Morgan Harrington Murder: Rumors Of A Suspects Arrest

Posted by BOC Staff | Alex Harrington,Amy Melvin,Dan Harrington,Gil Harrington,Morgan Harrington,Murdered,Sara Snead | Thursday 28 January 2010 3:11 pm

Charlottesville, VA– This afternoon, originating on a VT Athletics Site rumors clogged the web that a suspect was placed under arrest for the murder of Morgan Harrington. After my 20th comment in 10 minutes and 12th email inquiry about it, I went to the source.

Crime scene

..There has been no arrest. It is an unfounded rumor and I have no idea how or where it started. I can only assume it stemmed from the fact that we completed our investigation of the crime scene at Anchorage Farm early this afternoon, I guess I will probably have to put out an email this afternoon..”

– Corrine Geller, PR Manager for VSP to Blink

As exclusively reported yesterday on blinkoncrime.com, it is expected that the  and VSP upcoming conversations with those on the list with permission to hunt on Anchorage Farm, will propel the investigation into the murder of Morgan Harrington quickly.

However, Virginia State Police are not discussing whether or not they have a person of interest or suspect in this case.

There is however, unreleased new information and new evidence gleaned from the crime scene. VSP will not disclose what personal effects were found with Morgan’s remains at this time.

The viral arrest rumor was not the only odd occurrance today.

In what appears to be an unrelated coincidence, an explosive device was detinated on the train tracks close to James Madison University this morning. A nearby dorm has been evacuated in connection with materials found at the scene, and a criminal investigation has been launched by the ATF.

JMU is the school several of Morgan’s friends attend, and from where the group departed to attend the Metallica Concert that fateful night of October 17, 2009.

Check back to blinkoncrime.com for updates to this developing story.

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1,678 Comments

  1. MsL says:

    Sam, re #48, sounds like a very real possibility to me. I just can’t get my mind around the fact that Dr. Harrington specifically mentioned the Route 29S area and someone being back in the community during the month of November. It sounds to me as if he has an individual in mind. If he does, then I think LE is trying to put pressure on that person or his family. Saying, we know who you are, we’re watching you, and when you least expect us, expect us. Telling the family, let’s handle this the easier way so we don’t have to come get him. Very real possibility that the evidence isn’t sufficient yet to make an arrest without someone stepping up to fill in the puzzle.

  2. cosmo says:

    this case is INTIMATE … all the way down to how MH died. INTIMATE and INTENSE. this was not a stranger. necklace gone. phone battery gone. camera gone. this is someone who wanted to control the outcome of the events. the purse could have easily been planted. who would leave a purse, but only take items such as a necklace, phone battery (but not the phone), camera, but not take money, credit cards, items of basic social value suggesting robbery or theft? this was personal. this was jealous rage. this WAS crime of opportunity due to the venue. the friends won’t talk because they are afraid the perp knows they know and they could be next. especially since it has been 3 months with no resolution.
    THIS IS/WAS A CRIME OF PASSION … “sad, but true”.

    I have come to the conclusion that I believe there is more than one offender. There are 2, possibly 3, but definitely 2.
    Locals- who are 2 young people who know this land, hang out together, and have been the subject of whisperings for as long as you can remember? Who caught them on your farm burning fires and excessive hunting/killing animals. Lots of Target/Scope practice, may have come upon their shells.
    B

  3. Swiss Miss says:

    cosmo says:
    February 8, 2010 at 7:18 pm

    this case is INTIMATE … all the way down to how MH died. INTIMATE and INTENSE. this was not a stranger. necklace gone. phone battery gone. camera gone. this is someone who wanted to control the outcome of the events. the purse could have easily been planted. who would leave a purse, but only take items such as a necklace, phone battery (but not the phone), camera, but not take money, credit cards, items of basic social value suggesting robbery or theft? this was personal. this was jealous rage. this WAS crime of opportunity due to the venue. the friends won’t talk because they are afraid the perp knows they know and they could be next. especially since it has been 3 months with no resolution.
    THIS IS/WAS A CRIME OF PASSION … “sad, but true”.

    I have come to the conclusion that I believe there is more than one offender. There are 2, possibly 3, but definitely 2.
    Locals- who are 2 young people who know this land, hang out together, and have been the subject of whisperings for as long as you can remember? Who caught them on your farm burning fires and excessive hunting/killing animals. Lots of Target/Scope practice, may have come upon their shells.
    B
    —————————-
    Blink, do you still believe one of the perps was known to Morgan, either directly or peripherally? Also, I recall initially you believed the perp had some type of LE background – training, experience (e.g., working security), etc. Are you still thinking along those lines now that you’re asking the community to think about these individuals? TIA.

    Yes and Yes.
    Possible military academy.
    B

  4. Swiss Miss says:

    Blink, do you still believe one of the perps was known to Morgan, either directly or peripherally? Also, I recall initially you believed the perp had some type of LE background – training, experience (e.g., working security), etc. Are you still thinking along those lines now that you’re asking the community to think about these individuals? TIA.

    Yes and Yes.
    Possible military academy.
    B
    ——————-
    Very timely answer given juliemooly’s February 8, 2010 at 9:34 pm at http://blinkoncrime.com/2010/02/04/morgan-harrington-murder-virginia-state-police-press-conference-today/#comments which includes the following statement (of which the “blink poster” can be attributed to our very own B!):

    “‘He operated in a populated setting where he was likely to be seen. He then operated in remote, challenging terrain. Almost a military precision to it.’ Combine that with speculation about a potential troubled POI that may have been sent to ‘alternative’ schools to deal with behavior problems and FUMA comes to mind, Fork Union Military Academy. It’s just up the road from C-ville, and they have middle school and high school. I don’t know its “prestige” level, but I’m sure it falls somewhere between boot camp and Switzerland in cost. I don’t know any alumni of FUMA, I am just puttin’ it out there for thought.”

    Thanks Julie for the FUMA info. Leads us down another path to investigate!

  5. momoftwo says:

    Fishburne Military is in Waynesboro, VA..I went to high school with a guy (many, many years ago) that attended there for a couple of years for behavioral issues. I hope this helps.

  6. suz says:

    With more than 1 perp, I’m thinking at least one would have the sense to bury her or hide her in the woods. I can see a lone weirdo type leaving her in a field, high grass or not, for all the world to see. Maybe posed. Maybe exposed. Maybe just dead or dying. But TWO people? Harder for me to fathom.

    Creating alibis for each other is handy I guess (“I was with stupid”) but I guess I don’t know much about friends who kill in pairs. Does that happen?

    Now a mob, that’s different. A large, unruly group gets unspeakably animalistic for some reason. But just two or three? Huh. Will have to ponder.

  7. Mom3.0 says:

    Welcome to all the new posters.

    Thank you to all the locals that have been giving us info on North garden. – But remember, even if there is not of old money left, this is still about the history of the land. Someone was very familiar with that land. I would think it wouldn’t be anyone who is newly rich.

    After reading the comments from local newspapers I tend to believe most people don’t appreciate having to sell their land, and their history(understandable) to people who will never care for it. If this was done by someone outside of the circle,and someone within the community knew it, in my opinion they would have no problem in offering up names.

    MSL, The other girl who was murdered was found on 29 wasn’t she? Perhaps Dr. Harrington, felt this stretch of road would be the logical place to look for Morgan. Oh what a horrible thing to ponder for a father, you know? I hope your idea is correct though, and they do have an idea would did this.

    LE has never commented on whether or not Morgan was placed in that field or if she was killed there. Perhaps Dr. Harrington scared them into moving Morgan? just thinking out loud…………..

  8. new says:

    Read this elsewhere but thought it worth while..The night mare is over for the Harrington Family. Thank God for Mr. Bass. But the nightmare is just being for the people involved. Perhaps you think you have covered this tragic event up and perhaps you have. But for the rest of your life it will haunt your memory. The writer asks us to remember all the so called friends names who did not aid Morgan. Check on them from time to time. What will their lives be like going forward.

    Their names will always be connected to the after thought….. Oh I remember her or him weren’t they the ones at the university of Virginia Concert where that girls bones where found.

    I still keep going back to the time line. She left the Concert 8:20? pm and tried to reenter several times last time given was 8:48 pm? There is no time line of what happen before. What caused her to leave put her a dangerous vulnerable situation. I don’t think it was for a boyfriend or a party. Maybe dead wrong but that’s my feeling. The only story we will hear now is from her so called friends. I can’t believe a word they say.

    Copley Rd put her on or off the University property? I hope LE has a credible wittiness of her Hitchhiking. Universities tend to protect them selves from scandal.

    The Arena and its Security should be evaluated. The Security Guards could have called the Police, Paramedics, Announce over the loud speaker for Friend to come to the ticket counter, called her Parents. How did they know what was wrong with her? If Security thought she was intoxicated and staggering away dropping her purse did they want her to get into her car and drive away in that condition.

    Where did she get the alcohol she drank? Maybe Va needs to change that Law. I was frustrated with LE but now I see how difficult this is for them. Only 10 percent of the calls meaningful. I now believe LE has done its best. I ranted at one time.

    People had so many chances to save Morgan. It didn’t happen. I do believe she recognised her offenders and was willing or forced into the auto. These people need help. This will happen again. These people think they have the power to take someones life. They will do it again cause what do they have to loose. Or it will drive them crazy. Doing what will deaden their memory drink, drugs, drop out of school, isolate. In away I feel sorry for the parents protecting these people. Their nightmare begins now or perhaps began before.

  9. MsL says:

    Mom3.0-I’m guessing you are referring to the murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds who was murdered after being kidnapped from Route 29N in 1996. I have no way of knowing but IMO that wasn’t Dr. Harrington’s reference because Mrs. Reynolds was kidnapped more than 40 miles north of Charlottesville. The case does remain unsolved. It might be wishful thinking on my part that there was a specific reason like a known individual causing Dr. Harrington’s comment.

  10. Gerta says:

    Thanks Blink, Mom3.0 and others for the welcome…it was so warm it almost melted the tape off my glasses. It also just occurred to me that you can’t see me nodding my head in acknowledgment…with out me actually commenting. I’m quiet but I read everything that is posted here.

  11. cosmo says:

    moving my cheese. too much misdirection all around. if it isn’t the exbf and/or the RSO close to the farm, then unless VSP / Blink / Observer / FBI have something better (i hope factual evidence by now 4 months later) … he i go:

    okay … Morgan didn’t make it to the concert. no pictures, security footage, actual confirmation from ANYONE but the FRIENDS she was at the concert. nothing but second hand witnessed information that from what i can tell from all the posts… have all been discredited.
    with the “Dee” girl … who evidently fit all the same descriptions, etc. … the confusion would be easy to see. how many girls could there be that have blonde hair and wear black at a Metallica / metal concert?
    this is not the first time i am guessing Morgan went to a rock concert at this arena. this is not the first time she went to a rock concert under the influence (if she was). you can function clearly under the influence of alcohol and bud and just about anything other than LSD or Shrooms or Heroin.

    so … i think she and the gang of friends pre-party. maybe it is at the farm, maybe it is at the house that burned down. maybe it was in the RV lot. she is dead and the crew has a big problem. but they have her ticket, they have her purse, maybe they have her car, they have her ID, credit cards and so on. one of the girls parents is LE. the DD (designated driver) didn’t attend the show once he dropped the girls off. maybe Morgan was the desire of one of the girls boyfriends and the OD was intense / planned / went wrong for a reason. maybe it just happened as members of friends groups (especially 9) tend to try to outdo each other “i can drink / do more crazy stuff than you”. once Morgan died, the planning and staging begins. if they were partying at the farm, then that is where they dump her … knowing how many people are connected to the land, this will point to all directions, especially if the plan is that “Morgan went to the concert” … they take items that theft / robbery / rapists / serial killers would possible take. necklace / purse / shirt / clothing / etc and begin the misdirection. they know the area, they know the weather, they know more or less who Morgan would interact with and they know her history well enough for the speculation to begin. God knows there are plenty of RSOs and shady people in Virginia, just like everywhere else. who would believe that her best friends would do this anyway? who takes the camera, the phone battery and the debit card? someone(s) who need the photos on that camera, not just from (9:30pm to whenever) but for the 5 or 6 hours before the concern. the phone battery, but not the phone…okay, we need you to see the information you need to see, but we don’t need you to see that we didn’t try to call after a certain time period (9:30pm). we know you are going to go after every shady, questionable male possible. all the girls have an alibi. the DD has an alibi. they all cover for each other and if two scummy dudes end up in the clink for this due to their previous history, then so be it. no harm no foul.

  12. cosmo says:

    okay … so you guys are thinking: cosmo, they have record that there were calls up to (8:48 / 9:30 etc.) and you didn’t say anything about the debit card …

    right on. they have the cell phone, so they can do what they need to do. call who they need to call and so on. debit card. no one has footage of the debit card being used, right? so why couldn’t it be the DD doing what needs to be done to make you think she is alive and/or if not, then the perp(s) used the debit card / cc.

    of course the university is going to say she was there and she was hitchhiking in the direction AWAY from campus. i am calling B.S. … a girl who got kicked out of a concert waiting to see for 6 months, does not hitchhike in terrible weather. when / if her car and friends and keys are at said location. “please get my friend, Mr/Mrs Security to bring me my keys and i will lock the car and stay in it until after the concert” = “Mom / Dad … come pick me up, i can’t get back into the concert and my friends are being jerks.”
    it has been four months. if there was going to be a POI / Suspect / Arrest, then it would have been done by now. if they don’t have the evidence / autopsy reports by now, then they are not going to get it.

    ANY security footage, ANY photos of Morgan at the concert / ANY ticket stub? / ANY pre-party photos / ANY fights with the friends /

    “Everyone assumed she’d be coming back,” … no they didn’t. they knew. they all knew of the no reentry. they knew there would be no photos. they knew where was was and what had happened.

  13. cosmo says:

    Blink … how do you/we know she died violently? sorry … didn’t see where that was confirmed. thx

    Source.
    B

  14. cosmo says:

    will toxicology be released or is this part of COD in Virgina that cannot be released per statutory? are you able to disclose what (if any) toxicology would signify in your opinion? thank you for your patience, Blink. i think you and your crew are fantastic.

  15. crimewriter says:

    Cosmo, I concur. If her friends had her car keys it was because 1)They knew she was too incapacitated to drive and they would not meet her to give her, her keys. 2) They had to have known precisely who she was meeting or going with being that they were driving back with her car without her and she’d need it the next day to go to her parents. What happens after that, and who all is theorized to be involved, still a mystery thus far…I saw a Google map recently which had icons depicting a time line of where she was seen and what times, where her purse was found etc. But I did not see an icon for exactly where her car was parked in relation to everything? Does anyone have a link. -And while on the subject of the car. I think most everyone agrees Morgan may have been under the influence and not making good sound judgments, but thinking back to when I was in college just a few years ago -I remember when I was in college and I was on my parents automobile insurance policy I would never let anyone drive my vehicle in college because there was a clause that only I could drive the vehicle and if someone else drove my vehicle, insurance wouldn’t cover should there be an accident…I wonder if the Harrington’s auto insurance policy was the same and if Morgan and her parents had rules or an understanding about that? Perhaps this issue has been discussed too in previous threads. If it has I’m sorry for not reading back and or remembering…

  16. Open Your Eyes says:

    @Cosmo: Your February 10 posts are brilliant. I hope LE is listening. . .My opinion: LE is seeking information on the location that would point to the scenarios you describe (ie party place): people going in and out at odd hours; vehicles unknown to those who live in the neighborhood; vehicles parked at odd hours. . .Maybe some noticed but shrugged it off as “it happens all the time around here” or “I always see that car parked there but I have no clue who it is”. . .CALL THE NUMBER.

    Lol at your email addy. Yes, I do.

    Good Advice.
    B

  17. localcvillegirl says:

    OYE, is that you? Please come over to the newer thread (the tipline article)…everyone will be glad to see you.
    Thanks,
    Local

  18. Redrock says:

    I think pre-concert activities are fertile grounds for further inquiry.

  19. kathleen flynn says:

    Since this story broke in oct.2009,I have believed that the”friends” who went to the concert with Morgan that day,were covering up something,& I just want to add my theories to the mix(like everyone else):take a look at some comments by the parents,Gil and Dan,as these are 2 very savvy &well-spoken individuals..1 sentence comes to mind, said by mom, Gil Harrington, in one of her posts on FindMorgan.com(she said something like this) “we and morgan’s friends share the air together”.it is as if she is really saying,”they cannot admit anything to me, all they can do is breathe with me in the same room”.another time Gil said “we know that her friends are absolutely ‘horrified’that something has happened to Morgan”(this was said by Gil back in late oct.2009)really? we never heard from any of them in the news..then Dan said this right after Morgan’s remains were found on the farm..something like, he was glad Morgan was probably already dead “on that first day”..how does he know that? did law enforcement tell him something we do not know about the remains,or the rate of decomp? or is he really trying to coax the perp to come forward? perhaps he is saying this to help the perp feel better somehow..it is as if Dan is saying to the criminal: “hey, my daughter died quickly,she did not suffer for weeks/months,&for that we are grateful”..maybe this is dan’s way of allowing the perp to “forgive”him/herself enough to come forward..do you see what i mean? morgan’s parents are very astute people,I think that their posts are meant to tell us stuff,to ask us for our help,to make us think in different ways, without actually telling us something straight out,if you get my point.I also am extremely suspicious of why the friends did not come forward PUBLICALLY when all of those early searches occurred,& repeated requests for info went out to the public..all those hypothetical stories(some of them quite outrageous) came out all over the internet, about their friend,Morgan:that she was a hitchhiker,a boozer,having a breakdown,that she met somebody for drugs..that she had a boyfriend her parents did not like;that she met somebody who was supposedly helping her meet the band,etc..they made this girl look like such a lowlife..yet not one of her concert “friends” came foward in defense of Morgan’s reputation,even though she could not defend herself at that point.And another thing:when you are a THIRD YEAR EDUCATION STUDENT,you are serious about your future.. you do not jeopardize your career by drinking/driving,you also do not do drugs,or behave erratically in public & risk getting arrested..you also do not act like a party favor,the way some of those other sites speculated about her supposed behavior that night.this girl was on a career path already(she was not a freshman trying to figure out her major)..she had also worked with kids who had witnessed domestic violence:anyone in this field can tell you,it is very hard,painstaking work, to get these children to trust anyone,let alone YOU.Does this sound like a flight,ditzy “party time” girl to any of us?does she sound like a girl who would look forward to a concert for 6 months,&then leave just before the band came onstage? of course not.And,as far as the education field goes,once you have a conviction for drugs or under-age drinking,there is no way you will ever get a job teaching or counseling children anywhere in this country..even if you have been arrested(but not convicted)you still have to list the ARREST on your job applications,so good luck in getting work in the field of education or couseling.this girl would not jeopardize her upcoming career for 1 night of stupidity.I also do not think I could be like Dan or Gil,in regard to how generous they have been to Morgan’s “friends”(at least in print).I would be camped out on each of their doorsteps(or dormsteps),so they would have to look me in the eye,day after day,& still be able to tell me that they know “nothing”.Gil and Dan,I could never be as restrained/composed as you have been throughout this ordeal.i pray for that weakest link among these so-called “friends”..that is the one who will finally crack,&tell the police ALL of what really happened:before, during & after Morgan’s disappearance that day.Everybody, pray for that weakest link to finally come forward..a troubled conscience is a very powerful thing…Kathleen Flynn

  20. Open Your Eyes says:

    @ Kathleen: while I agree with the first part of your post, I mean this in the nicest way: (and NOT about Morgan specifically,) you are sadly mistaken about how most (NOT all), but MANY–18-24 yo operate.

    Have you seen any facebook pictures lately?? If you want examples of what I am talking about, just let me know. . .

    Sadly, they are not thinking “future”. They are thinking “five minutes from now” or “this weekend”. . .You are looking at this from your perspective and have seen how the things they are doing can jeopardize their chosen paths. They do not have the benefit of that experience and wisdom, unfortunately.

  21. kathleen flynn says:

    reply to open your eyes from 2/16/2010: yes, perhaps it sounds naive for me to think that college students today are more serious than they actually are.but i am also going by experience during my own college years:as a freshman and soph, i saw alot of my classmates get into problems(drinking,drugging,etc),and that was in the late 1970′s,the years most known for disco and drugs,esp in NYC.Just a side note:the reason i did not participate in this nonsense, was that my best friend’s older sister died (just before her hs graduation)of a drug overdose,when my pal and i were only 13 years old..we both vowed back then never to fall into that trap,and we did not)..by the time we all got to junior year,my classmates and I were pretty heavy into our majors,getting lined up with internships,grad schools,etc..yes, even my own kids are on facebook and other social sites..but it all comes down to the way you are raised..the harringtons are/were not naive parents..but i also think their daughter was a better person than what has been portrayed of her,insinuating that she somehow “did something”to invite her fate that day/night..this is why the thing that makes me most angry about her “friends” is that none of them came forward,even if only to say how good a person she was..they said absolutely nothing on her behalf..not a word..what does that say?KB

  22. fish says:

    OYE: Did you notify LE on what you believe the party place to be? Maybe she was taken here first. Then out to AF. That is if AF was not the primary crime scene.

    FWIW: Rereading your above posts and you sound far less bitter and without the chip on your shoulder. Maybe it was just how we write and then it is easy to interpret how we want. On a side note, Wow, did I blast you. Emotions running really high back then, in my case, still are and they are way to close for comfort. See been through it but I hope that you were able to provide some information that was helpful. I really do.

    BTW: My offer still stands. The one about my world!

    With God’s speed, kiddo.

  23. Dan Harrington says:

    Blink, the bracelet is silver.

    Thank You Dr. H, I asked because Gil mentioned it was rusted, and I wanted to understand if the metal was subject to the elements.
    B

  24. radiogirl says:

    Killing in pairs happens,I’m sad to say.I’m from Texas and a few off the top,the cadet killers(high school sweethearts turned murderers),Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole,The two guys who killed Madeline Murray O’hare and her son and grand daughter,Karen Koslows(wealthy furrier) killers(2 high school guys)on back to Bonnie and Clyde,Butch Cassidy and Sundance to Ma Barker and hers sons all who doubled up and killed people in and around my area.Thats just a few.

  25. Keeley says:

    Where I come from, drinking doesn’t lead to murder. I live in the most heavily armed state in the northeast, and the rare shootings happen with unregistered guns and are perpetrated by out of towners. Therefore I don’t have a problem with the fact that I could go down the street and buy an AK-47 off a shelf. Thus, no one can blame a teenage girl who gets BRUTALLY MURDERED and stolen from her family for being drunk or drinking around that time. It’s what they do. How many times did Morgan drink and not get murdered?? You can’t sit here and wonder what would have been different had Morgan’s friends left the concert or had Morgan not been drinking or left by herself. I can’t tell you the number of times from the age of 18-21 that I stumbled all over Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, New Jersey, etc completely alone, in the middle of the night, a drunk confused and belligerent mess. I did all types of things that you are taught not to do. I also got a 3.8 gpa my last year of college. Smart people do stupid things. But horrible people do horrible things no matter what happens and no matter what their victims do. A stumbling young woman may make an easier target, but who is to say. We all want to feel like we are safe by making up some sort of rules that will keep us from being killed or reasons why it is Morgan’s own fault. Who knows if Morgan’s killer may have been waiting for her the next day outside her classroom or the school cafeteria?? It is most important to make the person who did this pay. I am praying today that Westboro Baptist will blow up, that people will stop berating victims after their deaths and that Morgan’s killer(s) are swiftly found and punished.
    And thanks, Blink, for being a real inspiration.

  26. K McNeil says:

    No one wants the truth… see. Every time I come forward they attack it.

    Dude-

    Your 1000 word “visions” notwithstanding, Morgan’s family and friends read here.

    Your version of the truth is not something I am going to put them through.

    Why would you feel so forceful about it if you cannot prove any of it and it will cause them pain.

    Not gonna happen here.
    B

  27. jim says:

    Maybe she caught a cab. Has any one checked on area local cab drivers?

  28. Logan Baker says:

    when i hear the name Anthony Hopkins, i always tought of the movie Meet Joe Black.::-

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