March 19, 2024, 02:08:24 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: NEW CHILD BOARD CREATED IN THE POLITICAL SECTION FOR THE 2016 ELECTION
 
   Home   Help Login Register  
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 »   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: VA Tech Student Morgan Dana Harrington missing since 10/17/09#1 10/19/09-7/1/10  (Read 748551 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Bearlyhere
Asst Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 17313



« Reply #1440 on: February 05, 2010, 06:57:09 PM »

Thanks Cece.    I got knocked out of the cage again.

My heart breaks for that family.   

Mine, too, Trimm.  I feel like they have let us be a part of their pain with such grace and dignity, always thinking about how they could help others, and celebrating her life while grieving her death.

 an angelic monkey



Logged

There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.
Time spent with monkeys is never wasted. 
I believe in miracles!
cece
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 4057



« Reply #1441 on: February 05, 2010, 07:08:44 PM »


Remembering Morgan Harrington
The 20-year-old Virginia Tech student remembered at memorial Friday in Roanoke

video report with clips of the memorial at this link:

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-harrington-killer-information,0,4816818.story
Logged

trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1442 on: February 06, 2010, 06:27:29 AM »

http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/14987/going-away-party-commemorates-harrington
'Going away party' commemorates Harrington

Saturday, February 6, 2010; 12:53 AM | 0 | ShareThis | Print

by Gordon Block, news reporter


ROANOKE — The memories and goodwill of a community turned what could have been considered a funeral into a celebration of the life for recently deceased Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.

Standing at the front of Roanoke’s St. Andrews Catholic Church, Gil Harrington spoke on the wild ride she and her husband faced in the search for their missing daughter Morgan, which took them from “Dr. Phil to Capitol Hill, and everywhere in between.”

“We went to a heavy metal concert," Harrington said, “you got your papa on Facebook and me writing a blog. Who would have ever imagined such a thing?”

Gil Harrington said she and her son, Alex, were looking into getting a tattoo to commemorate Morgan.

“We did check it out, but so far we’re still testing the concept out with sharpie. It’s coming.” Harrington said, holding up her left wrist, dotted with the family’s “2-4-1” logo, standing for “I love you too much, forever, once more.”
The Mass service brought out several hundred to the church from locations as far as West Virginia and Ohio, despite the dangerous road conditions and icy weather that Morgan’s father Dan Harrington would call “frozen tears from the heavens.” Harrington said it was “not the day we would’ve liked.”

“I kind of thought I’d be coming to celebrate Morgan’s graduation, or perhaps her marriage, or perhaps the baptism of her children,” Dan Harrington said. “But no, we’re here to celebrate the end of her life.”
A “real celebration of her life”

Following the Friday afternoon Mass came a reception at the nearby Hotel Roanoke. Despite the circumstances, the reception had a cheery atmosphere.

A mix of upbeat pop and country music set the tone for the evening, with two projectors beaming into the corner of the room a montage of family photos and home video of Morgan. Attendees were greeted to the reception with a downpour of bubbles from a machine hanging over the entrance. Gil Harrington, who celebrated her birthday Feb. 1, said the reception’s tone was intentional.

“It’s important to end Morgan’s life with a smile, seeing that she brought smiles to so many people,” Harrington said. “We wanted a real celebration of her life and a going away party.”

The reception hall was stocked throughout with artifacts from Morgan’s life. A table on the side of the room displaying some of her favorite belongings touched on the many aspects of her life. A red dress she wore for prom. A pile containing at least 100 CDs. An essay assignment that she completed about a family vacation when she was 10 years old, for which she received an A-minus. Several small pieces of jewelry, including a watch based on the cartoon character “Hello Kitty.”

A black trunk situated to the left of the table was decked with several bumper stickers, with a pair of red Converse sneakers hand-marked with small flames placed on top.

Behind the table was a clothesline featuring T-shirts from her high school volleyball team, Virginia Tech and a black shirt made for the Metallica concert she attended in Charlottesville the night she went missing. Gil Harrington said while she had some ideas for what to put on display, she eventually had a family friend make the final decisions.
Everything (at home) speaks of Morgan,” Harrington said.

The room featured several pieces of artwork Morgan had completed in her lifetime, including a self-portrait on the outside of the room and a plate she had painted for her mother.

“She was a very talented artist,” Dan Harrington said.

One set of friends, who had with Morgan gone by the unofficial nickname “The Nine,” came out in full force. Two of the friends, Maggie Herrick and Jordan Fitzgerald, sported new tattoos in memory of their lost friend, which they got Wednesday in Norfolk.

“I’ve lost friends before,” said Fitzgerald, a junior psychology and criminal justice major at Old Dominion University. “Losing a friend like this is different.”

Fitzgerald sported the digits “241” on her right wrist, and said she was in the process of getting a second tattoo to commemorate her friend, which could come in the form of a replica of Harrington’s artwork.

Herrick, who had been friends with Harrington since she was six years old, remembered her friend unique personality on display when the two played on a soccer team together.

“She ran up and down the field making rocket ship and laser sounds,” Herrick said. “Everybody was laughing so hard they almost couldn’t play.” Herrick’s wrists featured “241” and “MDH” in a large swirling black font.

“Everybody who knows Morgan has a story to tell,” Herrick said. “Knowing Morgan ... we can’t not be upbeat.”
Others came to the reception to share in the Harrington family’s grief. Connie Miller, a family friend who lives in an adjacent neighborhood to the Harrington family, said she knew the family through her two children, who graduated from high school at the same time as Morgan and her older brother Alex. Miller, whose oldest son, Kevin, committed suicide in April 2007, said she had met with the family earlier in the week.

“Losing people you love does not discriminate,” Miller said. “No matter what the circumstance, losing a child pains the same.”

Stephen McNally, who led the day’s Mass service, said faith was critical in moving past tragedy.

“For people of faith, life is changed not ended,” McNally said. “There’s something beyond life. McNally, who came up from Transfiguration Catholic Church of Fincastle, Va. for the service said Morgan’s memory would touch others.
Morgan in her own way lived very authentically,” McNally said, noting her community service efforts with the youth and the mentally disabled. “She had the grace to do things that were very mature for her age.”

Dan remembered that Morgan had not enjoyed her first year while at Tech, saying she was frequently homesick.

“I knew the Smart Bus schedule pretty well,” Harrington joked, referring to the shuttle that drives from Blacksburg to Roanoke. However, Harrington said his daughter’s enjoyment of school increased over time, especially after moving off-campus, where she shared an apartment in the Foxridge community.

“She started to like Tech a lot more.” he said. Dan Harrington said he was impressed with his daughter’s rising maturity.

“She grew a lot to the point we had an adult relationship,” Harrington said.

With Morgan Harrington receiving what Gil called a “proper burial,” many questions remain on how Morgan died.

The remains of 20-year-old Harrington, a junior education major, were found Jan. 26 by a farmer at Anchorage Farm property, approximately 10 miles from Charlottesville’s Copeley Road Bridge, where she was last seen alive. Virginia State Police confirmed Wednesday that Morgan’s death was a homicide. There has been no determination on a cause or time of Harrington’s death.

Dan Harrington said he checked internet blogs along with a Facebook memorial page made for his daughter for updates on Morgan’s case frequently. Harrington said his daughter’s death had left him “numb.”
“How could somebody murder this?” Harrington said, pointing to the large projector screen displaying a picture of Morgan. “She was a good daughter, and we loved her.”

Gil Harrington said her main goal was to find her daughter, and less to seek revenge.

“He’ll receive his punishment,” Harrington said of her daughter’s unknown assailant. “I’m confident they will find him.”

Dan Harrington also spoke highly of the newly formed scholarship in his daughter’s name for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, along with charity drive for Orphan Medical Network International, for which Gil Harrington, a nurse, had been to Zambia several times to assist with the group’s medical efforts.

OMNI recently announced it would rename a portion of the George Compound near Ndola, Zambia the “Morgan Harrington Educational Wing.”

For the time being, those who knew Morgan will find solace in her memory.

“She was so unique, words fall short of describing her,” said friend Maggie Herrick.
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1443 on: February 06, 2010, 06:35:45 AM »

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/235623
Friends and family gather to remember Morgan Harrington: 'She was not a perfect child, but she was an original'
Hundreds gathered to share their grief and celebrate the life of Morgan Harrington.

By Rex Bowman
777-3523
The friends and family of Morgan Harrington gathered at St. Andrew's Catholic Church on Friday to memorialize the zesty young woman known to her parents as "our child of light."

Seeking comfort in the somber cadences of Catholic prayer, more than 500 people braved snow and treacherous roads to pay tribute to the Roanoke County woman. Sharing the grief were friends of Harrington's from Northside High School, her classmates from Virginia Tech and strangers who never knew her but who followed the story of Harrington's disappearance and death in the media.

"She stood out in a crowd, not just because she was so beautiful with her long blond hair and her sparkling blue eyes, but because of something much deeper within her," said Father Steve McNally of the Church of the Transfiguration in Fincastle, who delivered the homily during the memorial Mass.

Harrington, 20, vanished from a Metallica concert in Charlottesville on Oct. 17. Her skeletal remains were found Jan. 26 in a hayfield in Albemarle County, 10 miles south of where she was last seen.
In her brief life, she was known for her passion for travel, fashion and music (from Jerry Garcia and the Beatles to Metallica); her hug-happy relationships with her friends and family; and the delight she took from working -- and playing -- with children. She aspired to be a teacher.

"I always said she was beautiful on the inside and out, and she truly was," her father, Dan Harrington, told those in the pews of St. Andrew's. "Morgan was an original. ... She was not a perfect child, but she was an original."

Following the memorial Mass, the family hosted a celebration of Harrington's life in a ballroom of Hotel Roanoke.

As a machine blew bubbles into the air, throngs watched a slide show of pictures of Harrington and gathered at a table where her belongings were displayed. The items included stiletto heels and cowboy boots, a red sequin dress, her passport, makeup kits and a blow dryer, sundry bracelets, baubles and an essay on the beach she had written in elementary school. (She received an A minus after misspelling "television.")

Dan Harrington hugs a friend following the memorial Mass honoring his daughter, Morgan, on Friday.

Morgan Harrington's family held her memorial service at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Roanoke.

Attendees take orange and maroon ribbons at a Mass honoring Morgan Harrington, the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who was recently found dead
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
no rose colored glasses
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 45869


Zoe you will always be in my heart and soul


« Reply #1444 on: February 06, 2010, 10:35:17 AM »

Thank-you for the updates Trimm  an angelic monkey
Logged
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1445 on: February 06, 2010, 08:10:28 PM »

Prayers for the Harrington family.  an angelic monkey
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
O4Bull
Monkey Junky
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 2919


Boycott ALL the Scamthonys THEY are ALL LIARS.


« Reply #1446 on: February 07, 2010, 04:18:09 PM »

I just wanted to add my prayers for the family and to say  I could only hope to have half as much courage and class as this family if I were in a similar situation.
Logged
Bearlyhere
Asst Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 17313



« Reply #1447 on: February 07, 2010, 05:14:02 PM »

From Youtube:

Tribute to Morgan Dana Harrington 1989-2009

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/-eWzKalgRYg&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/-eWzKalgRYg&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1</a>

Very well done!  Thank you, cece!

 


Logged

There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.
Time spent with monkeys is never wasted. 
I believe in miracles!
Bearlyhere
Asst Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 17313



« Reply #1448 on: February 07, 2010, 05:43:13 PM »



I can tell you from the death of my 20 year old nephew, a funeral for a young adult is one of the saddest things you will ever experience or see.  My nephew was a wrestler and young men and women wept openly and uncontrollably.  It just tore you apart.  God bless Morgan's family, her friends, and those who loved her or were affected by her.  God rest her soul.

The idea of a celebration of her life was a wonderful idea and a very thoughtful way of recognizing not only their grief, but that of her friends.


Logged

There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.
Time spent with monkeys is never wasted. 
I believe in miracles!
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1449 on: February 08, 2010, 06:47:36 PM »

Continued prayers for Morgan's family.  an angelic monkey
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1450 on: February 08, 2010, 07:40:09 PM »

   http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=11953798
Police Urge Correct Use Of Harrington Hotline
Posted: Feb 08, 2010 6:01 PM CST Updated: Feb 08, 2010 6:01 PM CST

Virginia State Police investigators say they are not getting the right kind of information on the Morgan Harrington case.

Last week police announced a new phone number to call with information pertaining to the Anchorage Farm property where Morgan's remains were found. They have gotten about 52 calls but only 10 percent had anything to do with the property.

If you have information that police should know about Anchorage Farm or the surrounding area call 434-709-1685.
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1451 on: February 09, 2010, 07:58:16 AM »

http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=11101808092903167&ShowArticle_ID=11800802104188707
Issue #22.06 :: 02/09/2010 - 02/15/2010
Morgan Harrington: Questions, no answers

Police urge locals to speak up about location

BY BRENDAN FITZGERALD
A day before Morgan Harrington’s family held a memorial service for their daughter at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Roanoke, Virginia State Police called a press conference to plead for any local residents with intimate knowledge of Anchorage Farm and the North Garden area to come forward.
“Community, educate us,” said Lieutenant Joe Rader. “Educate the police.” Rader worked quickly through a six-item list of “points of interest” about the spot on the 750-acre farm where Harrington’s remains were found. Among them: The person responsible for Harrington’s death may have been formally connected to the farm, felt compelled to travel there while under a high level of stress, and that Anchorage Farm was a higher risk location than others.
 
“Unless you know the area,” said Rader
Besides Anchorage Farm owner David Bass, those familiar with the area include locals and neighboring property owners. One resident of Blandemar Farm Estates, which abuts Bass’ farm, told C-VILLE Weekly that obstacles between their property and Anchorage include a steep ridge, a creek, woods and several rows of barbed wire fencing. “Not that it couldn’t be done,” said the resident. “It could be done, but with great difficulty. At night, I’d say pretty much impossible.”
 
As for local residents who might know the terrain, Rader said that police opened a new phone line for those who might possess a similarly deep knowledge of North Garden or Anchorage Farm: (434) 709-1685.
 
“We believe that people in the community can tell us who frequents the area...what has been out of the ordinary,” said Rader. “We believe that people in the community can contact us
The same day—last Thursday, as a second severe snowstorm was about to once again blanket David Bass’ Anchorage Farm property, where Harrington’s remains surfaced three months after she disappeared—Bass said that his week had returned to normal somewhat.
State police spent three days on his property examining the site where Harrington’s remains were found. The day after he found Harrington’s remains, Bass said, “I did give them the names of people who come to the farm frequently.” He added that he knew some of his neighbors had done the same, “because they’ve told me.”
Among the names Bass turned over to state police were those of maintenance workers, hunters he allowed on his land, acquaintances of his daughter, and a complete list of tenants who have lived in a farm house on his property, dating back 20 years.
 
“I happened to’ve kept leases, so I had the names,” he said. “No current addresses, but [Virginia State Police] have their names.” He also said that several reporters have asked for access to the farm, but he has not permitted it.
 
C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1452 on: February 09, 2010, 08:54:55 AM »

http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=11101808092903167&ShowArticle_ID=11800802104209643
Issue #22.06 :: 02/09/2010 - 02/15/2010
John Paul Jones must take account

News Analysis
Whatever happened to the All-American City, the Best Place to Live, the Best Place to Relocate, Tree City USA, the place—when I first moved here for graduate school in the 1970s—that soothed my heart, gave me life, and healed my soul?
Charlottesville has a new public face—that of Morgan Harrington. Her murder is the downside of all the accolades and awards, and the entire community is grieving for her.
 
Some news stories are just heavier than others; some wounds cut deeper by far. Morgan’s murder is a watershed event. Charlottesville is just not quite so believable, so likable, so fashionable, at the moment. Her abduction and murder has punctured our cherished assumptions about ourselves, that Charlottesville magic, those little Charlottesville niceties and refinements, those highly touted Charlottesville intangibles.
 
Writing with astonishing insight and restraint, Gil Harrington, Morgan’s mother, said that we in Charlottesville live inside a bubble. We are a self-satisfied lot. “I am concerned about the complacency in Charlottesville,” she wrote on January 23 on FindMorgan.com. “I am feeling a tendency to downplay Morgan’s abduction, to protect the idyllic reputation of the city. I bought into that idyllic image until my daughter was stolen there.”
 
Most of this terrible puzzle remains to be solved, including the critical sequence of events that occurred outside the John Paul Jones Arena that night, and why a clearly disoriented Morgan was denied re-entry to the building—why she was shut out, despite her erratic conduct and widely reported attempts to regain entry to the facility. A call about Morgan to Carol Wood, assistant vice-president for public affairs at the University of Virginia, was unreturned. No representative of the management company that operates JPJ on behalf of UVA has made a public statement about the events of October 17, 2009.
 
For many, Morgan’s attempt to get back inside the building was a cry for help, a last chance to save her. So what happened, and should the Commonwealth of Virginia, which owns the arena, take a hard look at re-examining its now controversial no-re-entry policy?
 
“Morgan is the poster child for the need to re-evaluate that policy,” said Matthew B. Murray, one of Charlottesville’s most eminent attorneys. “The policy of non-re-admittance has to be examined.”
Had Morgan regained entry to JPJ she would still be alive today. Inside JPJ, she would have had access to emergency medical attention. At Scott Stadium, the University of Virginia operates a busy triage center where emergency first aid is administered to inebriated or incapacitated attendees. Those at serious risk of death are transported from the stadium by ambulance to the emergency room, a routine occurrence every Saturday afternoon during home football games, when a dozen or more fans—frequently underage—can be found in the E.R. receiving I.V. fluids and having their stomachs pumped. [I have been to the E.R. on games days and seen this for myself.]
 
JPJ is no different from Scott Stadium. It is a UVA-owned venue for entertainment where alcohol is sold.
“Yes,” Murray said, “especially at a venue like a concert where alcohol is sold and marijuana smoke prevalent inside. Intoxication is to be expected. If they are promoting intoxicated behavior by selling overpriced beers, peddling alcohol to people who may be drinking underage, then they have to make sure they are safe. Of course there is a duty. There has to be some standard of supervision. Parents are entitled to expect that this principle applies when dropping their underage children off at a concert.”
 
Murray also says that all employees of JPJ must be trained to be on the lookout for people in distress.
 “How many security officers does JPJ employ?” Murray asks. “Young people are expected at concerts. Could JPJ not designate at least one responsible person to be stationed outside just to be on the lookout for this?”
 
“If first aid is needed,” it reads on the JPJ web site, “please notify the nearest staff member.” This precisely, it may be speculated, is what Morgan may have been attempting.
 
Another noted Charlottesville attorney of long experience, requesting anonymity out of sensitivity to the Harrington family and not wanting to appear “unsympathetic” to their ordeal, vigorously disagrees. He stresses personal responsibility in the conduct of people of all ages, making no allowance for the fact that Morgan was only 20, and that 20-year-olds are capable of errors of judgment that a more mature person would not commit. He also cites the “no dram-shop” law in Virginia—that the seller of alcohol bears no responsibility for the actions of its inebriated, law-breaking patrons.
 
But Morgan, at 20, was under the legal drinking age.
 
“Bad things sometimes just happen to people,” he says, “and it is normal to look for someone to blame. JPJ is not the culprit. This was a random act of violence. Why can’t Morgan’s friends be sued for failing to come to her outside? If she was drinking with friends, why did they not help her? There is always someone at the margin who could have acted differently.”
 
Those who believe the employees and management of the John Paul Jones Arena acted correctly must be prudent, however. If they too strenuously defend the institution and its rules, they come across as “blaming the victim.” Violent crimes against women at American colleges and universities continue to increase, and there is a frightening trend in such cases to put the victim on trial. Some blog posts I’ve read have crossed this line and as the father of daughters I protest.
 
Those who embrace the “personal responsibility” argument may have forgotten that most 20-year-olds are still kids.
 
We will attempt to heal ourselves, our daughters, and our community as evidence is gathered and this crime eventually solved. But in the meantime, reasonable people may differ about the events that took place at the John Paul Jones Arena. At the end of the day, it may be for a jury to decide.
 
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
goodnmad
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 5709


Good grief! It's Charlie Brown.


« Reply #1453 on: February 09, 2010, 10:29:13 AM »

We'll be here every day, waiting on an arrest(s). I hope it is soon.

Prayers for Morgan's family.
Logged

I remember you, Caylee.
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1454 on: February 09, 2010, 11:02:18 AM »

http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=11952765
Harrington case reminding many of Route 29 Stalker
Posted: Feb 08, 2010 3:25 PM CST Updated: Feb 08, 2010 10:10 PM CST

By Rachel DePompa - bio | email

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (WWBT) – The search for Morgan Harrington's killer continues. The skeletal remains of the Virginia Tech student were found two weeks ago on a farm off Route 29. Her murder is reminding many of a cold case from 14 years ago: The abduction and murder of a woman by the Route 29 Stalker.

A young woman goes missing. She's last seen on the side of the road. Weeks later her remains are found in a remote area near Route 29.  This isn't a description of what happened to Harrington -- this is the story of Alicia Showalter Reynolds.

For 46 days in the winter of 1996, the Route 29 Stalker terrorized women.

He would flash his lights and gesture from his window. When the women would stop he would tell them there was something wrong with their car. Maybe sparks coming from underneath.

In all 23 women were flagged down. At least three got in the man's truck, and just as suddenly as it began, it stopped the day Alicia Showalter Reynolds was murdered.

"We both had a lot of admiration for her grit and determination," said her father, Harley Showalter. "And her spunkyness… her brilliance and her beauty."
On March 2, 1996, 25-year-old grad student and wife Alicia was driving from Maryland to Charlottesville to meet her mother for a shopping trip.  She left early in the morning and traveled along Route 29 – and by mid- morning?

"She didn't show," said her mother, Sadie.

Alicia was gone.

Her car was found on Route 29. Her credit cards and coat in nearby by towns.

"Where is she? Where could she be? What is her state of mind? What's her state of body?" said. Harley.

She went missing for two long months. Thousands of tips poured in to police. Investigators released sketches of a suspect. Dozens of women began to come forward saying he had stopped them too.

Several drivers passing by say they saw Alicia and a man looking over her cars engine on the side of Route 29. Several more drivers told police they saw Alicia get in that man's pickup truck.

"I felt right from the beginning she was gone," Sadie said. "My biggest fear during those 9 1/2 weeks was not finding her body. That was such a big fear."
It ended May 7 when a man saw buzzards circling a clear cut field in Lignum, Va.  He had found Alicia's remains.  Fourteen years later, no one has ever been arrested.

The Showalters say Mark Evontiz could have been their daughter's killer. After his suicide in 2002 he was linked to the murders of three Spotsylvania County girls in 1996, but as far as the Showalters know his DNA has never been tested.

"If he was stopping that many women," Sadie said, "how is it that they haven't found him yet? They haven't been able to charge anybody with the crime."

Brian Hermsneier remembers Alicia every day. He still keeps a cross in his front yard along Route 29 where police found her car. People still leaves flowers there today.

"It's a little scary to think that it could happen, and that it could happen again," he said.

The discovery of missing Morgan Harrington's remains has the region once again on edge. For the Showalters, Morgan's story was startling.

"What really hit me was that it was found on Route 29. For some reason that emotionally was difficult for me," Sadie said.

Harley was struck by the cleverness of the killer in both cases.

"So ironically similar just kind of like got his victim and then disappeared," he said. "And they were found in very remote areas. Makes you wonder."

When Morgan was still missing, Sadie wrote a letter to the Harrington's. The Showalters -- more than anyone else -- know their pain.

"We knew what that felt like for her to all of a sudden be gone and not know," Sadie said.
"We just hoped that they wouldn't have to wait as long as they did," Harley said.

Alicia's case is now cold, the lead investigator recently retired. If you have any information on that could help state police, call 1-888-300-0156.
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1455 on: February 09, 2010, 04:45:39 PM »

http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1991704080566501&act=post&pid=12030902100467177

John Casteen delivers final State of University address as UVA President
by Brendan Fitzgerald, February 9th 04:01pm

<snipped>
Casteen took a few minutes to remind the audience that, while Charlottesville is "considered to be a safe community," incidents like the death of Morgan Harrington—the daughter of a faculty member, Casteen pointed out, referring to Dan Harrington's work with the Carillion Roanoke Memorial Hospital—function as reminders that "bad things can happen and do happen." "If you see a person in need of help or intervention, offer," said Casteen.
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
Jennifer34
Scared Monkey
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 482



« Reply #1456 on: February 09, 2010, 11:47:00 PM »

I would just like to say as a 42 year old woman,  my husband brought home 2 free tickets to the John Mayer (sp?) concert in Birmingham.  I know who he is and like some songs, cant say I would "pay" for a ticket... none the less...

As we went in the civic center in the downtown area, my first thought was, it was much scarier walking from the car than actually being inside...  Inside, all I saw were a bazillion teenagers and "older ladies" and men that were drug there by their dates, mostly against their will and then the creepy people that appeared to be there for no real purpose.

I am no pro-filer by any sort, I have been here since NH days and I remember Taylor B. and all of them.  I have a 19 year old step daughter that I pride myself in actually being somewhat close to and I have to tell you,  for me, this was a very different concert.  I dont think any concert will ever be the same after Morgan and I dont want it to be for my sd (step daughter) either.

I didn't want to take my purse, very cold, big coat and too much to keep up with.  I told my husband that is 47, to hold my ID (I am a beer drinker, still need the ID, lol) and I took my phone.  He said "WHY" I said, if we get separated, I can call you.  If  I were to get snatched, then hopefully my phone pings can find me.....etc.  Sad that we have to think like that these days.  Sadder that I saw WAAAAAYYYYYY too many young girls...walking around, freaking ALONE.  I am not a prude by any sort, never been so good at pulling off some super sexy out fit, but could hold my own back in the day.  HA HA   TOO many of these girls looked like they might as well have a bulls eye tapped to their face.  Not even because of the way they were dressed, but because they were just not aware of their surroundings.  More focused on "the moment" so to speak.  Young, innocent, clueless, and dressed a bit over the top.  Luckily there really weren't too many dressed over the top.  Most were just your dressed in your standard skirt, cool boots, t-shirt, sadly just like Morgan... pretty and young and innocent and a HUGE TARGET for bad people.

The biggest thing I saw, now that I am even sooo much more aware, was that these girls, guys either one were not so much dressed provocatively, they just were not paying one bit of attention to their surroundings.  There were seriously, WAAAY to many girls walking around texting and on their cell phones completely obliviously to what was going on around them.

As to not ramble further, I will just say... I dont think any of us that have been affected by this case will ever go to a concert in the same way and maybe we shouldnt.  I like to think that Morgan's story was for my sd and I drive it home to her every chance I get...





Logged
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1457 on: February 10, 2010, 07:51:47 PM »

http://www.cvilledaily.com/index.php/2010/02/police-continue-to-seek-information-in-harrington-case/
Police Continue to Seek Information in Harrington Case

Anchorage Farm owner David Bass said he has informed police of any workers and hunters who have worked on his property where Morgan Harrington’s remains were found two weeks ago. Police are still asking the public to provide information specifically on the Anchorage Farm location through its tipline at 434-709-1685.
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1458 on: February 10, 2010, 07:56:45 PM »

Police Continue to Seek Information in Harrington Case

Story 1 Comments Video Font Size: February 10, 2010

It's been a little more than two weeks since David Bass, the owner of Anchorage Farm in Charlottesville, discovered Morgan Harrington's remains on his property.

He said he has told investigators about every person who ever worked on his farm, including surveyors, landscapers, loggers and haymakers. Bass told police everything he knows about people who have hunted on his farm, although he said he's only given permission to four people.

Bass also said his neighbors in nearby Blandemar Farm Estates and North Garden have been interviewed by police.

Police remind the public to call the new tip number -- 434-709-1685 -- only if they have information about the Anchorage Farm property.

"People that come and go from this property, maybe even people who've avoided that property since Morgan's disappearance in October [should] use the additional tip line," said Corinne Geller of the Virginia State Police.

So far, only about six of the 60 phone calls to this new tip line have been about location. Police say they're looking for more.

"People are out there," Geller said. "They know what's going on in their neighborhoods, and they're out there every day. And those are the folks who hold the missing key to this puzzle."

Geller said they are treating Morgan's death as a murder. They have ruled out an accidental death. And with every passing day, they say they are getting closer to solving this case.

http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/84050762.html--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
trimmonthelake
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 43428



« Reply #1459 on: February 11, 2010, 09:10:11 AM »

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/236162
Tech sends safety notification to students
Morgan Harrington's parents asked Tech and UVa to send the notice, which listed safety tips.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
By Tonia Moxley | The Roanoke Times

In an e-mail sent Wednesday afternoon, Virginia Tech officials asked students to take precautions for their personal safety after last month's discovery of 20-year-old Morgan Harrington's remains on a farm outside Charlottesville.

Harrington, a Tech student from Roanoke County, disappeared Oct. 17 after leaving her friends at a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones arena at the University of Virginia.

Harrington was last seen trying to hitch a ride on the Copeley Road bridge in Charlottesville. Her skeletal remains were found 10 miles away in an isolated field in Albemarle County.

According to police, she had been drinking the night she went missing.

Police continue to investigate her death, which has been ruled a homicide.

The safety notification was sent from Tech Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Spencer on Wednesday and gave a long list of general safety tips.

Among them, the e-mail suggested students avoid walking alone at night and use the campus SafeRide program or the Blacksburg Transit bus system. It also emphasized that students who choose to drink at parties should make safety plans with friends to avoid dangerous situations.

"Remember that alcohol use can dull judgment and lead to a false sense of security," the e-mail stated.

Harrington's parents, Dan and Gil Harrington, suggested the notifications be sent out to students at both Tech and UVa, Spencer said.

Harrington's brother, Alex, is an alumnus of UVa.
"We didn't want Morgan to go out by herself alone," Dan Harrington is quoted in the e-mail as saying. "There are so many things that if we could change, we would have a different outcome."

UVa officials sent out a similar campus notice last week.

"We felt it would appropriate to do something parallel here at Virginia Tech," Spencer said.
Logged

  ~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."
~ Peter Frampton
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 »   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Use of this web site in any manner signifies unconditional acceptance, without exception, of our terms of use.
Powered by SMF 1.1.13 | SMF © 2006-2011, Simple Machines LLC
 
Page created in 6.19 seconds with 19 queries.