Saturday, November 14, 2009
Harrington last seen hitchhiking
Police say more than one witness saw the missing woman trying to thumb a ride in Charlottesville.
Courtesy Virginia State Police
Investigators say Morgan Harrington was seen wearing a crystal necklace similar to this one.
Map and timeline
Matt Chittum | The Roanoke Times
Ongoing coverage
Virginia State Police disclosed Friday that when missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was last seen Oct. 17 on a Charlottesville bridge, she was hitchhiking -- an act her mother said was out of character for her daughter.
The disclosure highlights the possibility that Harrington was not forcefully dragged into a car, but willingly took a risk that ended in abduction.
Her mother, Gil Harrington, said as far as she knows, it was the first time the 20-year-old had ever tried to hitchhike, and like most young women, she had been warned against accepting rides with strangers.
But even if the young woman made a decision that put her in danger, said her mother, "there is no behavior or no choice that my daughter made that night that should have resulted in her being abducted or murdered."
Police had previously revealed that witnesses saw Harrington walking on the Copeley Road bridge, which is just south of the John Paul Jones Arena where Metallica was playing Oct. 17. Harrington had gone to the concert with friends. On Friday, as they sought to keep the public engaged in Harrington's disappearance by releasing new information, police disclosed that more than one witness saw her trying to thumb a ride.
"If anyone recalls seeing a young woman hitchhiking that night on or near the Copeley Road bridge, then they are asked to please contact police by phone or email," said a written statement from the state police. "Anyone who might remember seeing a vehicle randomly stopped in the roadway on Copeley Road bridge that night is also asked to contact investigators."
The statement also said investigators want to hear from anyone who might have loaned a cellphone to a young woman fitting Harrington's description.
Harrington was expected at her parents' house in Roanoke County after the concert so that her father could help her with her algebra the next day. If she was hitchhiking, she could have been looking for a ride down U.S. 29 or Interstate 81 south.
Harrington vanished after she left her friends about 8:20 p.m. to go to a restroom but ended up outside the arena, unable to re-enter. Her friends called her cellphone at 8:48 p.m., and Harrington told them she would either find a way home or stay with friends in Charlottesville.
Her purse and cellphone were found the next day in a grassy parking area near the Lannigan Field track, not far from the Copeley Road bridge. The cellphone battery was gone.
Harrington was wearing a black T-shirt, black miniskirt, black boots and black tights, with a Swarovski crystal necklace made up of large crystal chain links. Harrington has blue eyes and blond hair, is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds.
Investigators said they have received nearly 400 leads in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the state police tip line at (434) 352-3467.
