Harringtons: Area not as safe as you think

The parents of missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington have invited a North Carolina-based search organization to help locate their daughter and warned Tuesday that the 20-year-old’s Oct. 17 disappearance means the Charlottesville area is not as safe as residents may believe.

Dan Harrington, Morgan Harrington’s father, gave the warning during a news conference to announce that the CUE Center for Missing Persons has agreed to help in the search for his daughter.

The nonprofit center will review previous police and community searches to determine target areas for future efforts.

“People don’t just vanish,” Harrington said. “We believe someone saw Morgan. We believe someone took our daughter. Someone in this community was directly involved in her disappearance. It’s important to realize that whoever took Morgan is still in this community and, because of that, Charlottesville and Albemarle County are not as safe as they were before Oct. 17.”

Police from Albemarle County, the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police have searched areas across the county. Community searches have scoured areas around the arena and other sites.

Monica Caison, of the CUE Center, said her organization relies on professional search and rescue teams that volunteer to look for missing persons. The organization works closely with police and community search teams to help determine what steps should be taken next, she said.

“It’s going to take a few weeks to get everything together,” Caison said. “Law enforcement has definitely been open to help and the community has done all they can do. Even if you have a lot of people searching, if they don’t know what they’re looking for, it’s hard to find the right clues.”

Morgan Harrington vanished during a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena. She became separated from friends after she left the arena and was denied re-entry.

According to information released by the state police, Morgan Harrington had reportedly been drinking and may have been drugged or suffered a head injury. She was last seen on the Copeley Road railroad bridge near the arena at about 9:30 p.m., perhaps hitchhiking.

Police ask that anyone who might know what happened to Morgan but might be holding back because of fear of prosecution to contact them. They also ask people to report behavioral changes in anyone who attended the concert, or if they notice anyone showing abnormal interest in the disappearance.

Harrington said police reports of his daughter’s behavior the night of her disappearance are not in keeping with her personality. He noted, however, that drinking is common among college students, especially those attending concerts. He also said the family has been pleased with police efforts to date.

“We’ve had nothing but complete cooperation, competence and coordinated efforts between the [departments],” he said.

A host of benefactors has allowed Crimestoppers to offer a reward of more than $150,000 for information leading to her location. The Harringtons have also worked hard to keep their missing daughter in the public eye, appearing on a variety of television shows and in newspaper and magazine articles.

Their daughter’s plight has been the subject of floats in holiday parades, organized community searches, blogs and Internet Web sites.

“We need to find our daughter,” Harrington said. “Her being missing puts a hole in our lives that goes unfilled. No one should ever have to go through this.”

Harrington is 5-feet-6-inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with “Pantera” written across the front in tan letters, a black miniskirt, black tights and black boots. She was also wearing a Swarovski crystal necklace with a chain-link design that her brother had given her.

Police ask anyone with information to call 434-352-3467 or e-mail bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov.

This article was edited to add the zip code to the police information number.