Where the hell is Morgan?
This post is going so far off topic from the usual ND content, that I will understand if Kim and Kyla decide to delete it. It sure wouldn’t make it into the magazine if it still existed nor is it something most of you come here expecting to see. But for the past few weeks I’ve been following a news story that breaks my heart, and I just need to write about it.
Morgan Harrington is a twenty year old student at Virginia Tech and she had been planning for months to go with her friends to the Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. Somehow that night, just before the band took the stage, she became separated from her friends. The investigators know she somehow ended up outside the arena between 8:30 and 9:00. The next morning her purse and cell phone were found in a parking lot near the arena. Morgan had vanished.
As a parent, I don’t think there is anything more frightening than the thought of losing your child. My two boys, who are twelve and fifteen, walk to school just a few blocks from our home everyday and although I try not to worry about them, I can’t help but feel a great sense of relief when they walk in the door at three. While the statistics are such that the chance of something bad happening to you or a loved one is relatively small, that offers absolutely no solace if you’re the one it touches.
While on one hand you want your children to be independent, and experience all the wonderful things out there in the world…such as movies, dating, just hanging out, going to the mall, taking walks, riding their bikes and going to concerts like Morgan did…it’s so hard to let go. And let’s be honest here…there are some real bad people out there who will do real bad things to kids if they have the opportunity.
Morgan’s pictures show a very pretty girl who reminds me of lots of kids I see around town. Just 5 feet 6 inches tall and 120 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. For the concert she wore a black Pantera t-shirt with a black mini-skirt, black tights and knee-high black boots. There aren’t many clues at the moment as to where she is or what happened. Last weekend over 1600 volunteers searched for three days over 2500 acres, America’s Most Wanted featured the story and this week her parents are appearing on the Dr. Phil show to ask the public to help.
A couple days ago Morgan’s mom Gil started a blog. It’s what prompted me to post their story. Here’s what she wrote:
How can it be that our best case scenario is that our daughter is being held against her will? Next best is she is dead. Worst is we will never know and agonize forever. The bag taped shut of her DNA, hair and toothbrush, in her room is next to her baby trunk … with the prints of her tiny starfish like feet and yellow paint. How has it happened that we are living this schizophrenic, unbelievable kaleidoscope?
We have lavished love on our kids and each other, kisses in the fog of the shower door, notes in the sock drawer. So glad we didn’t waste any of the precious time, didn’t know it would be so short.
There’s a $150,000 reward for information about Morgan….with $50,000 coming from Metallica and the band has kept her picture and information on their website’s front page. I don’t know these guys, never listened to their music but I got to think that they are hurting over this and probably feel as helpless as we all do.
If you are so inclined, you can click here and it’ll take you to www.findmorgan.com for more information. The family has asked that bloggers blog about her and that folks with Facebook and Twitter accounts also put up the link. Anything to get out her picture and news….maybe it’ll help bring her home.
Victim Description
AGE: 20
EYES: Blue
HAIR: Blonde
HEIGHT: 5’6″
WEIGHT: 120 lbs
LAST SEEN: October 17, 2009
John Paul Jones Arena
Charlottesville, VA
Contact Information
Tip Line: (434) 352-3467
State Police E-Mail:
bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov
General: info@findmorgan.com