Tuesday, January 26, 2010

MISSING METALLICA FAN (MORGAN HARRINGTON) REMAINS POSITIVELY IDENITIFIED

EDITORS NOTE: The story of METALLICA fan and 20 year old VIRGINIA TECH student MORGAN HARRINGTON (from ROANOKE, VIRGINIA) has been a heartbreaking story for about three months now. MORGAN HARRINGTON attended a METALLICA show 10/17/09 in Charlottesville, Virginia and has not been seen since. Due to a no re-entry policy at the John Paul Jones Arena, MORGAN HARRINGTON was not allowed re entry after she some how ended up outside the venue after going to the bathroom. HARRINGTON had called her friends (inside the venue) to tell them not to worry about her and she would find an alternative ride home. MORGAN HARRINGTON has not been seen since as only her cell phone and purse were found on a bridge. Since then, METALLICA has donated over $50, 000 to help in efforts to find their missing fan as MORGAN HARRINGTON was wearing a PANTERA t-shirt at the concert. MORGAN was very close to her family and it is very uncharacteristic of her to disappear without letting friends and family know as she was planning on studying with her family the week of her disappearance.
Needless to say, always have alternative forms of transportation ( KNOW the number of often 24/7- taxi, bus, subway, train public transportation companies in that town) when going to any event, and look out for your friends, and always make your friends a priority before any event. NEVER under circumstances go home or get a ride from a stranger (even if the "stranger" was at the show), and if you DO get a ride home from a event, make sure the person is someone whom has a reference point in your local and regional community. If you are separated from your friends at an event, WAIT for them, do not get in car with an intoxicated driver, and don't drink and drive. Lastly, always carry ID,( and even after entry, your ticket stub or receipt for re entry into certain venues) in case you get hurt in the pit as these are new venue policies. If you're lost and stuck after a show, call up friends or family, or go to a church, or drop in center for help getting home.. Yeh, back in the day, you can always use a pay phone if you don't have a cell phone, pay phones in many suburban communities are almost obsolete now. Forensics and DNA testing may help to identify the human remains. All the best to the HARRINGTON family in their courageous search for their daughter, hopefully there will be some closure in all of this.
Very depressing news, and as METALLICA has said in one of their earlier releases "And Justice For All.."
http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-body-found-albemarle-100126,0,5332581.story

UPDATE FROM CBS19:
Virginia State Police said in a press conference Tuesday evening that they are "fairly confident" the remains found at Anchorage Farm in southern Albemarle County are of Morgan Dana Harrington. However they will not confirm that the remains are Morgan Harrington.


Virginia State Police and Albemarle County Police are currently on the scene of the discovery of skeletal remains at Anchorage Farm in southern Albemarle County. State police were notified at 9:59 a.m. Tuesday morning by an Albemarle County resident of the discovery. Remains and scene are being evaluated by forensic technicians.

CBS19 reporter Jessica Jaglois has received word that Dan and Gil Harrington, parents of missing 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, were en route to Charlottesville around 1:00pm Tuesday afternoon.

Gil Harrington, Morgan's mother, told Jaglois by phone that the remains found "probably are Morgan's."

"We don't think it's been proved definitively yet, but it's most likely," she said. "So, we want to go and be on hand and see if that determination can be made. Or if we can help in making that determination."

Gil Harrington said she wanted to thank people for all their prayers and the efforts to find Morgan.

"I was hoping we would find her alive, but at least we won't always be wondering for a lifetime," she said.

"We're still kind of processing, trying to, although all this time, we've been trying to prepare ourselves for this endpoint," Harrington said. "But thinking you're doing it and having done it are different. So we're trying to figure to how to be a tripod now instead of a four-legged strong table that we have been [as a family]. We haven't done it. We'll figure it out, but we haven't done it yet."

CBS19's Bianca Spinosa spoke to David Bass, the owner of the property, on the phone. He said he found the remains when he was checking fences that keep cows from roaming. The fences were on the outer end of the property, about 1.5 miles from his own. Initially, Bass said, he thought the remains were a deer but called police when he realized they were human.

Bass said the remains were at a remote part of the property that can only be accessed by tractor. He said he usually keeps the gates to his farm open, which makes it susceptible to trespassers, usually hunters.

Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney Denise Lunsford and Lt. Joe Rader of the Virginia State Police both visited the crime scene Tuesday. Lt. Rader is the lead investigator in the Morgan Harrington disappearance case.

Virginia State Police have scheduled a press conference for 5:00pm Tuesday afternoon. CBS19 will have live coverage of the press conference on air and on Newsplex.com.

We will update the story as additional information is made available.

FROM ROANOKE TIMES.COM:

UPDATED: 6:04 p.m. |

Police say they are "fairly confident" that skeletal remains found on a Virginia farm are those of a Virginia Tech student who vanished after attending a Metallica concert in Charlottesville.

State Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty says an autopsy will be conducted to confirm that the remains are those of Morgan Harrington, who disappeared on Oct. 17. Investigators believe the body was Harrington's because of undisclosed items that were found with it, said Flaherty.

The 20-year-old Roanoke County woman became separated from friends after she left a concert arena and was denied re-entry.

The skeletal remains were found Tuesday morning by a farmer surveying his farm. The farm is about 10 miles from where Harrington attended the concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.

Gil and Dan Harrington, Morgan Harrington's parents, had arrived at the Virginia State Police office in Albemarle County earlier.

David Bass is the owner of Anchorage Farm, the property where the body was found. Bass said he found the "seriously decomposed body" this morning at 8:30 a.m. in a part of his cow pasture that he rarely visits. He was checking the area this morning because of the recent heavy rains. Bass said authorities have asked him not to speak to the media.

Virginia Tech President Charles Steger released a statement following the news conference.

"For more than three months, the entire Virginia Tech community, along with thousands upon thousands around the world, has held out hope for the safe return of Morgan Harrington," he said. "Sadly, today’s news from Albemarle County has put an end to that hope, and once again, we find our strength and resilience tested in the face of profound grief and loss."

Nancy Agee, Carilion Clinic's chief operating officer, sent employees an e-mail earlier in the day when it became apparent the body was likely that of Harrington, but before police held a news conference. Harrington's father is Carilion Clinic's vice president for academic affairs.

"I know you have all felt some measure of the pain and burden that Dan and Gil have borne over the past three months," she wrote in the e-mail. "We pray that they can find some measure of closure and peace in the days to come."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
FROM BLABBERMOUTH.NET: WTKR.com reports that the parents of Morgan Harrington are en route to the Charlottesville area 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 part of Albemarle County.

The farm is ten miles away from the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville where 20-year-old Morgan Harrington was last seen at a METALLICA concert October 17.

When WTKR.com spoke to Dan Harrington, Morgan's father, he was in tears and said this is a horrible day for their family.

FROM WTKR.com: ALBEMARLE COUNTY - The parents of Morgan Harrington tell CBS 6 they are en route to the Charlottesville area 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 part 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.

We also know that the lead investigator in the Harrington disappearance, Lt. Joe Rader, is on the scene.

CBS 6's Catie Beck spoke to David Dass, the man 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 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.

Dass said, "I looked down and saw what looked like a human skull and my first thought was that it was Morgan Harrington." He says the skull had no hair on it and couldn't tell from looking at the remains whether it was a male or female.

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

He added, "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."

Dass says 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.





UPDATE: 1/27/2010:
FROM BLABERMOUTH.NET: WTVR.com reports that the state medical examiner has confirmed the remains found on an Albemarle County Farm Tuesday are those of 20-year-old Morgan Harrington, who was last seen at a METALLICA concert in October.

Virginia State Police say the confirmation was made using dental records provided by the family and say the investigation continues into the time and cause of death.

Meantime, Morgan Harrington's father talked to CBS 6 about the discovery of his daughter's remains and what the revelation means to his family.

Dan Harrington told Catie Beck, "This may sound strange, but we have found some peace in all of this. It wasn't the outcome that we wanted but we know now where our daughter is and there is peace in that."WTVR.com reports that the state medical examiner has confirmed the remains found on an Albemarle County Farm Tuesday are those of 20-year-old Morgan Harrington, who was last seen at a METALLICA concert in October.

Virginia State Police say the confirmation was made using dental records provided by the family and say the investigation continues into the time and cause of death.

Meantime, Morgan Harrington's father talked to CBS 6 about the discovery of his daughter's remains and what the revelation means to his family.

Dan Harrington told Catie Beck, "This may sound strange, but we have found some peace in all of this. It wasn't the outcome that we wanted but we know now where our daughter is and there is peace in that.



Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-RIP MORGAN HARRINGTON-ALL THE BEST TO HER FAMILY-May the Metal always flow for Morgan Harrington-\m/ -l-