“It seems strange to say we are thrilled—I mean, how can you be thrilled about such an obscene thing?” said Gil Harrington, reached last Thursday at her family’s home in Roanoke. Roughly an hour before, Virginia State Police (VSP) released news of a forensic link between the death of her daughter, 20-year-old Morgan Harrington, with an unsolved 2005 abduction and sexual assault.
|
A drawing from a “Wanted” poster for the suspect sought in connection with a 2005 abduction and sexual assault in Fairfax, Virginia—100 miles from the site where Morgan Harrington’s remains were found in January. |
“But the likelihood of arrest and conviction has increased exponentially,” added Harrington. “We’re very thrilled about that.”
The 2005 incident took place in Fairfax, more than 100 miles from the 750-acre Anchorage Farm in Albemarle County, where Morgan Harrington’s remains were discovered in January. The Virginia Tech student disappeared on October 17, 2009, during a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
Law enforcement say that Harrington was last seen hitchhiking for a ride on the Copeley Road Bridge near the arena. Massive searches by both law enforcement and civilian groups followed, including a three-day search led by the Harrington family and the Texas-based Laura Recovery Center that covered 2,600 acres of land around Charlottesville. On the morning of January 23, and following heavy snowfall, David Bass found Harrington’s remains while checking fences on his 750-acre Anchorage Farm property.
Gil Harrington, who described the time between the discovery of her daughter’s remains and last week’s investigation announcement as “hellish,” said the family had known of the link to the Fairfax incident for a few weeks.
The press release from VSP states that “forensic evidence recovered during the course of the Harrington investigation has confirmed the link to the City of Fairfax assault.
“In September 2005, a Fairfax woman was abducted and sexually assaulted and City of Fairfax Police detectives were able to create a composite sketch based on the victim’s description of the subject,” according to the release. The suspect is described as a black male between 25 and 35 years of age, roughly 6′ tall and with a medium build. He was described in 2005 as having black hair, a beard and mustache, and was described wearing a “black colored pullover sweater with a zipper, white t-shirt underneath and light colored pants.”
|
Morgan Harrington’s remains were discovered three months after her disappearance during a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena. David Bass located the remains on a remote section of his 750-acre Albemarle County farm. |
Reached for comment, VSP Public Relations Manager Corinne Geller told C-VILLE that police are unable to release specific details about the nature of the forensic evidence at this time. She also said that no additional criminal cases have been linked to the Harrington homicide investigation or the 2005 Fairfax assault.
VSP asks that anyone with information about the suspect described contact Fairfax police officer Mike Boone at (703) 385-7959. Anyone with additional information concerning the Harrington investigation should call the Jefferson Area Crimestoppers at (434) 977-4000 or the VSP at (434) 352-3467. There is a $150,041 reward for information that helps lead to the resolution of the Harrington investigation.
For now, Harrington said she is pleased that Charlottesville-area residents have a description for a suspect wanted in connection with her daughter’s death. “It’s a lot easier to be careful of this guy than being careful in general,” said Harrington.
C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.
