Found Deceased VA - Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, Charlottesville, 17 Oct 2009 - #8

[part time prof]

His dismissal was a long time coming. I would say it has absolutely nothing to do with Morgan.

I was in Charlottesville on Saturday at the VA Tech UVA game. I didn't see any flyers for Morgan. Granted I only went to the stadium but I thought there might be some in the stadium since they were playing VA Tech. One thing I did notice was how close everything was to each other - the shopping center is very walkable from the JPJ arena.

If you're referring to Barracks Road shopping center, yes it is, but it is in the opposite direction from where MH was heading. If you mean the one that has the Foods of All Nations grocery store in it, it's over the bridge and half a block west on Ivy Road (but if she was hitchhiking on the sidewalk of the bridge, a car picking her up would have been heading away from the Ivy/Copeley intersection). Your point is well taken that it's a pretty compact area she was seen in, though, before disappearing.

 

[part time prof]

I heard some interesting things this weekend about Morgan from what I feel is a reliable source I know who works around the VA Tech area, and also know people who know Morgan directly.

*rumors/hearsay here*

The basic gist is that a lot of people (my note - not necessarily the girls she was with, or I'm guessing not friends her parents could 'see' on FB/Myspace) Morgan hung around were known as heroin (my note - specifically heroin) addicts. The other thing was that Morgan had gained a reputation as a bit of a 'man stealer.'

My thoughts & speculation: If true (which I have perfect faith in this source, but have to hold any rumor under the bright lights of speculation) then both these things could put her in danger if spotted alone....bad drug deal or robbery gone wrong in one case, the other could have been revenge gone wrong involving an angry girl and that girl's group of friends. Drugs would explain the strange circumstance of leaving before the concert, but so would meeting up with a guy...only maybe the meeting was a setup by an angry girlfriend who intercepted text messages from her and wanted a confrontation (sadly I see/hear this among 20-ish girls all the time now).

It could also explain why the drug question has been avoided and/or carefully answered previously. From what I gathered from this person, this information is well known around there but is being excluded by the media. I don't know if they mean exclusion out of respect, out of a request from family, or out of seeking to keep Morgan's personality flawless so people don't lose interest in her. When drugs are mentioned in these cases, most people tune out...even though nobody deserves being kidnapped or attacked or killed (NOBODY).

Please don't be angry at me for posting this, I just wanted to share it because I found it to be different from what we are seeing reported and therefore interesting.:angel:

Interesting angle, and kind of coincidental that there was a male with the same first and last name as MH who died of a methadone related overdose in May of this year (search MH plus heroin). Wonder if that started some false rumors (not to say that this MH wasn't into the same scene, as your friend suggests, which would put a whole different spin on this).

http://blogs.myspace.com/shexasaur

 

[mayfairlight]

I would still like to know what she said to those sports guys, and how she seemed to them...

 

[di anna]

I don't comment frequently but I keep up with what is going on with this case. I read regularly (however my new puppy chewed my ethernet cord, so I was down over Thanksgiving). Right now lets see who this female is that they have just found, location is prime for it to be MH. I was thinking about the previous post about a killer that dumps on the side of the road as opposed to one who goes to the trouble of burying. I would think going to the trouble of burying a body would show remorse, emotional attachment and certainly guilt, they also don't want to be caught. Dumping a body on the side of the road is much more cowardly and calloused. I am not a expert, just my opinion that's all.

 

[Wes]

Why haven't we heard anything about Miss Morton before this?

I heard about it a few weeks ago. But admittedly I was searching for info regarding Morgan. It is always interesting to see which cases receive attention and even national attention and which ones don't. I could speculate but don't have all the answers.

 

[newshound6]

I heard some interesting things this weekend about Morgan from what I feel is a reliable source I know who works around the VA Tech area, and also know people who know Morgan directly.

*rumors/hearsay here*

The basic gist is that a lot of people (my note - not necessarily the girls she was with, or I'm guessing not friends her parents could 'see' on FB/Myspace) Morgan hung around were known as heroin (my note - specifically heroin) addicts. The other thing was that Morgan had gained a reputation as a bit of a 'man stealer.'

My thoughts & speculation: If true (which I have perfect faith in this source, but have to hold any rumor under the bright lights of speculation) then both these things could put her in danger if spotted alone....bad drug deal or robbery gone wrong in one case, the other could have been revenge gone wrong involving an angry girl and that girl's group of friends. Drugs would explain the strange circumstance of leaving before the concert, but so would meeting up with a guy...only maybe the meeting was a setup by an angry girlfriend who intercepted text messages from her and wanted a confrontation (sadly I see/hear this among 20-ish girls all the time now).

It could also explain why the drug question has been avoided and/or carefully answered previously. From what I gathered from this person, this information is well known around there but is being excluded by the media. I don't know if they mean exclusion out of respect, out of a request from family, or out of seeking to keep Morgan's personality flawless so people don't lose interest in her. When drugs are mentioned in these cases, most people tune out...even though nobody deserves being kidnapped or attacked or killed (NOBODY).

Please don't be angry at me for posting this, I just wanted to share it because I found it to be different from what we are seeing reported and therefore interesting.:angel:

Ok- I don't know if I think this info has any REAL bearing on what happened the night of Oct.17 but if true,it clears up for me alot of the other aspects of this situation we have all been baffled about e.g. the friend's seeming indifference,the parents loyalty to the friends,the parents breezing past the questions about "impairment" etc...to me, this gossip kind of rings true and fits into the big picture.I don't see how it could affect her vanishing except that heroin=deadly overdoses more than any other substance and impairment could for sure lead to terrible,erratic decision making.And again -for me ,and I hope everyone else this info would not diminish my concern for her well being at all.

 

[truthsleuth]

The body found could be Cassandra Morton (as previously suggested), but Morgan is a fair-skinned Caucasian, and Cassandra is African-American. The police wouldn't need to distinguish the two by clothing differences; it would be obvious that this wasn't Morgan in one glance, even with decomp, if the body that was found is that of an African American. So it's highly possible and perhaps probable that the body found is Caucasian... which keeps Morgan in the realm of being the victim.

I sincerely hope not; I'm praying that's not the case, but we shall know soon enough following an autopsy.

The State of Virginia seems to have its hands full lately with missing young people and unsolved murders in its remote mountain areas. Seems that way to me anyway, or as they say MOO, JMO, IMO, etc.

 

[nervous_nellie]

The body found could be Cassandra Morton (as previously suggested), but Morgan is a fair-skinned Caucasian, and Cassandra is African-American. The police wouldn't need to distinguish the two by clothing differences; it would be obvious that this wasn't Morgan in one glance, even with decomp, if the body that was found is that of an African American. So it's highly possible and perhaps probable that the body found is Caucasian... which keeps Morgan in the realm of being the victim.

I sincerely hope not; I'm praying that's not the case, but we shall know soon enough following an autopsy.

The State of Virginia seems to have its hands full lately with missing young people and unsolved murders in its remote mountain areas. Seems that way to me anyway, or as they say MOO, JMO, IMO, etc.

moo the blond hair would be a big factor

 

[Wes]

WDBJ just reported there are 2 active missing person cases in the Lynchburg area. Haven't heard anything about the other case before now. Also said the body found was missing its head. (Sorry for being graphic)

 

[nervous_nellie]

WDBJ just reported there are 2 active missing person cases in the Lynchburg area. Haven't heard anything about the other case before now. Also said the body found was missing its head. (Sorry for being graphic)

thats what i was afraid of. must have been very shallow...this really upsets me. her poor family, i cant even imagine what they have got to be going thru

eta, is that the only part missing?

 

[truthsleuth]

WDBJ just reported there are 2 active missing person cases in the Lynchburg area. Haven't heard anything about the other case before now. Also said the body found was missing its head. (Sorry for being graphic)

Needless to say, it's a sick world.

 

[Dum-Dum Sucker]

I don't comment frequently but I keep up with what is going on with this case. I read regularly (however my new puppy chewed my ethernet cord, so I was down over Thanksgiving). Right now lets see who this female is that they have just found, location is prime for it to be MH. .

snipped

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11494266

Since the location is Lynchburg, there might be a better chance that the victim may be this missing woman.

Link compliments of poster Wes.

 

[MBLover]

According to the lunchtime news on Channel 10 (WSLS - local NBC) - the grave was not a dug out grave per se... They said the body was covered with rocks.

 

[Wes]

thats what i was afraid of. must have been very shallow...this really upsets me. her poor family, i cant even imagine what they have got to be going thru

eta, is that the only part missing?

They didn't mention any other parts or details. The report did reiterate that the clothing didn't match what Morgan was last seen wearing. They also said the body was discovered by a Liberty University student while hiking through that area. I am aware that the entire mountain area is covered with miles and miles of hiking and biking trails.

ETA:

Here's the link to the WDBJ news story: http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11589283

 

[truthsleuth]

... Here's the link to the WDBJ news story: http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11589283

"Two women are currently missing in the Lynchburg area and investigators say they are following up on those cases. Both missing women are in their early twenties. One is a Lynchburg College student."

So there are 3 missing young women in southern Virginia? Morgan, Cassandra Morton, and a Lynchburg College student? And then there was Heidi Childs who was killed along with her boyfriend David Metzler on July 27 on Craig Creek Road in Jefferson National Forest, not all that far from Lynchburg. I'd be freaking if I lived in that area. All of these people were/are in their 20s.

Repeat after me: Serial killer on the loose.

Oh, did I say MOO, JMO, and IMO?


P.S. Believe me, I will not be visiting southern VA any time soon.

 

[MeoW333]

I like everybody am waiting for any news. Praying it is not Morgan...but also that it is all a dream and it is nobody. Somebody, somebody loves has died.

I was sitting here reading the breaking news I posted above and am wondering.

In profiles what kind of killer buries and what kind of killer dumps? Somebody had a ton of time and courage to walk 200 ft, dig a grave, place a body and leave. Seems to me bodies are usually by the road and not buried.

Anybody ever do any reading on this?

A killer who buries a body shows insight to covering their tracks and wanting to hide evidence, they may kill them in a different place than where they dispose of them. The perp would be an "organized killer" as opposed to an "unorganized" one. The perp being in the organized killer category would have a normal to above normal IQ range and would also be aware of forensic evidence and have knowledge about that, which is why he would want to bury his victims. The killer would bury so that the victim is not found so quickly.
Given the area, i would say the perp would have to be familiar with the area at least to know enough about it so that he wouldn't get caught when digging a grave to put the body in and then leave. That he actually took the time to bury a body shows that he was comfortable enough with the area to do so. The killer may appear "normal" to friends and acquaintances, maybe be married with children. The perp would also be one to follow their crimes in the media (maybe that's why not much has been released about this case, i don't know..)

Now disorganized killers are those who have a lower IQ range usually below 90, they are impulsive, grab victims of oppurtunity and they usually leave the body they same place they killed the person, they rarely bother to cover anything up. They may do a blitz style attack and then do what they do with the body, ritualistically speaking. They are more socially inept and introverted than the organized killers, and the unorganized ones may have a history of mental illness.

Sometimes there are always exceptions to the rules, and we have atypical killers that may not fit exactly each different profile, nothing is 100% set in stone, however they usually do fall into one of the categories, either being disorganized or organized.

I hope this helps some..

 

[MeoW333]

The body found could be Cassandra Morton (as previously suggested), but Morgan is a fair-skinned Caucasian, and Cassandra is African-American. The police wouldn't need to distinguish the two by clothing differences; it would be obvious that this wasn't Morgan in one glance, even with decomp, if the body that was found is that of an African American. So it's highly possible and perhaps probable that the body found is Caucasian... which keeps Morgan in the realm of being the victim.

I sincerely hope not; I'm praying that's not the case, but we shall know soon enough following an autopsy.

The State of Virginia seems to have its hands full lately with missing young people and unsolved murders in its remote mountain areas. Seems that way to me anyway, or as they say MOO, JMO, IMO, etc.

The remote mountain areas provide good dumping grounds for killers as they are remote. Less chance of being caught while burying or ridding a body. Less people, less travelled, less witnesses.

 

[MeoW333]

I heard some interesting things this weekend about Morgan from what I feel is a reliable source I know who works around the VA Tech area, and also know people who know Morgan directly.

*rumors/hearsay here*

The basic gist is that a lot of people (my note - not necessarily the girls she was with, or I'm guessing not friends her parents could 'see' on FB/Myspace) Morgan hung around were known as heroin (my note - specifically heroin) addicts. The other thing was that Morgan had gained a reputation as a bit of a 'man stealer.'

My thoughts & speculation: If true (which I have perfect faith in this source, but have to hold any rumor under the bright lights of speculation) then both these things could put her in danger if spotted alone....bad drug deal or robbery gone wrong in one case, the other could have been revenge gone wrong involving an angry girl and that girl's group of friends. Drugs would explain the strange circumstance of leaving before the concert, but so would meeting up with a guy...only maybe the meeting was a setup by an angry girlfriend who intercepted text messages from her and wanted a confrontation (sadly I see/hear this among 20-ish girls all the time now).

It could also explain why the drug question has been avoided and/or carefully answered previously. From what I gathered from this person, this information is well known around there but is being excluded by the media. I don't know if they mean exclusion out of respect, out of a request from family, or out of seeking to keep Morgan's personality flawless so people don't lose interest in her. When drugs are mentioned in these cases, most people tune out...even though nobody deserves being kidnapped or attacked or killed (NOBODY).

Please don't be angry at me for posting this, I just wanted to share it because I found it to be different from what we are seeing reported and therefore interesting.:angel:

The thing about rumors is that they may either be based on truth, or they may not be based on truth at all and just assumptions.
While Morgan may have had friends who did heroine, it doesn't mean that she herself did, or maybe she did do drugs, but she didn't do heroine.
If Morgan did have a drug history, is Charlottesville known to the surrounding areas to be a place to go to get drugs?

When i was younger, i had an eating disorder and people spreaded rumors that i was on heroine, which i have never touched in my life. Rumors fly around by those wishing to make conversation and distract attention away from theirselves.

While we don't know for sure if Morgan did drugs and what the drugs were if she did do them, if she did ever have an eating disorder or was more thin than the normal weight for girls, i can easily see haters starting rumors about her that she was on heroine. Maybe it's based out of jealousy, i don't know the reasoning..

From what we've seen of Morgan's bedroom she has an eclectic taste in music which varies from Marilyn Manson to the Grateful Dead. I would say she took interest in being unique (her prom photo, she the only one of the 9 wearing a red dress, the rest wearing the same color) Morgan prided herself in not being the same as everyone else was. This isn't a bad thing, it shows she was in touch with herself enough to not be afraid to be different. Not everyone is like this, and some of those that aren't may have started rumors about her. Maybe they were jealous that they couldn't be like her as to even slightly break the rules of soceity's norms whatever they may be for them. You have a group of 9 girls, judging from the prom picture you have followers and then you have leaders. Morgan seems a leader in her own right.
This is all IMO...

 

[di anna]

The remote mountain areas provide good dumping grounds for killers as they are remote. Less chance of being caught while burying or ridding a body. Less people, less travelled, less witnesses.

Notice the irony of the location " Camp Hydaway Road, Candlers Mtn."
Believe me LE has noticed. Somebody has a sick sense of humour.

 

[MeoW333]

"Two women are currently missing in the Lynchburg area and investigators say they are following up on those cases. Both missing women are in their early twenties. One is a Lynchburg College student."

So there are 3 missing young women in southern Virginia? Morgan, Cassandra Morton, and a Lynchburg College student? And then there was Heidi Childs who was killed along with her boyfriend David Metzler on July 27 on Craig Creek Road in Jefferson National Forest, not all that far from Lynchburg. I'd be freaking if I lived in that area. All of these people were/are in their 20s.

Repeat after me: Serial killer on the loose.

Oh, did I say MOO, JMO, and IMO?


P.S. Believe me, I will not be visiting southern VA any time soon.

Supposedly there is over 100 (and i'm sure the number is much much higher than that, they just don't want to scare people) Serial Killers operating in the USA at one given time..
So the odds are very possible that there is an SK loose there, whether or not it is related to Morgan's disapearance or these other cases i don't know. I do think it deserves speculation.