the cheese sliding off the perp’s mental crackers, or is the BG enjoying this, too?
One more thing, Morgan never got to see Metallica perform that night.
I’m not a wordgirl nor do I have the ability to decipher code as some of our other long time posters do, but the battery missing has bugged me since I first heard that Morgan was missing, even if many have concurred it has nothing to do with the case.
Look at the words to the song battery by Metallica
Smashing through the boundaries
lunacy has found me
cannot stop the Battery
Pounding out aggression
turns into obsession
cannot kill the Battery
Cannot kill the family
Battery is found in me
Battery
eerie, isn’t it? Also, DWnothisrealinitials uses the name Silverity
as his user ID
Silver as in necklace + Security equals silverity ?
Carol, If you are referring to the 20-year-old RSO, rape conviction was in 2006. Noted as a violent offender.
But for the state police seeming so sure that it was homicide after finding the body, exposure as cause of death makes a lot of sense to me too. Would explain the isolated location of poor Morgan and would be consistent with someone in a hurry to dispose of her putting the body out closer to the road as Observer theorized
Blink wrote: “I want to know when the grad students moved out before their daughter moved in.”
It would be interesting to know. I just can’t wrap my head around why anyone associated with that older home on the property would dispose of the body where we think it might have been — and that’s further up the driveway to the landlords’ place and perhaps within sight-distance of his and her house. (That is, if they were in residence at the time.)
For those “reading” the google photos: my experience tells me that those thicker forested areas we see are ravines and rocky ground. As a farmer, you let the trees grow there because you can’t take up hay there and you can’t bush-hog and because the cattle like the shade in the summertime. The thinner forested bits are treelines of cedars and other trashy trees that have grown up through and around the barbed wire. Some of those faint linear traces are dry streambeds; others are cattle paths (because yes, they do tend to follow the same routes).
If the farmer was feeding his cows (i.e., dropping a round bale from his tractor; in places you can see the remnants of where the bales have been dropped through the winter of this Spring photo) and checking his fences down there, I think there’s a good chance the body wasn’t in any of the big brown pastures, but instead in one of those narrow fingers separated by tress or even across the pasture fence and that bottom land (the really green stuff). I don’t see a clear indication of a fence separated this field from the woods to the west. I believe there’s only one house in there, and the rest of the forest belongs to the farm owners.
That’s just my two bits.
Red Hill local…far OUT, you made it over!
Does anyone know if the Happy Hippie was at one time a grad student at UVa?
No worries, B; not asking (re: your deja vu moment). Am instead going to try to get some much-needed sleep this evening. It’s been a very long 36 hrs…..
You earned it, Rest.
B
(Just want to note that the “M.” poster on readthehook.com is not me.)
#536 – Carol
It was a violent offence.
As I mentioned, I lived in Charlottesville many years ago…Here’s the part I didn’t mention – I lived with two guys that who locals. Both of them drove off road trucks – they had monster tires. One was a F150 that had a huge set of tires and the other was a Toyota that also had very very large tires and rims. Where I’m from these tires and rims are not permitted. When I lived there – these trucks were quite common and we hung out in the lots at the mall on 29. Maybe we need to be looking for someone with a truck and tires like I have described. I’m not sure if they still drive these trucks or not – like I said, I haven’t been there in 20 + years. These trucks could easily cover the area where Morgan was discovered.
On to the person who murdered Morgan – I am of several thoughts here. And I would like to say that I don’t discount anyone’s theory because ~ who knows. First off, I can not see how see walked to this area. For me this is a non-starter and I, personally, believe the police are correct and she was hitching and in a car or truck. This eliminates walking to this location. Not only that, but it’s just too far for a girl in a mini and boots. It just doesn’t fit how I see this unfolding – however, I could be wrong.
As for returning to place the purse – this is extremely risky. In order to understand the person’s persona who has killed Morgan we need to remember that this person has just killed a young woman and this person wants to remain free and NOT locked up. A killer is separated from killing when locked up. The loss of freedom is a chance the killer takes and he is gambling – however, gambling after the fact is usually not something they planning. Getting out of Dodge is the normal game-plan. And even if the person was stoked on adrenaline, I still can not see how he would return to place the purse in the lot. There must be an alternative explanation that we have missed and it is much more simple than expect. Crime is usually much more simple than we give it credit for. Again, I could be wrong. Criminals are not criminals because they are the valedictorians.
I still believe this is a random encounter and Morgan did not know the person who took her life – from what I have read, it doesn’t seem like someone was targeting her and stalking her. Otherwise why release the texts info from the young man 60 miles away. Seems to me that they were clearing people as fast as they could to get to the actual perpetrator.
In the event the perpetrator returned to the lot and placed the purse – he is really lucky not to have been seen a second time and has really escaped justice – for now. It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but it just doesn’t seem likely.
carol — since EH was convicted in 2006 when he was 16 (a minor), to be statutory rape in VA, the victim would have had to be 3 years or more younger. Plus, the site was updated today to add another conviction for sexual battery in 2008 (credit to a websleuths post for this info). The fact that it seemingly was updated today makes me think someone in charge is looking at his files right now.
http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor/offenderDetails.html?regId=20223
Either he, or his PO were spoken to yesterday, that is correct.
B