Dan and Gil Harrington, parents of slain Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, spoke at Copeley Bridge yesterday morning in recognition of the two-year anniversary of their daughter's disappearance.
In October 2009, Harrington attended a concert at John Paul Jones Arena and was last seen walking on Copeley Bridge. One year later, her body was found on a farm in Albemarle County. Her death has been ruled a homicide and her attacker remains at large.
At the memorial, the Harringtons thanked friends and family for their support. They also presented law enforcement officers with a gift - a painting called "The Hunter".
The painting is significant, Gil Harrington explained, because Morgan's killer is being hunted not only by law enforcement officers who continue to work on her case but also by the Harringtons, who wish to protect future generations of young girls from the same fate.
"I think people want this story to go away," Dan Harrington said. "It is an ugly story. We are not going to go away."
Sgt. Thomas Molnar, public information officer for the Virginia State Police's division in Richmond, presented updated facts about the case. Police have compiled a composite sketch of a potential suspect, he said.
He also urged anyone with information regarding Morgan's case to come forward to investigators. Even inconsequential details from the night of her disappearance could help law enforcement officers find her killer, he said.
The Harringtons' goal now centers on bringing awareness to young women about what happened to their daughter in the hopes of preventing cases like Morgan's.
"We do not want him to be found by hurting someone else," Gil Harrington said.
With prevention in mind, earlier this month the Harringtons launched the "Save the Next Girl" campaign which encourages personal awareness and safety for women.
In addition to starting the campaign, the Harringtons have established a scholarship at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and created a school in Zambia to preserve Morgan's legacy as they continue to fight for her killer to be brought to justice.
"If we fold, he wins," Gil Harrington said. "He killed our daughter, but there will be no collateral damage"
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