Police revealed that Morgan Dana Harrington, who went missing in Charlottesville on Oct. 17 while attending a Metallica concert, may have sustained an injury to the face the night of her disappearance.
The Virginia State Police, in a statement released Friday, confirmed that many of the people who gave tips to the police about Harrington described a minor scrape or cut. Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for Virginia State Police, said the injury was not the result of an attack.
“This injury would be consistent with a slip or fall,” Geller said. “In no way would such a minor abrasion be associated with an assault.”
Harrington, who left her friends to find a bathroom, ended up outside the John Paul Jones Arena between 8:20 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Circling around the arena, Harrington spoke to her friends by cell phone at 8:48 p.m., where she let her friends know she would find a ride home. Going through several parking lots around the arena, Harrington was last seen at approximately 9:30 p.m. at the Copeley Road Bridge.
The 20-year-old Harrington, who has long blond hair and blue eyes, was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with tan letters that read “Pantera” across the front, a black mini skirt with black tights and knee-high black boots.
Morgan’s parents, Dan and Gil, thanked police and supporters for their assistance in the search for their daughter.
“We are doing everything in our power to bring Morgan home,” the two wrote in a statement released Oct. 30. “We appreciate your prayers and ask that you continue to share any information you can with law enforcement so that we can find our daughter.”