Harrington case to be featured on ‘Heavy Metal Mystery’
The cable and satellite channel Investigation Discovery plans to air a special look at Morgan Harrington’s homicide case tonight at 9 p.m.
The episode of “Heavy Metal Mystery” will feature the case of the murdered Virginia Tech student tonight at 9 p.m. The show reairs on Sunday, April 24, at 6 p.m.
The program will feature interviews with:
Morgan’s Harrington’s parents, Dan and Gil Harrington
Special Agent Dino Cappuzzo and Lt. Joe Rader of the State Police
Courteney Stuart, editor of Charlottesville’s The Hook
Norma Parson, a Charlottesville newspaper delivery person who reportedly spotted Harrington the night she disappeared
NoVa man convicted for false info in Harrington case
A Northern Virginia man was convicted Wednesday in Appomattox County of maliciously and intentionally making a false statement to Virginia State Police through a telephone tip he provided last fall in the Morgan Harrington case.
State Police arrested Alvin T. Daniels, 51, of Alexandria, Va., in May on the one count of obstruction of justice. On Nov. 11, 2009, State Police investigators had received a tip at the Appomattox Division headquarters from an anonymous caller directing agents to seek out a 34-year-old Prince William County man in the disappearance of Morgan Harrington, the 20-year-old Roanoke woman who went missing from the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville during a Metallica concert on the night of Oct. 17, 2009.
The caller accused the Prince William man of being responsible for Harrington’s disappearance. State Police agents immediately acted on the tip. With the assistance of the FBI and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Team Adam Consultants, State Police within 48 hours tracked down both the Prince William County man and Daniels. Further investigation revealed that the Prince William County man was in no way connected to the Harrington case, but instead the victim of an act of vengeance on the part of Daniels.
An Appomattox Circuit Court judge sentenced Daniels to six months suspended jail time on the condition of good behavior over the next 12 months. He is also to have no contact with the victim in this case and was ordered to pay more than $1,600 in restitution to the Virginia State Police for time expended by agents vetting his tip.
“Investigative tip lines are for the sole purpose of generating relevant information related to an ongoing criminal investigation,” said Lt. Joe Rader, Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Appomattox Division. “We in no way want to deter anyone from calling State Police or Crime Stoppers with information, but the public does need to be aware that there are penalties for purposely misleading investigators with a tip. In this instance, our investigators had to spend valuable time away from the Morgan Harrington case in order to vet an intentional false lead.”
The investigation into Morgan Harrington’s disappearance and death remains ongoing. The public is still encouraged to call in tips to the Virginia State Police tip line at 434.352.3467 or the Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers at 434.977.4000.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Break in Harrington murder?
State Police investigate link to ’05 Fairfax case
Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Investigators are pursuing a forensic connection between the disappearance and death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington and an unsolved 2005 abduction and sexual assault in Fairfax.
Forensic evidence recovered during the course of the Harrington investigation has confirmed the link to the Fairfax assault, the State Police said Thursday. In September 2005, a Fairfax woman was abducted and sexually assaulted, and 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. Continue reading “Break in Harrington murder?” »
Month six: Update on Harrington investigation
Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Morgan Harrington was last seen alive outside the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville the night of Oct. 17, 2009. We’re nearing the six-month mark since her disappearance, and are still not any closer to learning what led to her death. Continue reading “Month six: Update on Harrington investigation” »
Location of ‘greatest significance’ in Harrington investigation
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The Albemarle County farm where the remains of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington were discovered on Jan. 26 are of “the greatest significance” in unraveling the mystery of her Oct. 17 disappearance, a Virginia State Police investigator said Thursday.
Investigators believe that the person or persons responsible for her homicide is or are likely to have traveled, worked, recreated or lived in close proximity to the historic Anchorage Farm located in southern Albemarle County.
“Of all the events that transpired between Morgan and the person or persons responsible for this tragic incident, the person(s) responsible had complete control of deciding to choose the specific farm where Morgan was discovered. Therefore, investigators need to understand who knows this area,” said Lt. Joe Rader of the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Appomattox field office. Continue reading “Location of ‘greatest significance’ in Harrington investigation” »
State Police: Remains in Albemarle appear to be Harrington
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The Virginia State Police is saying that human remains found on a farm in southern Albemarle County appear to be those of Morgan Harrington, 20, a Virginia Tech student who was reported missing after attending a concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on Oct. 17.
“We’re fairly confident that the remains are those of Morgan Dana Harrington,” said Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty at a news conference in Charlottesville Tuesday afternoon.
The remains have been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Richmond for identification and an autopsy, Flaherty said. “Until we receive word from the autopsy, we can’t say with 100 percent certainty that this is truly Miss Harrington. However, there were some significant items of evidence that makes us confident that that scientific procedure will confirm that ID,” Flaherty said. Continue reading “State Police: Remains in Albemarle appear to be Harrington” »
Breaking: Human remains found in Albemarle
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
Virginia State Police and Albemarle County Police are currently on the scene of the discovery of skeletal remains in Albemarle County.
State Police were notified at 9:59 a.m. this morning by an Albemarle County resident of the discovery, according to a news release from the State Police.
At this time, the remains and scene are being evaluated by forensic technicians. There is no further information to release at this time, according to the State Police report.
Interest is high in the investigation with the possibility that the remains could be related to the missing-person case involving Morgan Harrington, 20, a Virginia Tech student reported missing in Charlottesville on Oct. 17.
Investigator: Harrington case not ‘cold’
State Police still pursuing leads; ‘We have to keep plugging away’
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The case of missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, who hasn’t been seen since she left a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville the night of Oct. 17, is “not anywhere near” the level of being labeled a cold case, a Virginia State Police investigator said today.
“A cold case is when you’re not actively pursuing a case, you’ve exhausted all your leads, you’re not putting a whole lot of effort into it. This isn’t anywhere near that. We’ve been working on this every day since we started with core investigators as well as other resources. It’s very much active,” State Police Lt. Joe Rader said on the Harrington case, which has gone cold in one respect, as the media attention on Harrington has gone into decline after an initial period of several weeks of intense coverage of the investigation.
New leads and tips have also slowed, Rader said, with the activity in that arena in recent days being from psychics and remote viewers, “not really people who were there who have concrete information,” Rader said. Continue reading “Investigator: Harrington case not ‘cold’” »
Timeline, other new details in Harrington case
As the search and investigative efforts continue for missing college student Morgan Harrington, state and local investigators are now able to release additional details concerning the night of her disappearance. Miss Harrington disappeared Oct. 17, 2009, during a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville.
During the course of the investigation, police have been able to establish a timeline of Miss Harrington’s movements once she ended up outside of the arena at approximately 8:30 p.m. After talking to her friends on her cell phone, she then walked through the parking lot of University Hall and was also seen in the Lannigan Field athlete parking lot, which is also used for RV parking. At around 9:30 p.m., she was seen walking on the Copeley Road bridge near Ivy Road. Continue reading “Timeline, other new details in Harrington case” »
Location for Harrington search party meeting changed
The meeting location for the Morgan Harrington Volunteer Search Party has changed for Friday-Sunday, Nov. 6-8.
Volunteers must now sign-in at the Department of Forestry located at:
900 Natural Resources Drive
Charlottesville, Va. 22903
Searches will begin this weekend at 9 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, must provide photo identification, and are encouraged to dress in comfortable clothing. Continue reading “Location for Harrington search party meeting changed” »
Volunteer community search to begin Friday in Harrington case
Dr. Daniel Harrington and wife Gil, parents of missing Virginia Tech student, Morgan Dana Harrington, announced today the organization of a volunteer community search party to help find their daughter. The 20-year-old woman disappeared Oct. 17 while attending a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
Morgan has long blonde hair, blue eyes, and weighs approximately 120 pounds at 5 foot, 6 inches in height.
The search will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 at the Cavalier Inn in Charlottesville and will reconvene at that hour on Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, must provide photo identification, and are encouraged to dress in comfortable clothing. Continue reading “Volunteer community search to begin Friday in Harrington case” »
