A 20-year-old Virginia Tech student, Morgan Dana Harrington, was last seen on October 17, 2009 outside of John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia. She was at the venue to attend a Metallica concert, and left her friends to use the restroom during a performance by the heavy metal band.
The young woman’s roommate Amanda Melvin doesn’t know why Harrington left the arena. She told police investigators that a short time after her friend left the concert, Harrington phoned to say that she had ended up outside the arena and couldn’t get back in so she would meet up with them later.
Morgan’s purse and cell phone, with the batteries removed, were found in the parking lot after the show, and her car was still there.
Metallica has taken the disappearance seriously enough to post photos and information on their website, requesting the public’s help in locating the young woman. A missing poster on their site indicates that Crime Stoppers has issued a $100,000 reward for information. The FBI has now joined the search.
Harrington, a junior majoring in education, was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with the band name Pantera across the front, a black mini-skirt with black tights and knee-high black boots. She is described as having blue eyes, blonde hair, 5-foot-6 and 120 pounds.
UPDATE: January 26, 2010 – Morgan Harrington’s body has been tentatively identified in Virginia. DETAILS, PHOTOS, VIDEO.
View photos and video coverage below.