Virginia Tech student missing after Metallica concert

Laxmobster · October 21st, 2009, 10:53 AM

(CNN) -- The mother of a Virginia Tech junior who disappeared Saturday night during a Metallica concert says she helped her daughter choose an outfit for the show that same morning.

Morgan Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student, disappeared at a Metallica concert Saturday night.

Morgan Harrington, a 20-year-old education major, went to the concert at the University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville with several girlfriends but disappeared from their sight around 8:40 p.m., according to police, who are calling it a missing person case.
"She was excited about the concert and she brought home three outfits that she tried on for me," Gil Harrington, said Tuesday on HLN's "Nancy Grace."
"We chose one and she said, 'Mama, it is a rock concert so it is probably not what you would choose, but is this one OK?'" Harrington said she told her daughter, 'That will do fine.' "You know you have to give your kid wings," Harrington said.

Watch mom describe daughter's excitement »
Morgan Harrington had been so excited about the concert, according to her mother, that she posted the tickets on the refrigerator six months ahead of time.
Metallica posted a message about Harrington's disappearance on their Web site under the heading "One of our fans is missing."

"We are deeply concerned about the disappearance of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington, who was last seen while attending our concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA, on Saturday night," the message said.
The message described Harrington and asked that anyone with information contact Virginia State Police or University of Virginia police.
"Our thoughts are with Morgan and her family for her safe return," the message concluded."
Harrington, who lives off-campus, was reported missing Sunday afternoon when she did not show up at her parents' home to study for a math exam with her father.
"It's important to us as police officers to realize that people do come up missing," said Lieutenant Joe Rader of the Virginia State Police in a news conference on Monday.

"However, it's very, very unusual that we have not heard anything, either, from her friends or from her family regarding her whereabouts. That is the biggest concern currently -- her whereabouts and her welfare."
Harrington is 5'6", 120 pounds, has blond hair, blue eyes and was wearing a black Pantera T-shirt, black mini skirt, black tights and black boots.

Mom says missing daughter had been excited about concert - CNN.com

MontanaMama · October 21st, 2009, 10:59 AM

What is up with Virginia Tech? That girl's got some of them runaway bride crazy eyes.

Hope she's found safe and sound.

gas_chick · October 21st, 2009, 11:54 AM

How the fawk did her friends lose sight of her?

PoisonGirl · October 21st, 2009, 02:04 PM

I read about this on Myspace, hope she's found soon.

buttmunch · October 21st, 2009, 02:25 PM

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I wouldn't go to VTech if you paid me. I don't care how good a school it is, it's coming across as cursed.

Laxmobster · October 21st, 2009, 02:28 PM

I was actually talking about that last night with some friends. I'm a Hokie and very proud of my school, but it is fucking cursed now I swear... Suprisingly though, freshman enrollment has increased continuously in the past years!

Plus our National Championship dreams went straight down the tubes last weekend at Georgia Tech!

buttmunch · October 21st, 2009, 02:42 PM

Have they lowered tuition? Or do people think along the lines of lightening can't strike twice...or ten times.

mella · October 21st, 2009, 04:05 PM

What's wrong with that school?

JuicyLucy · October 21st, 2009, 04:40 PM

What else has happened at that school?
I'm nosey.

buttmunch · October 21st, 2009, 05:34 PM

Big shootout a year or two ago. 30+ dead. Another murder or two. basically seems to be going off teh rails. I wonder what's in the water?

JuicyLucy · October 21st, 2009, 05:36 PM

Alot of things seem to be cursed these days. Like what's up with all the babies being murdered or stillborn? I swear, like everyday in our newspaper there's a story and that's just local..

Laxmobster · October 22nd, 2009, 09:55 AM

Some updates: Her purse and cellphone were found in the parking lot, but still no sign of her.

Harrington, an education major from Roanoke County, traveled to U-Va. with friends for the concert. They became separated about 8:40 p.m. when Harrington left the group to use the bathroom and wound up outside the arena, which allowed no reentry. She called her friends and said she "would find a way either to [meet] up with them or to get home," Rader said. Interviews with friends and other concert-goers and surveillance tapes suggest that she was last seen about 9:30 Saturday evening. Her family notified police Sunday that she had not come home as expected.

Police are working more than 100 leads from across the country and have completed a search of the arena and its vicinity, in part to ensure that Harrington had not become ill or injured and exposed to the chilly Charlottesville weather.

Rader said there were no signs of a struggle in the parking lot where the purse and phone were found, but stressed that the case had become "a criminal investigation in nature." He said a reward of at least $50,000 would be forthcoming.

More of the article:
washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines

I'm questioning how she got out of the arena if she was just "going to the bathroom". I've been there before and the exits are pretty obvious, that just seems off to me. Plus there's usually attendants there who tell you that no re-entry is allowed. So how was she able to get completely outside? Anyways hope she is found safe!

greysfang · October 22nd, 2009, 11:10 AM

Virginia Tech is an excellent school with absolutely stunning grounds. Its a shame its getting all this bad publicity. I used to love hanging out down there.

LynnieD · October 22nd, 2009, 11:13 AM

The cell phone was missing its battery I heard. That is weird....

Hope they find her. Not a good week for missing people unfortunately. They found that little girl who was walking home from school...so sad.

Shinola · October 22nd, 2009, 01:04 PM

I read at one site that she went outside for a smoke and couldn't get back in. Y'know, I remember quite a few occasions when I was in my late teens/early twenties that someone working in a security capacity took note of me and wouldn't let me be unprotected in a big parking lot or something. This kind of story makes me really appreciate that.