Morgan Harrington Murder: FBI, Metallica and Virginia State Police Ask You To Help Them Find Her Killer
Morgan Harrington disappeared from the John Paul Jones arena on October 17, 2009. Morgan’s remains were located and recovered the morning of January 26, 2010 on the Anchorage Farm in Charlottesville, VA.
Reported exclusively on www.blinkoncrime.com, Morgan’s alleged attacker was tied via DNA to a sexual assault in Fairfax, VA in September 2005.
With the help of a multi media campaign, the FBI, Virginia State Police and Fairfax Police are asking for the publics help to catch her killer.
Revised Sketch of Harrington Suspect
Metallica offered this public service announcement:
Metallica Statement On Harrington Case
FBI Press Release:
Authorities Launch Multimedia Campaign in Morgan Harrington Murder Case
Murder Suspect Linked by DNA to Sexual Assault in Fairfax City, Virginia
| FBI Washington June 13, 2012 |
Today, federal, state, and local law enforcement launched a multimedia campaign that includes two enhanced composite sketches of a suspect in the 2009 murder of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. The unknown murder suspect is also connected by DNA to a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax City, Virginia.
Authorities recently enhanced the composite sketch created in 2005 from a description by the sexual assault victim. One of the composites shows the suspect with facial hair, as the suspect was described at the time of the attack. The second composite sketch features him without facial hair.
The two attacks were connected through DNA after a forensic profile was submitted by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science to the FBI’s national DNA database. The search found that the suspect in the Harrington murder investigation matched the DNA profile of the attacker in Fairfax City.
The multimedia campaign includes a public service announcement by Metallica lead guitarist James Hetfield appealing to the public to come forward with information concerning the Morgan Harrington investigation. The composite sketches of the suspect are being featured on bus shelters in Washington, D.C., as well as on digital billboards in Richmond, Virginia; Roanoke, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and in 23 other states along the East Coast. Social media outreach and alerts via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, along with a website dedicated to the Harrington case were also launched Wednesday. Podcasts are now available on iTunes, and radio spots are airing to further raise awareness of the ongoing investigation. The multi-pronged effort is designed to develop new leads and renew the public’s attention in the attacks. The campaign implements techniques similar to those that have led to the arrests of the East Coast Rapist as well as Ten Most Wanted fugitive James “Whitey” Bulger.
The Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Morgan Harrington’s murder. In addition, the band Metallica is adding $50,000 to the reward, for a total of $150,000.
Morgan Harrington Murder
On the evening of Saturday, October 17, 2009, Harrington attended a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena on the University of Virginia (UVA) campus in Charlottesville, Va. At approximately 8:30 p.m., she left the arena and was unable to re-enter the facility. She was last seen hitchhiking for a ride from passing traffic.
Harrington was dressed that night in a black T-shirt with the word “Pantera” spelled out in tan letters and was wearing a distinctive Swarovski crystal necklace made of large crystal chain links, which investigators have yet to recover. Harrington’s “Pantera” T-shirt was found on November 11, 2009, in front of a row of apartments along 15th Street, NW near Grady Avenue in Charlottesville. Harrington’s skeletal remains were later discovered on January 26, 2010, in a remote field on an Albemarle County, Virginia farm along Route 29. A camera that Harrington had in her possession that night has never been recovered.
Sexual Assault in Fairfax City, Virginia
On the evening of Saturday, September 24, 2005, a 26-year-old victim was walking home from the Giant Food Store located on the 3700 block of Jermantown Road in Fairfax City, Virginia. The suspect grabbed the victim from behind as she walked down Rock Garden Drive toward her residence. He then carried the victim to a grassy area behind a maintenance shed, where he sexually assaulted her. The suspect was last seen running from the area.
The suspect is described as an African-American male with black hair and facial hair at the time of the attack. He is approximately 6’0” tall and was believed to be between the ages of 25 and 35 years old at the time of the attack.
The public is asked to review this information and consider whether they know someone who generally fits this description, who lived or had ties to the area around the times of the assaults, or who may have been known to spend considerable amounts of time in those areas.
People who know the suspect may not believe that he is capable of committing these crimes. He may not necessarily have a violent criminal history. Because investigators are in possession of DNA evidence that can either positively link the suspect to his crimes or exclude innocent parties, citizens should not hesitate to provide information, even if it is just the name of a potential suspect.
The following agencies are cooperating in the investigation of these crimes: the Virginia State Police, City of Fairfax Police, University of Virginia Police, Charlottesville Police, Albemarle County Police, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Virginia Tech Police Department, George Mason Police Department, and the FBI.
Law enforcement agencies are asking anyone with information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Virginia State Police Tip line at 434-352-3467.
Press Contacts:
Virginia State Police
(804) 263-5547
City of Fairfax Police Department
(703) 273-2889
FBI Richmond Field Office
(804) 261-1044
FBI Washington Field Office
(202) 278-3519
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Thank you for inspiring me to go back to B’s first piece and read again…from the beginning. Very interesting…all the discussion.
alexandra, You don’t know how many times I have done that…google any subject regarding this case and you can find it and refresh your memory. You never know, It might be that someone will do this and put two and two together with a a new piece if info…and bingo! Let’s hope…
Olivia says:
July 23, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Again, my thoughts are on the curtsy duo…
Yep. Looking forward to reading their statements.
B
——–
Blink- Do you know the identity of the duo? When you say you look forward to reading their statements…are you referring to upcoming depositions in the civil suit?
Yes and Yes
B
OT
Sorry to bug ya B- this is my last post.
I hate to admit it but I am geographically bankrupt when it comes to the north east. NYC, NY State & Jersey are one in the same in my brain.
Sorry…new computer…that post submitted before I was finished typing.
Anyhow- have you read about this or know anyone in the Middletown PD? This smells. Prayers they are found
link:
http://www.wmctv.com/story/19102076/arkansas-group-goes-missing-in-new-york-state
An Arkansas mom is thousands of miles away from home trying to find her missing 20-year-old daughter.
Lisa Ennis says her daughter, Tiffany, answered a newspaper ad about selling magazines in New York, but wanted to quit after 2 weeks.
Ennis last spoke to Tiffany, who was with her boyfriend Aaron Stevenson, on the phone 10 days ago.
“She was scared and didn’t know what to do,” Ennis said.
The couple is from Forrest City, AR, and answered a newspaper add to sell magazines in Middletown, NY.
They rode a bus to Middletown with Matt Turner, Stevenson’s brother.
Ennis said the company paid for the 3 to get to New York, but weren’t given tickets when they wanted to return to Arkansas.
Instead, they were dropped off at a bus station without a way to buy tickets and haven’t been seen or heard from since.
Tiffany’s mom went to Middtletown to try and find her daughter.
“At first I thought that… she was just dead somewhere here because she didn’t call me,” Enis said. “But I think they have her somewhere.”
Arkansas police and have been in contact with Middletown police and the investigation is currently considered a missing persons case and foul play is not suspected.
Action News 5′s calls to the magazine company went unanswered.
Blink, if you will tell us the identity of the curtsy duo, we will all be quite well mannnered for some time in the near future.
Not gonna happen John, although I know you are kidding.
B
Blink says:
NP behavior is atypical of witness accounts. I am also aware that she had a previous tie to security within UVA. To my knowledge, she never disclosed that.
_____________________
atypical indeed. most witnesses that saw morgan that night didn’t want their name used, and none of them went out of their way to call so much attention to their tip.
great job Mom 3.0 pointing out the discrepancies in her various accounts too.
having a connection to uva security in and of itself and the lack of disclosure thereof i do not find too alarming at face value and without knowing the details of that connection.
however, my hackles are raised given her unusual zeal and lack of consistency.
Blink you wrote:
NP behavior is atypical of witness accounts. I am also aware that she had a previous tie to security within UVA. To my knowledge, she never disclosed that.
BY no means does that support someone being deceptive, I have no idea about that.
B
—-
Thanks for the response- I agree NP account and her actions later do seem atypical of other eyewitness-s I dont know if that means anything- though- certainly nothing toward her honesty perhps she just has a different way of dealing with LE or stress- p
Ive often wondered if whomever took NP initially tip made NP feel insignificant..perhaps they were rude…
NP perception seems to be that LE brushed her off and did not act “professionally”
Why- to me 3 business days does not seem an adequate amount of waiting time to get a call back – before determining they werent following up on her tip.
Previous Ties to UVA security, that seems significant.
I hope she disclosed that information to police- during one of her interviews- maybe it didnt seem significant to her? IDK
In my experience security sometimes have an unspoken camaraderie with LE but othertimes they have an unspoken animosity toward LE
It often depends on the circumstances they are in security and not LE themselves…
Blink, I know you cant tell us- but I wonder what previous ties, personal employment, husbands employment- family or friend employment?
Your revelation brings up many more questions for me.
Were UVA and NP on good terms did what ever previous ties they had end amicably.
When NP stood up in the Orientation meeting she was said to have been accompanied by her husband.
I always thought NP and her husband delivered the paper as a team… much like my own paper deliverer who works with her boyfriend- one drives one gets out- other times both walk, one goes further to place papers in boxes…mostly for convenience but also for safety.
Was NP husband with her that night and did he see any of the group did his wife convey her thoughts to him on the encounter before calling police.
Has he ever been interviewed?
Have either NP or husband been shown the Sketch?
I would think they are aware of him now, but were they shown previously?
Blink you once said many of the witnesses from the arena were not shown the Sketch at the time the connection was made- have all been made aware now?
Especially since the sketch has been updated?
also in the past youve theorized that the perp and co possibly have ties to JPJ/UVA either through direct employment or subcontracting security or other-
If security- which side would perp fall on – animosity or comraderie towards LE… IDK
Curtsy duo are not students but were driving in a cart- that says employee to me- possibly even security- were they asked about Sketch?
Maybe NP or her husband or curtsy duo or other JPJ/UVA workers may have seen Sketch around.. have they been shown the new updated sketch?
Mostly just thinking and questioning aloud sorry for length
AJMO
Peace
Thanks again Blink
Alexandra- glad to have you reviewing – be warned you can get lost back there-
IT makes for very interesting reading- and while reading youll come across a poster who had some info or asked a good question – made an excellent point- and you read further hoping someone answered only to find for whatever reason the post was overlooked- thats frustrating- and then you wonder if that was an avenue we all should have explored…and then you hope LE thought to explore it…
Speaking of getting lost-
susanm- hi I went back looking for the “tarp” discussions-
I couldnt find them perhaps Alexandra or xara or Tango can-
Xara- BTW I looked at your link I couldnt understand it- and I never understood any of the posts on DW…so I do not know if it is the same person- but I do recall Blink did say DW’s last name did not begin with W…so hope that helps.
Sorry susanm as I was saying,
If my memory serves me- I remember besides the article which mentions LE searching the creek and finding a black cloth…
we all theorized perhaps the person who placed Morgans remains on AF either carried her in /wrapped her in a tarp- we were trying to come up with reasons why she hadnt been found sooner…
Sorry I cant be of more help-
To answer your question regarding why some think it is possible that the BG returned to JPJ and placed the purse
We were speculating on why the purse was left the way it was- where it was- and why the phone went dead at 9:30
Re- google- everything cant be found-
The Dec 30th briefing video is gone
DS interview in the cafeteria is gone
Granny interview video is gone
also to my knowledge old FB WS conversations pages can not be found
I do hope someone outthere can help to solve this case-
God knows we have tried- Hopefully someone just starting out hearing of the NEw FBI/Metallica/LE campaign reviews and can help.
I also hope the civil case helps- I was very glad to read Dr. Pepper’s post
July 25, 2012 at 1:54 am
AJMO
Peace
mom3.0 ,thanks, that is what i wondering, a black cloth in the creek bed,hmm wonder if it matches the cloth or pieces of cloth at uva lot? that would definately indicate perp return to rv lot by am on the 18 th,so would credit card attempt.but i dont think the phone baterry or casing would necessarily indicate he returned. do most people think morgan was dropped over the fence at af, because there were no tracks in the hay,or is it just assumed there were no tracks in the hay?.
this is what i was thinking : cursty duo are employees, morgan leaves rv lot,and makes her way to the bridge, because of curtsy duo,where she is seen at 9:28/29,(either appearing to be hitch hiking or not),she then makes her way to her car,in uhall lot ,and encounters security team member (who is or is not one of the cursty duo)and that is when granny sees encounter with hand lock guy. iF you add in the subtext that morgan was being told to vacate ,it makes sense.if she was being bullied to leave,uh,oh.
Yesterday would have been Morgan’s 23rd birthday. Her killer needs to be brought to justice and I pray it is soon.
I just re-read the He’s Still Here article and a few things popped out to me for the first time. I knew Morgan’s battery was never found but I assumed the two pieces of her phone were found at the same time with the purse. However the the article states the back of her phone was found 3 days later. I wonder about the distance between the location of the back of the phone and her bag. My gut tells me that Morgan lost her battery at some point as opposed to Sketch taking it. She had a bad case of the dropsies that night and once she lost the back of the phone it was pretty much a given that the battery would be next.
Do we know if the umbrella was in Morgan’s bag or not when it was found? And was she wearing a jacket? I did a few searches and the only jacket reference I found was from Parson’s. The father who thinks he saw her on the bridge said she stood out due to her short sleeves and lack of umbrella? If she had her bag still with her on the bridge why wasn’t she using the umbrella?
In regards to the bag. I always forgot that it had long backpack style straps which may not have been visible in the dark. I wonder if such a bag would help or hinder someone grabbed from behind? What I mean by that is if the bag was grabbed then she could have slid out of it if she was quick enough but if not it could have been something easy for an attacker to grab ahold of.
I am totally on the fence about the bag being returned by Sketch. As with the planting of the t-shirt it seems incredibly stupid and risky to return to the scene. Again I do not think he took her battery if he did return to the JPJ area because if you are.a savvy enough criminal to understand the dangers of pinging in terms of tracking movements then you will want to make sure as little evidence is found. If he did that he was a busy little pile of crap. He would have had to spot Morgan, take control of her somehow, rape her ,shatter her bones, figure out where to hide the body,sneak onto anchorage farms, sneak off of anchorage farms then return to the parking lot and dump her possessions.
And a little light bulb went off in my head if Sketch did return the bags then he had been watching her because while the bridge where she was spotted may not have been too far away from the location of the bag etc I don’t think it was just a coincidence if he returned her belongings to that location.
leelee, yeah, the purse would indicate to me as an opinion that it was returned,because i dont think she’d willing leave with out it.i was thinking the purse was left because she was ambushed,and was seperated from it ,during the ambush. but if she willingly got into a car?? the 9;30 stolen purse call is very interesting ,wonder what the back story ,is on that.
IRT the phone. All the news reports I can access this morning say something like “her purse and phone sans battery were found the next day…” but I am almost 100 percent positive that Rader or Dino have stated since that the purse was found by the lacrosse player and when UVaPD realized it was the purse of a girl reported missing, sent an officer back to the RV lot where the phone was found. So they were *not* found at the same time or even by the same person and were probably *not* in the same location, or else the lacrosse player would have picked it up too IMO. I’m at work and can’t get on YouTube to check the HMM show but I will find it tonight and post. I keep forgetting this tidbit but I think it’s hugely important.
Mom3.0-
I just wanted to get back at you- I couldn’t find any video that we were discussing a few pages back. I agree- most good sources we had had in the past are now gone- what a shame. Who are the ‘deciders’ on this type of thing? So much for the old saying-” once it’s on the internet it is forever.”
Watching FOX- Bill O’Reilly is trying to get Jessica’s Law passed in NY & NJ. He has a petition for folks to sign- no better place than BOC.
http://www.billoreilly.com/site/rd?satype=13&said=11&url=%2Fpetitions%2Fviewpetition%3FpetitionID%3D260092864700438643
Thank you E, I signed it myself.
B
Okay here’s an example of my frustration with saving links: I saved a link to the youtube video of HMM and when clicking on it today it states the video has been removed because of copyright something blah blah. Now I can’t find another one anywhere.
Maybe the statement I’m remembering was in an article. Diving back in.
I agree that the duo is likely UVA employee team. Could be baseball field, running track or landscaping workers. Could be baseball players/coaches. Could be security for that whole area.
I just saw a picture of Wilbert Brassfield. He was a Charlottesville police officer and pastor who was arrested in 2011 for embezzlement. I know it’s old news so he’s probably been looked at already. (Apologies if I’m being repetitive here.) Although he doesn’t look EXACTLY like Sketch, there are some similarities. Things like weight gain and shaving one’s head can alter appearance….not to mention that the sketch is based on the FF victim’s memory, so it might not be completely accurate. I thought Brassfield might be worth taking a look at, if you haven’t already…….since there’s been some speculation that Morgan’s killer may have been with LE or security. Again, sorry if this has already been discussed.
Here’s the link with his picture.
http://privateofficernews.wordpress.com/tag/wilbert-brassfield/
Re: Here’s the link with his picture.
http://privateofficernews.wordpress.com/tag/wilbert-brassfield/
Let’s not forget about this case:
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=79767
Tango I searched to see if I could find any reference to what you heard regarding the phone being found after they learned the bag was Morgan’s but I didn’t find anything. All the articles I have read state that the purse and phone were found by the lacrosse player.However the reporters could have made an incorrect assumption that Morgan ‘s items were found by the same person. Could you be confusing the phone discovery with the discovery of the back of her phone? From what I can gather it was found three days later (the 20th?) in the parking lot halfway between U-Hall and the RV lot after witnesses reported seeing her drop her phone in the area which resulted in the police searching the area and finding the back, The witnesses were male students and at that point Morgan was so unsteady she was holding onto cars to keep her balance. The bag was found along the fence of the RV parking lot which separates the RV lot from the track.
Honestly I hadn’t thought too much about the curtsey duo being suspicious until this morning. I will attach a link to the absolute best map I have seen regarding Morgan’s route that night.While it isn’t super specific the zoom function is so good you can follow Morgan’s path that night and even see the port-a-potties are visible at the very end of the the fence. The duo must have been on that small little road becauses they were described as driving on a road from the baseball field to the RV lot. Do we have any idea what they were driving and where they were going? Was the RV lot their destination? Was Morgan entering the port-a potty or leaving it? Could she have dropped the bag prior to reaching the potties? Such behavior doesn’t seem normal but if witness statements were accurate she was very intoxicated so she may have dropped the bag and headed to those potties maybe to throw up or just to use the bathroom? If the duo said she was entering or exiting the potty I wonder which way the doors faced and how slow they were driving to not only see her but to have her not only see them but pick also pick up a a vibe that made her curtsey.I wonder if the curtsey was flirtatious or if was her way of saying ” Hey Creepy Dum and Creepy Dee I know you were watching me” . If
they hung around in the area maybe she left the lot to head get away from their potential creepiness and headed for the bridge.Up until this map I didn’t fully understand what a sketchy area it is. Sure it is well lit but the tree seem like they would be a prime target for lying in wait for a victim. I don’t want to condemn the innocent bu the encounter with Morgan along with the location of her bag is suspicious. I also wonder if Morgan headed to the bridge where the dad saw her and then changed her mind about hitch hiking or may have realized she lost the bag so she returned to the RV lot. Or maybe she headed back because she figured the Sketchy duo would be gone and the RV lot provided a better chance of getting a ride than the dark and rather empty Copeley Rd.
Here is the map
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=qb6yzx8fqzq2&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=30057493&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&ss=yp.John%20Paul%20Jones~pg.1~sst.0&encType=1#JmNwPTM4LjA0NjIyODIxMjk3MyU3ZS03OC41MDcwNTI2NTEyNDc2JmNpZD00MjVDQkIzNTQ2ODE5RDk1ITU5Mw==
Thank you Leelee! Just the fact that the back was found in the UHall parking lot is important to me because it seems to correspond with the arm lock back and forth and the slap sound witnessed by Granny. I’m theorizing that’s when the phone went dead, not necessarily when Morgan lost her phone. I appreciate your taking the time to look for what I was trying to find. Also thank you for the great map.
Interestingly last night in my reading old threads I came across a little snip from a Hook article that said something to the effect of “some witness accounts have been debunked, one of which was the story of the grandmother (pp) and also rumors of some of Morgan’s clothing having been found {the weekend of the search…11/5?}….” I found that pretty interesting since we know now a piece of Morgan’s clothing *was* found. Stood out to me cause it sounds to me now like they were trying to keep the Granny sighting quiet for whatever reason and we know they kept the clothing find quiet.
Moose
Those two photos are quite alike….ears seem to be pinned back, eyebrows match, difficult to tell re eyes, because closed, and hairline doesn’t matter. Nose and mouth off a bit, but could be the angle. At first glance it is not him, but taken apart bit by bit it could be him. (lots of people have pics which do not look like them….of course if it is him, LE will know that.
tango,granny’s story was officially discounted?well the security team was was allegedly insisting morgans car was not in the lot,too(at a meeting). the civil suit needs to happen ,especially if the harringtons dont have answers ,as to conversations that took place with ,and about morgan that night.security is responsible for the parking lots too.can we rally for the civil lawsuit.wonder what;s the nature of the last lawsuit to hit jpja or rmc.if i were the ceo of rmc ,i’d add to the reward and hire a pi.
I think Sketch attacked her in the parking lot, the same way he did in Fairfax. Why would VSP say she may have had contact with Sketch at some point that evening? To me this means they know that she was with other people before she came in to contact with Sketch. Maybe that means they found other than Sketch’s DNA….?
Good points susanm as always…can someone please tell us what is the status of the civil suit and is there a way we can follow it? TIA.
Here is the article referencing the debunking of Granny.
http://www.readthehook.com/83853/cover-face-earth-hunt-morgan-harrington
The reference is so brief and there is no reference to the source so I think there is a fairly good chance that Granny’s story had not been debunked by the police at that time. Perhaps a member of LE may have denied it to the reporter but denial only to be followed by confirmation tends to be a theme in this case.
Alexandra VSP choice of language always stood out to me and it has been discussed here a few times. It is one thing thar has lead me to wonder if there is definitive proof that Sketch was Morgan’s rapist. By that I mean is the DNA he left behind from blood or from semen? If it isn’t semen then Sketch could have been the accomplice in hiding the body but not the rapist. If it is only blood then he could have scratched himself on something while carrying Morgan’s body to the location her remains were finally discovered.
With that in mind I cam upon another article I hadn’t read yet and it had a few intriguing bits of information the first of which really surprised me (and not in a good way)
- The DNA link was only released because a blog Discovered there was a link between Morgan’s case and the Fairfax attack. However that blog did not have the correct Fairfax rape. Police feared widespread misinformation would hurt the case so on July 1,2010 they released the information. However at that point the Sketch had not been shown to David Bass. Yes that is right, despite Knowing that whoever placed Morgan’s body was very familiar with AF polic head not shown the owner of that farm a picture of the man whose DNA is one of the most important pieces of evidence in this case. Also the young man who found Morgan’s shirt hadn’t been shown the picture. However a reporter showed it to both of them and neither recognized the man.
- Also I know every so often a comment is made that either references a non- African -American potential suspect or questions how certain we can be about Sketch’s race. Police actually had his DNA analyzed which revealed it was of 85 % sub-Saharan African descent meaning it is safe to assume Sketch is African-American.
http://www.readthehook.com/67132/morgans-killer-fairfax-case-connection-offers-hope-fresh-fear
You can look online at:
http://wasdmz2.courts.state.va.us/CJISWeb/circuit.jsp or by search for virginia courts online and going to the circuit court link.
It is in Roanoke County, do a search for Harrington in the civil docket and you will find it. There is no indication the suit has even been served yet. There is either a standstill agreement in place or the website is not being updated (note that it is being updated for other cases). The suit is unlikely to be a factor IMO.
someone here mentioned that it didnt appear the k-9 track lead to the uhall lot , that it lead from rv lot to bridge to ivy. wonder what the margin of error is? if morgan was the girl headed back toward the arena,she could have encountered the abduction vehicle closer to emmett drive,and the arena. meaning if the car traveled past the arena on emmet, could it be on video tape?
I cannot recall if the public has been told exactly where the dogs were put on Morgan’s scent trail. Did they follow it from the JPJ arena to the rv lot to the bridge? My problem with the dogs is that if she turned around and went back along the same path (more or less) that she took to get to the bridge, how would the dogs know? We were told that her scent went down to the intersection of Ivy and Copeley (just past the end of the bridge) and there disappeared, BUT there were 10 days between her disappearance and the day the dogs were put on her trail–so the scent trail was compromised and unreliable–according to Blink. Why assume that she got in a car there, thus the end of her scent? Perhaps she simply retraced her steps back to the arena parking lots where Granny saw her. I have said most of this before but with some newer posters asking questions, I’ll repeat it.
Regarding the civil suit I think it may be slow moving and potentially never actually go to trial. I was reading an article and forgot to save the link but Morgan’s mother Gil said the decision to file was made because the statute of limitations was about to run out and she wanted keep the option open so they filed.
Good points Olivia. Recently I have started to think Morgan could have gone back to the RV lot area. Here is a quote from the He’s Still Here article from The Hook , ” Even without photographic proof, Cappuzzo says plenty of evidence confirms Morgan did end up alone in the RV lot. From the portable toilets where she curtsied, the bloodhound tracked Morgan back to the bridge and then over it before turning west on Ivy Road, where it lost her scent near the Foods of All Nations grocery store. Unbelievable as it seems, Cappuzzo says that 10 days after Morgan was there, the bloodhound would have been able to detect her scent even if she had gotten into a car. Another possibility for the scent reaching Ivy Road, he explains, is “scent drift,” caused by wind and rain that may have brought the molecules the dog was detecting some distance from where she actually last stood. Either way, Cappuzzo says, police are convinced that Morgan got into a vehicle somewhere on or near the bridge, and very likely did so willingly.”
eloise says:
July 26, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Watching FOX- Bill O’Reilly is trying to get Jessica’s Law passed in NY & NJ. He has a petition for folks to sign- no better place than BOC.
http://www.billoreilly.com/site/rd?satype=13&said=11&url=%2Fpetitions%2Fviewpetition%3FpetitionID%3D260092864700438643
Thank you E, I signed it myself.
B
************
Just signed it too Eloise. Thank you for posting the link!!!!
thanks redly
Just to clarify, I do know that the dogs (one dog?) traced her path at least around the rv lot (along the running track fence to the potties and to the bridge) but I don’t know where the dogs FIRST picked up her scent.
That is not accurrate.
B
tell us more B
Well, I’m just basing what I say about the bloodhound on
Courteney Stuart’s article, The Hook, Feb. 8, 2011:
“After the students departed, Morgan walked along the fence that separates the lot from the UVA track, according to Cappuzzo, who says her trail was picked up by the bloodhound, which stopped near a small line of portable toilets at the lot’s rear. Cappuzzo says two non-student witnesses driving down a road that leads from the baseball stadium to the RV lot reported seeing Morgan in that area– and recalled yet another unusual behavior for a young woman alone on a dark rainy night.
She curtsied,” says Cappuzzo, but she didn’t attempt to flag them down.
From the portable toilets where she curtsied, the bloodhound tracked Morgan back to the bridge and then over it before turning west on Ivy Road, where it lost her scent near the Foods of All Nations grocery store. Unbelievable as it seems, Cappuzzo says that 10 days after Morgan was there, the bloodhound would have been able to detect her scent even if she had gotten into a car.”
Perhaps there’s other info now?
My main point was that if she more or less retraced her steps from the bridge back to the rv lot, say to retrieve something that she had dropped, she would not have been picked up hitching on the bridge and the dog might not have known that she had returned along the same path–nor would police.
And she might have been witnessed by the curtsy duo at THAT point, when she returned. There are official time-line problems, and we have never been told exactly when the duo saw her.
Dog tracks are very, very specific in analysis. That does not exist in this case.
B
Thanks LeeLee.
“Cappuzzo says, police are convinced that Morgan got into a vehicle somewhere on or near the bridge, and very likely did so willingly.”
Why? On what evidence? Do they have more or better evidence for believing this than we are told in the article?
Well, if foreign DNA was found on the shirt Morgan was wearing, then a simple next step would have been to take the dogs and let them follow the scent of such DNA to its source. If dogs could accurately follow Morgan 10 days after she disappeared, then they could also follow “sketch” or others 17 or so days after the crime. I would have to guess this was done. The scent would lead to AF, then on to the residence of the killers.
1. DNA has no human scent.
2. It is my personal opinion that the results of the dog “tracking” 10 days later are questionable at best.
B
I see some posts which indicate that Capuzzo says that the dogs lost scent of Morgan near the Foods of All Nations store going west on Ivy. I did not know this before. I recall from memory that there were some reported sightings of Morgan that night at the 7-11 on Ivy. I think I recall seeing that on the other board (Morgans board) when it was open. I always wondered why there were no webcam images from the 7-11 as it was sure to have them. Foods of All Nations is a few lots west of 7-11 (and I think west – on the other side of Copeley but could be wrong just dont remember.
Another thing, didn’t the VSP conduct a search of I-64 west bound from Cville because there was a “ping” from Morgan’s phone in the median a few miles west of cville? That to me is significant given the evidence that Morgan’s phone was disabled in the parking lot. Is this last tidbit true?
WRT to the curtsey duo…..
Will their statements be public and is it possible their identities will/can be revealed during the pre and post civil trial?
I’m more familiar about the Florida system than my own province. Virginia…not so much.
I love and miss y’all! Bear hugs all around (((((((BOC)))))))))
Blink, I am not understanding some things about the dogs. I do not know anything about it, I admit, but seems to me if there was blood on the shirt, that a dog could track the smell of the blood. Also, semen can now be traced by dogs, or so some are saying. Here is one reference ……..
Police in southern Sweden have a new tool in the fight against sex crimes a sperm-sniffing dog.
A 23-year-old man was arrested on rape charges after the dog, Rapports Opus, was brought to a park in the town of Karlskrona, Sweden where a woman was sexually assaulted.
The dog found traces of semen at the scene of the crime which were found to match the mans DNA.
The shirt was found in November, and we have no information on the condition of the blood.
B
Could the curtsy duo have picked Morgan up in their “gator” vehicle and taken her to one of their cars parked at Foods of All Nations perhaps one of the curtsy duo worked there part time. Foods does alot of catering and perhaps that is the connection to Anchorage Farm where supposedly alot of UVa parties were held in the past. Could the curtsy duo be assistant coaches or helpers with the lacrosse team that may have been practising on the baseball field? Or were the curtsey duo security who were stalking Morgan…Perhaps this duo took the curtsy as a friendly invitation… Seems like they were some of the very last to see Morgan
Blink do you have a picture of the t-shirt that Morgan was wearing somewhere on your website?
Case sensitive.
B
Sooo, I’m thinking the shirt may be case sensitive due to it indicating the cause of death which is also not being released… I can’t think of any other reason.
In regards to Morgan’s scent being present near Food of All Nations I recall reading that she may not have made it that far and something known as scent drift could be to blame. Although when I look at the map of the air that seems to be quite a drift.That grocery store isn’t directly on the corner so her scent would have to drift sort or turn at some point. Or at least that is how it seems to me.
From the very limited amount of information I have read I believe there tend to be three sorts of scents a dog can follow. One is done when the dog is given at item of clothing to get the scent of a person and then tracks it. If there isn’t a scent item the dogs can track footprints or other forms of evidence. There are also air scent dogs who can track the scent of a person in the air without a scent item. This link explains it better than I just did http://www.ussartf.org/dogs_search_rescue.htm
I wonder if the dogs were used when the shirt was found. It certainly would have had Morgan’s scent on it and perhaps there could have been a chance to track the direction where it came from. There would be tons of variable but it could have provided a little bit of information.
mikr,
That area of 64 was searched but I’m not sure the reason for it was ever publically announced. I think there were theories here that her phone had pinged in that location but I don’t think that was ever given as the reason by LE for searching there. If I’m mistaken someone please correct me.
Her phone did not ping.
B