Authorities still do not know what happened to Virginia Tech junior Morgan Dana Harrington, who disappeared Saturday night while attending a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena, State Police Lt. Joe Rader said in a press conference yesterday afternoon.
He said her disappearance remains a missing persons investigation but is being handled with the methodology of a criminal investigation. University police and Virginia state police forces are leading the search and currently have more than 100 leads, he said. So far, however, it remains unclear whether foul play was a factor.
"At this point, we have no reliable information whatsoever that any misconduct has occurred," Rader said. "Circumstantially, we remain very concerned."
Between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Harrington left her seat at the concert, her friends told police, to go to the bathroom. For reasons that Rader declined to elaborate upon, Harrington then left the arena. She contacted her friends to tell them she had left and could not return because of an arena policy barring reentry. She assured her friends, Rader said, that they should not wait for her following the concert, and she would be able to find a way home.
"There was indication that she would manage to find a way to get away from the arena and that they should continue to go to the concert," he said. Rader declined to provide additional details, which he said might jeopardize the ongoing criminal investigation.
He also declined to elaborate about whether Harrington was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as investigators are still conducting interviews.
"We are not prepared to discuss her condition at this time," he said. "However, she was in a condition that she was able to move around the arena freely and able to converse with people."
Sunday morning, a passerby located a purse and cell phone in a small parking lot between the John Paul Jones Arena and the athletic fields, he said. The passerby filed a missing property report with University Police, who soon discovered that the belongings were Harrington's. Police have checked the cell phone for Harrington's call records, but Rader declined to say what authorities found. Rader also said the cell phone's battery was missing but added that this detail does not appear to be pertinent to the investigation at this time.
"It would not be unusual that the battery had dropped out of the cell phone," he said. "That is what it is until we develop anything else that leads this into a criminal matter."
Authorities have been searching the grounds of the John Paul Jones Arena and surrounding areas since Sunday - the date her parents initially reported her missing. Rader said this search was partially intended to determine whether Harrington had left the arena and encountered an accidental mishap.
"We want to be as certain as possible that she did not fall down, become ill and become exposed to the cold weather on that particular night," he said, but added that thus far, the search has come up empty.
Rader said authorities might expand the search beyond the initial perimeter to hunt for more clues, but he anticipates that tips from friends and bystanders will prove key to advance the investigation.
"It's very disheartening, in all honesty, that this time has gone by, and we haven't had any kind of contact or any leads that have worked out to lead us in a different direction," Rader said. "We will continue to aggressively approach this investigation, and there is plenty of interest in it, and that's important."
Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller said tips from callers are essential to the investigation.
"Every piece of information is being closely scrutinized and pursued for any potential clues that could help in piecing together the movements and activities of Ms. Harrington and hopefully will lead to her safe return," she said.
Virginia Tech junior Erin Cole, who has been friends with Harrington since high school, described her as caring friend who always goes out of her way to help others.
"She could just talk to anybody and start a conversation," she said. "Everyone just automatically loved her."
State investigators encourage anyone with information about Harrington's whereabouts to call (434) 352-3467. This is a new tip-line, available 24/7, which investigators established yesterday to handle the high volume of calls authorities have been receiving. Tips can also be e-mailed to Virginia State Police at bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov.
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