This Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the recovery of Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington's remains on Anchorage Farm in Albemarle County.
Morgan's parents, Gil and Dan Harrington, spent Tuesday morning retracing the path their daughter took on the night of her disappearance with Virginia State Police officials working on the case and members of select media outlets. For the first time, the couple saw the site where their daughter's remains were found.
The Harringtons announced their plans for the walk-through last week in an e-mail.
"In the morning at 9am we will meet at the VSP office in the Fontaine Research Park and follow Morgan's path from University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena to Copeley Road Bridge and finally to the field at Anchorage Farm where Morgan was 'disposed' of," Gil wrote. "This will be the first time Dan and I have been allowed on the site, and we are grateful for the opportunity."
State Police Special Agent Dino Capuzzo, the lead investigator for the crime, led the walk-through. When the party arrived on the scene of discovery yesterday, Gil Harrington ran her hands over the spot where Morgan's body was found and made a plea for the public to continue searching for the perpetrator.
"Please spit out this evil criminal, and let us have him arrested and save another young woman," she said.
Morgan Harrington was attending a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena Oct. 17, 2009 when she went missing.
On the night in question, Harrington left the arena shortly after 8 p.m. for reasons that are still unknown. She was denied reentry to the concert between 8:20 and 8:30 p.m. because she did not have her ticket stub. Her friends still in the arena were holding her car keys, and Morgan told them she would look for another way to get home.
Several witnesses reported seeing a woman matching Harrington's description in the University Hall parking lot between 9 and 9:10 p.m., and in the Lannigan Field lot between 9:20 and 9:30 p.m.
The last report matching her description was of a woman attempting to hitchhike on the Copeley Road bridge near Ivy Road at 9:30 p.m.
Three months later on Jan. 26, 2010, Anchorage Farm Owner David Bass discovered Morgan Harrington's skeletal remains in a hayfield while doing maintenance work on his 742-acre property located about eight miles from Grounds.
Following the incident, administrators released safety information to the University and worked with the Harrington family on their search efforts. On the one-year anniversary of Morgan's disappearance, a dedication ceremony during which a plaque was installed in her memory was held on Copeley Bridge. In an e-mail, Patricia Lampkin, vice president and chief student affairs officer, invited the student body to participate in the dedication ceremony "and in the ongoing efforts to build a safe community."
Yesterday, Dean of Students Allen Groves said even though a year has passed, Morgan's story should not be forgotten.
"A promising young life was lost, and a family still grieves," Groves said. "They should remain in our thoughts regardless of the passage of time. We must also remember that the person or persons who did this remain at large, a reminder that every student should remain vigilant for their own safety and that of their friends."
Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller said the goal of Wednesday's media event was to advance the progress of the investigation. "We are hoping to bring the case back to forefront of people's attention," Geller said. "Sometimes time helps trigger people's memories or make them feel more conformable coming forward."
The department's hopes may have come true - it has seen an uptick in the number of leads coming in, and investigators are actively pursuing those new clues, Geller said.
She added that it was raining on Oct. 17 when Harrington's body was likely left in the field and that the individual may have had muddied pant legs, shoes or vehicle, Geller said. "Those are the type of things we are hoping to trigger memories and lead us to the person's location," she said.
Anyone with information should call Jefferson Area Crimestoppers at 434-977-4000. There is still a $150,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.
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