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

Story about one of the bodies found:

Body Found In Laurel Trash Compactor

LAUREL, Md. (WUSA) -- Police in Prince George's County are investigating the discovery of a body at a recycling plant in Laurel.

Officer Henry Tippett, spokesperson for Prince George's County Police, says the body, which appears to be an adult, was found in a trash compactor at the Encore Recycling Plant in the 13200 block of Virginia Manor Road.

Tippett says the gruesome discovery was made sometime before 6:15 Tuesday morning.

Homicide investigators are on the scene, however police are classifying the incident as a suspicious death.

http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=93813

Body found in trash compactor at Laurel recycling plant
Prince George's police still investigating, but have not yet ruled death a homicide

by Megan McKeever | Staff Writer

An unidentified body was found inside a trash compactor Tuesday morning at a Laurel recycling plant, Prince George's police said.

An employee of Encore Recycling, located at 13200 Virginia Manor Road, found the body around 6 a.m. and called 911, said police spokesman Henry Tippett. The death has not yet been ruled a homicide.

Cause of death has not been determined, but Tippett said no bullet or stab wounds were immediately visible. It remains unclear how long the body may have been in the trash compactor, Tippett said, adding he is not sure how often the compactor is emptied.

"It was inside of a trash compactor, so there may be extensive damage to the body," he said.

By 10 a.m. police had yet have to determine the gender or approximate age of the victim, and Tippett said investigators remained on scene.

An employee of Encore Recycling who answered the phone Tuesday morning said managers declined to comment.

Tippett said he did not know if Encore Recycling had security cameras.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/11172009/prinnew101856_32561.shtml

This is the second body found in Roanoke, the one confirmed as a female.... they do not believe it is Morgan. Thank goodness. But there's still the first body found in the trash compactor.....

Police: Body found in Roanoke as missing Va. Tech student case continues

Media General News Service
Published: November 17, 2009

Update: State police now say they don’t believe it’s the body of Harrington, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

As the case of a missing Virginia Tech student entered into its second month, authorities today are investigating the discovery of a body in Roanoke.

Authorities said a body discovered near Norfolk Southern railroad tracks shortly after daybreak in Roanoke appeared to be that of a female.

Roanoke police detectives and a medical examiner were called to the scene.

Virginia State Police, the lead agency investigating the disappearance of Morgan Dana Harrington, was aware of this morning’s discovery and was looking into the matter, agency spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. Geller said she had no other details.

Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student from Roanoke, has been missing since the night of Oct. 17, when she attended a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena. ¶

Investigators believe Harrington was hitchhiking before she disappeared.

Today’s discovery of the body in Roanoke marks at least the third time investigators have checked into the possibility that it may be Harrington.

Shortly after Harrington’s disappearance, a body was found along the Blue Ridge Parkway outside Asheville, N.C., and a badly burned female body was found Sunday, this time in Kings Mountain State Park in South Carolina. In each case, authorities found no indication it was Harrington.

Harrington was wearing a black T-shirt with “Pantera” in tan letters, a black mini-skirt, black tights and knee-high black boots. She had a Swarovski crystal necklace on, with large crystal chain links. She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/crime/article/police_body_found_in_roanoke_as_missing_va._tech_student_case_continues/48996/

How heartbreaking! How on earth do we follow a post like hers? I can't imagine "not knowing" where my child was or "how" she was, or even "what happened" to her!

What an incredible woman & what strength in her faith. Looks like she could teach us all a few things.

Interesting new article at Blink on Crime:

Morgan Harrington Case: Separating Fact From Fiction Part I

http://blinkoncrime.com/2009/11/19/morgan-harrington-case-separating-fact-from-fiction-part-i/

Morgan Harrington Case: Separating Fact From Fiction From Facebook Part II

http://blinkoncrime.com/2009/11/20/morgan-harrington-case-separating-fact-from-fiction-from-facebook-part-ii/

No sign of missing Virginia Tech student after I-64 search

http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/state_regional/article/no_sign_of_missing_virginia_tech_student_after_i-64_search/16403/

Virginia State Police searched a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 64 in Albemarle County yesterday morning for evidence in the disappearance of Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington.

About a dozen troopers spent a couple of hours searching along a median between mile markers 112 and 114, said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller. The troopers were not acting on a specific tip, and their search turned up nothing useful to the case.

Harrington disappeared Oct. 17 after she was separated from friends while attending a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena. Someone matching Harrington’s description was spotted hitchhiking that evening along a bridge near the arena.

The stretch of I-64 searched by troopers today is just west of Charlottesville.

“We wanted to go back and re-canvass that area,“ Geller said.

Authorities have received about 600 leads in the case.

These are words written by Morgan's mother, Gil..... it breaks my heart.

Gil Harrington’s thoughts from December 20th.
On December - 29 - 2009

The snowfall is beautiful but still disturbing – melancholy. Wonder if Morgan is cold – is snow falling on her face – or is her face covered by leaves in a shallow grave being hidden by the snow. I glance out the window and see the crimson blaze of a cardinal at the bird feeder – my heart leaps for a second at the beauty – then I think its feathers look like blood in the snow. Is that what Morgan’s blood looks like in the snow? See how the pitfalls are everywhere – even at the bird feeder.

I try very hard to remain positive and hopeful to see Morgan coming home. I envision our reunion – feel her body as I hug her tightly. I imagine Dan’s delight as we put her in the car to bring her back home. At times, I can see it so clearly it almost feels real. Other times I consider that Morgan might be loaded on a gurney – not our car and brought back to Roanoke – not to our home but to the Medical Examiners Lab here.

I pray that is not the end to this crisis.

http://findmorgan.com/family-blog/gil-harringtons-thoughts-from-december-20th

This is the blog written by the Morgan's mother....

http://findmorgan.com/category/family-blog

The Strength of Morgan Harrington's Parents in the Face of Adversity
January 18, 2010

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2601787/the_strength_of_morgan_harringtons.html?cat=47

Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, disappeared on October 17, 2009 around 9:30 pm. She was attending a Metallica concert in Charlottesville, VA. Somehow, during the concert, she was separated from her friends and ended up outside the arena. From there, we don't know exactly what happened. A number of witnesses have come forward to say that they have seen women fitting Morgan's description outside the arena and finally, on the Copeley Bridge, possibly hitchhiking.

Most of this information is readily available to anyone who cares to enter her name into a search engine, so I won't be going into the details of the timeline.

Instead, I would rather focus on the parents who have remained strong in the face of this tragedy.

Dan Harrington is her father. The internet community at FindMorgan.com and the Help Find Morgan facebook site began reaching out to Dr. Harrington and he reciprocated by reaching back. Dr. Harrington seems to be a man of few words, however, he often offers words of gratitude to those on the sites who continue to keep his daughter's name before the general public. He praises those who offer positive words of comfort and those who ask the difficult questions that need to be answered. He is a welcome presence among the armchair detectives, who otherwise may feel ridiculed and unappreciated. Dr. Harrington is able to see that these people are trying to help and he appreciates any and all help that may bring his precious daughter home. A message from Dr. Harrington is often all that is needed to keep these sleuths enthusiastic and so, ultimately, Morgan's name remains steady and strong among a large group of people.

Gil Harrington is Morgan's mother. She is keeping a journal of her thoughts as she processes this horrific ordeal. She allows these entries to be shared at FindMorgan.com. It is a penetrating look into the heart of a grieving and sometimes angry mother. It is unfathomable for most parents to even consider the loss of a child. It is a thought that is avoided. Reading Gil's journal entries leaves no room for denial of the heart break of loss. However, she makes us all feel that we can deal with life's inevitable challenges with love and authenticity.

Mrs. Harrington is a very strong woman who has the heart of a lion for her daughter.

Apart from showing us this tremendous love for her daughter, she has shown us all a better way to deal with adversity. Through strength, love and faith, Gil Harrington shows us that we do not have to cower to hate and anger. We can rise above it and replace the hate with hope and strength.

Together, these parents help us all to feel that when faced with the worst that life can bring, we can remain strong and loving. We can keep our highest hopes while accepting comfort from our friends, family and even complete strangers.

Go to FindMorgan.com for details regarding Morgan. There is a tip line there. If you have seen anything that you feel may be connected to this dear girl, please call it in.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/234362

kh

father called to scene............ press conference later today:
http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?S=11882052

uh..ohh...

I hope the body they found at that farm isn't Morgan. This has got to be a nightmare for her parents.

Oh, no. My gut tells me this is probably Morgan.... but even if it is not... it is someone's loved one. Morgan's parents must be terrified, but I suppose it is better than going through life without knowing where she is and what happened to her.

I pray for God to give them strength. They have shown so much grace in their grief.

UPDATE: Body Found in Albemarle
Parents of Morgan Harrington arrive to confirm whether remains are their daughter; CBS 6's Catie Beck talks to the man who discovered the remains on his property.

Catie Beck and Misti Davidson
January 26, 2010

ALBEMARLE COUNTY - The parents of Morgan Harrington have arrived in the Charlottesville area. They tell CBS 6 they are there to identify the skeletal remains found in Albemarle County this morning.

An Albemarle County resident found the remains Tuesday morning at a private residence called Anchorage Farm on Anchorage Farm Road in the southern region of Albemarle County. The farm is ten miles from the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville where 20-year-old Morgan Harrington was last seen at a Metallica concert October 17.

When we spoke to Dan Harrington, Morgan's father, he was in tears, telling CBS 6 "this is a horrible day" for his family.

The lead investigator in the Harrington disappearance case, Lt. Joe Rader, is also on the scene.

CBS 6's Catie Beck spoke to David Dass, who discovered the remains on his property. Dass, a farmer and owner of Anchorage Farm, says after the wind and rain last week there were several downed trees in his yard. He was out looking for possible damage to make repairs in a remote area of his property, when he spotted the body.

He said the area would be next to impossible to access from a road, since it's at least a mile and a half from the roadway.

He said at first he didn't know whether the remains were human or animal, describing them as very badly decomposed. "I looked down and saw what looked like a human skull and my first thought was that it was Morgan Harrington," said Dass. He said the skull had no hair on it and he couldn't tell from looking whether the remains were male or female.

He immediately went inside and called 911, telling a dispatcher, "I'm not even sure if this is a human body, but I think so."

Dass told CBS6, "We're a small, rural family and we've never had any trespassers. Now in dealing with this tragedy, of a dead person and at the same time [wondering] if this is Morgan Harrington, a part of me thinks this is something good for people to know."

He said police confirmed right away that it was a human body, but he has not received any additional information.

Virginia State Police have not confirmed the identity of the remains and will hold a news conference this evening at 5:00pm.

http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtvr-body-found-albemarle-100126,0,496709.story

I feel that authorities must have some degree of certainty to send for her parents. I think we all need to say a little prayer for her mom and dad. kh

I agree, kh......