WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | Parents of Morgan Harrington organize community search this weekend
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It's been nearly three weeks since Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was last seen, but her family isn't giving up hope.
State police and local law enforcement have been following up on tips. Authorities are searching an area just east of Charlottesville with a tracking dog, but so far have not come up with any significant information or findings.
Morgan's dad, Dan, announced a three-day community search for this weekend to help find clues to the whereabouts of Morgan. The search will be coordinated by the Laura Recovery Center, a Texas-based group that helps to recover missing children.
A meeting for volunteer searchers will be held Thursday night at 7pm at the Cavalier Inn on the corner of Emmett St. and Rt. 251. The community search will take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Harringtons stressed that the police are working with them and the Laura Recovery Center to organize this search.
Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart who was abducted from her bedroom, was with Dan and Gil Harrington at a news conference this afternoon. He urged the community to support them by volunteering for the search.
Harrington's mother spoke directly to her daughter at the news conference telling Morgan to "be strong." "We are trying to find you, " said Gil Harrington. She also appealed to anyone holding Morgan to let her go saying she has so much more to live.
Dan Harrington says the Laura Recovery Center has been involved in more than 90 different searches for missing people. The group has experience working with law enforcement and organizing volunteers. The Harrington's thanked friends, family, law enforcement, and the media for supporting them and spreading the word about Morgan's disappearance.
A state police spokesman said there was no new information in the investigation at this point but the investigators were still receiving and following up on leads.
The reward for information about the case is now at $150,041. The rock group Metallica donated an additional $50,000 to the fund and the employees of the United Way of the Roanoke Valley contributed $41 in an office collection. That's on top of the $100,000 the Harrington's and their friends provided to the Crime Stoppers organization.
Tip line: 434-352-3467
Website: www.findmorgan.com
News release from Harrington family website:
HUNT FOR MORGAN HARRINGTON ADVANCES WITH A
VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY SEARCH
Parents of Missing Virginia Tech Student Rally Community Support November 6-8th
Roanoke, Va. (November 4, 2009) - Dr. Daniel Harrington and wife Gil, parents of missing Virginia Tech student, Morgan Dana Harrington, announced today the organization of a volunteer community search party to help find their daughter. The 20-year-old woman disappeared October 17 while attending a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. Morgan has long blonde hair, blue eyes, and weighs approximately 120 pounds at 5 foot, 6 inches in height.
The search will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, November 6, 2009 at the Cavalier Inn in Charlottesville and will reconvene at that hour on Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, must provide photo identification, and are encouraged to dress in comfortable clothing.
Volunteers are encouraged, but not required, to attend a community meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at the Cavalier Inn's Jefferson Room. Information about the search process and procedure will be provided to volunteers at this time.
"We are truly moved by the ongoing support we have received from friends, community members, the media, Virginia Tech, and many others," Dr. Harrington said. "This search effort is yet another example of the outpouring of kindness toward Morgan and our entire family that continues to give us all hope."
"Law enforcement is doing everything in its power to investigate Morgan's disappearance. We will stop at nothing until she is found, and we are eternally grateful for any additional support communities can offer to help bring our daughter home," he added.
At the request of friends and supporters, the Harrington family has established the Find Morgan Fund to aid the development of flyers and other print materials, as well as search and rescue initiatives. Contributions may be sent via PayPal through www.FindMorgan.com or sent by mail to the following address:
Find Morgan Fund
P.O. Box 7588
Roanoke, VA 24019
The town meeting and search are being coordinated and facilitated by police authorities and the Laura Recovery Center, a non-profit organization that provides search services. The search helps augment the work of the Virginia State Police, The University of Virginia Police, The Charlottesville Police, and the Albemarle County Police.
For more information about the search for Morgan, visit www.FindMorgan.com and www.LRCF.org.
Anyone with information about Morgan's whereabouts should contact the Virginia State Police tip hotline at (434) 352-3467 or bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov. The Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers has established a $100,000 reward for information leading to the location and recovery of Morgan. The band Metallica also has added an additional $50,000 reward.
All media inquires may be directed to the family's media hotline, (202) 973-1330, for immediate assistance.
The parents of Morgan Harrington will hold a news conference Wednesday in Charlottesville concerning a new search effort planned for this coming weekend.
Morgan was last seen on October 17th at the Metallica concert at U.Va's John Paul Jones arena. Since that time police have searched the area looking for any clues.
Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart, who was taken from her bedroom in Utah in 2002 and found alive nine months later, will join the Harringtons Wednesday.
WDBJ7.com will live stream the news conference starting at 1 p.m.
