Morgan Dana Harrington -- Found Deceased 1/26/10

Morgan Harrington Update: Police Link Va Tech Slaying to Unsolved Assault

July 2, 2010 11:15 AM
Posted by Edecio Martinez

RICHMOND, Va. (CBS/WDBJ/AP) Eight months after Morgan Harrington's murder, police have announced a new development in the case.

Forensic evidence gathered in the investigation into the slaying of the Virginia Tech student matches that from an unsolved 2005 abduction and sexual assault in northern Virginia, state police said Thursday.

State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller refused to identify the type of forensic evidence that was found.

Harrington's remains were found on an Albemarle County farm on Jan. 26, more than three months after she disappeared from a Metallica rock concert at the University of Virginia.

Police released a composite sketch of the suspect in the 2005 case based on the victim's description of her attacker, but warned that he may have changed his appearance.

In that case, a 26-year-old woman was walking home from a grocery store in Fairfax when a man grabbed her from behind, carried her to the pool area of a townhouse complex and sexually assaulted her.

Police are trying to identify the suspect, and attempting to determine what kind of contact he had with Harrington the night of her disappearance, and what his role may have been in her disappearance and death, Geller said.

"Before today, there was the abstraction of a murderer that killed our daughter, but now that you see a face with it, it makes you very angry," Dan Harrington said. "The anger that I have has kind of been multiplied because I now see a face of someone who did this to another human being."

On comments posted by Harrington's mother Gil on the family's website on Wednesday, she warned her daughter's killer that his luck would run out.

PICTURES: Morgan Harrington Missing

"That corpse will not rest. Morgan wants justice," she wrote to the "monster" who killed her daughter. "A day of reckoning is coming!"

The chief medical examiner's office has determined that Harrington's death was a homicide, but officials have said they have no further information on how she was killed. Her parents have said her bones were shattered.

Police have said the person who killed Harrington likely knew the area where her body was found in a remote hayfield 10 miles southwest of Charlottesville, where she was separated from her friends Oct. 17 while attending a Metallica concert. Investigators said only a person familiar with the farm or the immediate area would have dealt with the property's obstacles, including streams, fences and changing terrain.

The Harringtons said "a wealth of physical evidence" was found at the scene.

Dan Harrington said he hopes the sketch, despite its age, will register with someone who knew the suspect.

The suspect is described as a black male, 25 to 35 years old, approximately 6 feet tall with a medium build, with black hair, a beard and a mustache.

There is a $150,000 reward in the case.

Anyone with information about what happened to Morgan Harrington are asked to call the police at 434-352-3467.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20009532-504083.html

State Police link 2005 assault to Morgan Harrington murder

July 1, 2010

Eight months after Morgan Harrington's murder, there's a break in the case.

Virginia State Police say they have forensic evidence linking Morgan Harrington's case to an abduction and rape in the city of Fairfax, Virginia in 2005.

State Police went to the Harrington's Roanoke County, Virginia home Thursday afternoon to meet with Morgan's parents and talk about case.

Police say evidence connects Harrington's case to the abduction and sexual assault of a woman in Fairfax five years ago. In that case a 26-year-old woman was grabbed from behind as she walked home from a Giant grocery store and carried to a park where she was sexually assaulted.

That woman survived and gave police a description of the suspect. The suspect is a black man and now would be somewhere between 30 and 40 years old. He's six feet tall and in 2005 had a medium build.

Police say they don't know who the man is, but they're fairly sure the cases are connected.

"We think there is someone out there who had contact with both victims," said Lieutenant Joe Rader of the Virginia State Police

Lt. Rader would not elaborate on what type of forensic evidence was found.

"We'll just leave it at forensics right now. I don't really want to get into discussing whether it's DNA or any other type of evidence but it's very reliable what we have," Rader said.

Harrington vanished after leaving a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesvile last October. Her body was found three months later at a farm about 10 miles away in Albemarle County.

Harrington's parents say they're happy there's a break in the case. "It's no longer a matter of testimony it's hard evidence," Gil Harrington said."It's DNA. It's DNA from Morgan's case linked to a previous case five years ago."

"This is the biggest break since they released the fact that her shirt was found and returned in Charlottesville," Gil Harrington said.

"I'm relieved that we have some movement in the case. I think it's also makes me feel more hopeful that we're going to be able to give Morgan some justice," said Dan Harrington.

The new information also brings about new emotions and new anger for Morgan Harrington's father. "There is a killer among us and now there's a face to it which makes me very angry when I see it," Dan Harrington said.

----------------

From the State Police news release:

Forensic evidence recovered during the course of the Harrington investigation has confirmed the link to the City of Fairfax assault. In September 2005, a Fairfax woman was abducted and sexually assaulted and City of Fairfax Police detectives were able to create a composite sketch based on the victim's description of the suspect. However, the suspect may have changed his appearance over the course of the past five years.

They ask anyone with information about the Fairfax case to contact City of Fairfax Police Detective Mike Boone at (703) 385-7959. Anyone wishing to provide information in the Morgan Harrington case is encouraged to call the Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers at (434) 977-4000 or Virginia State Police at (434) 352-3467 or email State Police at bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov.

Click here to see 2005 wanted poster from Fairfax County

Morgan Harrington, a Virginia Tech student from Roanoke County, disappeared after a concert in Charlottesville last October. Her remains were found on a farm in Albemarle County in January.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=12741242&Call=Email&Format=HTML

OMG this is huge.. so now the footage they have shud help as having a physical description shud help... Also, I dont believe Morgan was ever walking on a brigdge hitchiking.. I think someone was in that parking lot area just waiting to grab a vulnerable girl... Hopefully someone will remember something now..
God Bless Morgan and her wonderful family! I am so happy for them...

Also, just wondering.. I suspect it is touch DNA.. and just wondering if you think LE had this for along time, or if it was just discovered where we heard about it immediatley?

Harringtons suspect 2 were involved in daughter’s death

By Tasha Kates
Published: July 17, 2010

The parents of Morgan D. Harrington, the 20-year-old who vanished after a Metallica concert in October, said Saturday that they believe two people were involved in their daughter’s disappearance.

Virginia State Police announced July 1 that forensic evidence shows a man who abducted and sexually assaulted a woman in 2005 in Fairfax came into contact with Harrington. The man was never identified, and the Virginia Tech student’s body was discovered in January on a southern Albemarle County farm.

Dan Harrington, Morgan Harrington’s father, said it was unlikely that a person from outside the area would have just happened upon the pasture where she was found.

“How does a person from Northern Virginia know about 15th Street?” Dan Harrington asked. “It’s not a place you happen to find.”

Corinne Geller, state police spokeswoman, said earlier this month that authorities believe the person who left Morgan Harrington’s body had ties to Albemarle.

State police released a composite sketch of the Fairfax assailant, who is described as a black man with a medium build who is about 6 feet tall. At the time of the 2005 attack, he had black hair with a beard and mustache.

Geller said Saturday that the state police have received about 75 tips since the sketch was publicized.

Gil Harrington, Morgan Harrington’s mother, said that her conversations with state police have given her hope.

“I’m feeling from the language I hear that they are confident that given time, they will tighten this up and have a resolution,” she said.

The Harringtons were in town Saturday visiting their daughter’s memorial on Copeley Bridge, where she was last seen nine months earlier.

Morgan Harrington would have turned 21 on July 24. Gil Harrington said Saturday that the week leading up to her daughter’s birthday normally would have been filled with discussions on how to celebrate.

Dan Harrington said Saturday that the last few months have been tough for the family. The patriarch said he closed the forum on http://www.findmorgan.com, the family’s Web site dedicated to their daughter, because people were posting threats. Gil Harrington said the family has received much support and love from the community.

“Those things give you a lift,” Gil Harrington said.

However, the family is focused on keeping the investigation alive and raising awareness about what happened to their daughter. The Harringtons expressed concern that the person or persons involved in their daughter’s disappearance could be around the new crop of University of Virginia first-year students who will arrive next month.

“What he thinks is ‘fresh blood,’” Gil Harrington said.

Anyone with information about this case should call Crimestoppers at 977-4000 or contact the state police at 352-3467 or via e-mail at bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov . A reward of about $150,000 is being offered.

http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/harringtons_suspect_2_were_involved_in_daughters_death/58293/

A killer stalks among us

By Kari Pugh
Published: July 22, 2010



Prince William County, Va.- The man who killed Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington likely has strong ties to both Charlottesville and Northern Virginia, where he attacked another woman in 2005.

"He has some nexus," retired FBI profiler Gregg McCrary said in a recent phone interview. "He strikes where he is comfortable, in his own territory."

Virginia State Police announced earlier this month that they'd found a definite forensic link between the October 2009 disappearance and death of 20-year-old Morgan Harrington and the September 2005 abduction and sexual assault of a 26-year-old woman in Fairfax city, not far from George Mason Univer-sity.

Investigators won't say what that link is, but Harrington's parents have said it was a DNA database hit.

State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said the Virginia Department of Forensics made the connection, and the information is now being compared in databases across the nation.

Police so far have not tied the man to any other crimes, or stumbled upon his identity in any state or na-tional offender databases.

But McCrary, a Spotsylvania County resident who has worked on hundreds of serial murder cases, said the two attacks are not the killer's only offenses.

"It's hard for me to imagine that he hasn't tried this before," he said. "There have been unsuccessful attempts in both Northern Virginia and the Charlottesville areas. Chances are, there are unreported cases, victims."

Do you know this man?

State police admit they took a risk by putting out a composite sketch of the man. It was created in 2005, based on the memory of the victim in the Fairfax city attack.

"Composites cut both ways," McCrary said. "If it looks a lot like the guy, it could be helpful. If it doesn't, it can be a distraction. You're dealing with witness recollections in a traumatic situation."

Attack in Fairfax

The Sept. 24, 2005, attack in Fairfax caused a wave of panic in the neighborhoods surrounding George Mason University. The victim was walking home from a Giant Food grocery store on Jermantown Road about 10 p.m. when she was grabbed from behind.

The attacker carried her to a park area off Rock Garden Drive, where he sexually assaulted her. He then let her go and ran toward Fairhaven Court. The victim described her attacker as black, 25 to 35 years old, about 6 feet tall with black hair, a beard and a mustache.

The victim tried to fight him off, telling detectives she'd left scratches on his face.

Charlottesville

Morgan Harrington disappeared on Oct. 17, 2009, during a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Despite a massive search and national media attention, her body wasn't found until Jan. 26, 2010, when a farmer discovered her skeletal remains on his 700-acre property in Albemarle County.

In February, state police investigators said they were convinced that the killer worked or lived near the farm in southern Albemarle County, and that the area had some significance to him emotionally.

In a news release, state police stated that the man they were looking for "may have been inclined to return to the farm during a period of increased stress."

McCrary said dumping Harrington's body on a remote farm was risky, as was grabbing a woman on a well-traveled path in Fairfax, showing he was confident and knew both areas well.

But who is he?

Is he a student who has attended both U.Va. and GMU? Did he grow up in Charlottesville? Does he have relatives he visits in Northern Virginia? Is he a roadie who works concert venues? There was a Googoosh show at the nearby George Mason Patriot Center the night of the 2005 attack.

"There are so many scenarios possible, and we are looking at them all," Geller said. "We are hoping somebody out there looks at the composite and there's some recognition. Maybe the facial hair has changed, maybe the hairline or even the hairstyle has changed. But look at the eyes, the facial structure."

Geller said police have received close to 80 tips since releasing the composite earlier this month. She said investigators are in the process of vetting those leads, and working with Fairfax city police to identify a killer—before he strikes again.

He's still out there

McCrary said, and state police agree, that the man's pattern shows an escalation in his crimes.

"He will most certainly strike again," McCrary said. "Your chance of crossing paths with this guy is slim, but I'd tell women to be vigilant. Use reasonable care, stay with your friends if you're out at a concert."

For state police, "that pressure exists to find this person," Geller said.

"There is a pattern developing, and we need to prevent it from happening again," she said.

She said investigators are convinced that someone out there has the missing piece to the puzzle, whether they know it or not.

"For people who think, 'I might have seen this person,' you might discount it. But we might have two other people who saw the same thing. Call us, e-mail us and let us see if the piece fits."

On her family blog, Harrington's mother, Gil, wrote that she's convinced the killer is "hiding in plain sight."

"They are a little off, their edges blurred, but they are passable if you only glance quickly and then look away," she wrote. "When the hairs on your neck raise and your skin starts to crawl take note, get out, call the police, and we'll have him."

The Harrington family is offering a $100,000 reward, and the band Metallica has put up $50,000, for in-formation leading to an arrest in the case. If you have any information, call state police at 434-352-3467 or e-mail bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov .

http://www2.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/a_killer_among_us/61090/

x

There are most likely other victims, either in Virginia or elsewhere. Sometimes it takes years of the police periodically running a perp's DNA through a database before there is finally a match after the perp has ended up being arrested for another crime. I hope this guy is caught sooner rather than later.

x

Bridge To Honor Morgan Harrington

September 15, 2010

~Snipped~

Tuesday, the U.Va. Board of Trustees approved the installation of a plaque on the Copely Road bridge. The marker will be dedicated Oct. 17, the one-year anniversary of her disappearance.

Read more: http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?S=13156438

Harringtons say social media has helped murder case

September 21, 2010
By Jarett Henshaw



Gil and Dan Harrington say social media websites have had big impact on their daughter's murder case that's gone unsolved for nearly a year now.

"It has become a way to participate, give input, give another set of eyes. It has been valuable,” said Gil Harrington.

After her daughter Morgan Harrington disappeared last October. They hired a public relations company to help manage the media attention they were getting. Digital Strategist Valerie Elston headed up that effort and explained their methods at Roanoke College to a room full of other PR specialists from around the state.

"Without social media, I think the case probably would have died out in the media a lot faster,” said Elston.

Elston says people flooded to the Facebook page with tips, theories, and volunteered to help with search efforts.

Read more: http://www2.wsls.com/news/2010/sep/21/harringtons-say-social-media-has-helped-murder-cas-ar-517795/

1 year later, search for Morgan Harrington's killer continues

October 18, 2010 - 12:08pm

WASHINGTON - Virginia State Police are still trying to solve the murder of a Virginia Tech student one year after her death.

Morgan Harrington, 21, of Roanoke, Va., disappeared Oct. 17, 2009 after a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia. Her remains were found three months later on an Albemarle County farm near where she was last seen.

In July, police found a forensic link between Harrington and a Fairfax City sexual assault suspect from 2005. But police don't know the man's identity, says FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt.

Read more: http://www.wtop.com/?nid=600&sid=2082782

Police sketch of man suspected in the abduction and rape of a woman in 2005. The suspect's DNA has been linked to the kidnap and murder of Morgan Harrington in 2009.

Morgan Harrington news: DNA links kidnapping, rape to slain student
November 8th, 2010 2:39 am ET.

Read more:
http://www.examiner.com/cosmetics-in-national/morgan-harrington-news-dna-links-kidnapping-rape-to-slain-student-video

Video:

At least they have confirmed this guy's DNA is linked to Morgan. And they are keeping his picture out there.

Familial DNA use starting

State to start testing familial DNA

By Chelyen Davis
Date published: 3/22/2011

Virginia will move forward with familial DNA testing in certain criminal cases, Gov. Bob McDonnell's office said yesterday.

The technique is controversial due to privacy concerns, but it's backed by the family of Morgan Harrington, the Virginia Tech student whose slaying in Charlottesville remains unsolved.

In familial DNA searches, police check their DNA databases for people who are close but not complete matches for DNA evidence, when the perpetrator of the crime isn't in the database.

Those people would be considered potential relatives of the person who did commit the crime, and identifying them could help police focus their investigations.

Read more: http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/032011/03222011/614840

Morgan Harrington Awarded Posthumous Degree

Posted: May 14, 2011 11:48 PM EDT
Reporter: David Tate

Blacksburg, VA - While thousands across our area get their hard-earned diploma, one student stands out at Virginia Tech for the diploma she was kept from earning. That did not stop Virginia Tech officials from awarding a Bachelor's of Arts degree to murdered Tech sophomore, Morgan Harrington, along with the rest of her class.

As family and friends line up to get a good seat inside the Commonwealth Ballroom, at Virginia Tech, to see one of the last commencement ceremonies of the day, Dan and Gil Harrington prepare for a moment in time they thought they would never get to experience.

"Seeing what could have been, what will never be for us or for Morgan, is not as much as the pain of emptiness of Morgan being erased and negated by the person who murdered her," mother Gil Harrington said.

Read more: http://www.wset.com/story/14647396/morgan-harrington-awarded-posthumous-degree

Levi Page's Blog Talk Radio will be talking to Morgan's parents on his show tonight~

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/levipage/2011/10/02/levi-page-show?utm_source=BTRemail&utm_medium=ShowReminder

College student Morgan Harrington was abducted and murdered. Her killer is still on the loose, and tonight her parents Dan and Gil Harrington speak out!
The show starts at the top of the hour but you can always listen to it at your convenience.

Murder Victim's mother files suit

Jean Jadhon WDBJ-TV Anchor/Reporter
6:53 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2011

The mother of Morgan Harrington has filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the company that provided security at John Paul Jones Arena the night Morgan went missing, Gil Harrington confirmed to News 7 tonight.

The $3.5 million dollar lawsuit is filed against Regional Marketing Concepts, Inc. which operates as RMC events.

Read more: http://www.wtvr.com/news/wdbj7-morgan-harringtons-mother-files-35-million-dollar-lawsuit-against-security-company-at-john-paul-jones-arena-20111017,0,7997437.story

Security agency sued in Harrington death

Morgan Harrington's mother said guards should have let her daughter re-enter a Charlottesville concert two years ago, on the night she later disappeared.

By Duncan Adams
Tuesday, October 18, 2011

~Snipped~

The lawsuit alleges that RMC, providing event security that night, should have known that Morgan Harrington had suffered an injury inside the arena and also should have allowed the young woman to return to the concert after she had left the building.

The lawsuit reads, "As a result of the defendant's failure and refusal to allow plaintiff's decedent to re-enter the arena, or report her attempt to do so, plaintiff's decedent was left isolated and alone outside the arena where she was subsequently abducted and murdered."

Read more: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/299828