The search for missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington came to an unsettling conclusion Tuesday, as police confirmed her remains have been discovered at a farm approximately 10 miles from her last known sighting.
According to an e-mail sent Wednesday from Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller, the confirmation was made through dental records supplied by the family.
Currently police are searching the farm area for additional evidence. There has been no determination of the cause or time of Harrington’s death.
Morgan’s father Dan released a statement Wednesday acknowledging the loss of their daughter:
“Morgan’s mother, Gil, and I are overwhelmingly saddened by yesterday’s discovery, but we are also relieved because our questions can now be answered and we can give our daughter a proper burial. We know that because of the good life Morgan led and the love she created for everyone around her, she is now in a safer, better place,” Harrington said. “We appreciate everyone’s respect for our privacy at this difficult time and we thank everyone who has helped us through this tragedy and helped us find Morgan.”
Harrington, a 20-year-old Tech student, disappeared Oct. 17, 2009 during the Metallica concert at John Paul Jones arena on the UVa campus. She was last seen hitchhiking at the Copeley Road Bridge, less than half a mile from the arena.
Monica Caison, the liaison between the Harrington family and the CUE Center for Missing Persons in Wilmington, N.C., said that Morgan’s parents Dan and Gil Harrington were in Charlottesville Tuesday.
The two were not present for the press conference when the police announced that a body had been found, and they were “fairly confident” it was that of Harrington.
The body was found at Anchorage Farm, a 742-acre property located in southern Albemarle County along Route 29. The farm had not been a part of any previous search for Harrington. Lt. Joe Rader, of the state police, noted the large distance between the farm and the Copeley Road Bridge, where Harrington was last seen.
“We had no evidence at the time that it (the farm) was an area of interest,” Rader said.
David Bass, the owner of the farm, said he found the remains around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, while checking fences. Bass said the body was in a very remote part of his farm, and that he only ventures to that particular part of the farm about once each year.
Bass added he had not been around that area of the property since August.
Rader said that at the time of Harrington’s disappearance the hayfield at the scene would have been at waist height. Snow and other inclement weather also may have affected the location where the body was found.
According to Flaherty, Morgan’s body was transported to a forensic science lab in Richmond for identification and confirmation on a cause of death. Police asked Bass not to disclose any information about the appearance of the body.
Bass said the remains were at a location “nowhere near a highway,” while Rader said that the area is not easily accessible to the public. A lone police car along with a closed driveway gate currently guards the entrance to the property.
The discovery of Harrington’s body concludes months of searching, including a community-wide search of Charlottesville in November, which brought out more than
1,600 volunteers.
The search made national headlines, appearing on “Nancy Grace,” “America’s Most Wanted” and “Dr. Phil.” A $150,000 reward had also been established through the Jefferson Area Crimestoppers, which included a $50,000 reward from Metallica, the band Harrington had gone to see in concert the night of her disappearance.
Police now face the task of discovering how the remains got to the farm, along with determining if a crime was committed, and if so, who is responsible.
Flaherty said the investigation is in its “infant stage.” Rader stressed the need for the community to not extend Harrington’s disappearance into an overall warning for college campuses.
“I’m not going to give warning to parents,” Rader said. “We have a person who came up missing in the city of Charlottesville. It could have come up in any community, and it does every day.”
President Charles Steger sent out a letter to the Tech community Tuesday night about the likely loss of Harrington.
“For more than three months, the entire Virginia Tech community, along with thousands upon thousands around the world, has held out hope for the safe return of Morgan Harrington,” Steger’s letter said. “Sadly, today’s news from Albemarle County has put an end to that hope, and once again, we find our strength and resilience tested in the face of profound grief and loss.”
Those with information about the case are asked to call Virginia State Police at 434-352-3467 or UVa Police at 434-924-7166.
ct news reporter liana bayne contributed to this story