Crime & Safety
Parents Mark 2-Year Anniversary of Morgan's Death With New Campaign
HelpSaveTheNextGirl.com will help families avoid, or cope, with abduction, murder.
Following their daughter's disappearance in 2009, Dan and Gil Harrington have honored her memory by starting a scholarship fund, building a school in Africa, and rallying behind a .
Now, two years to the day Morgan Harrington was last seen alive, they announce the start of a new national campaign to stop her murderer before he strikes again.
Their multimedia effort revolves around a new website, HelpSaveTheNextGirl.com, which offers information about their daughter's case, a Virginia State Police tipline, and links to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Center for Missing Adults.
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“When you are faced with the immediate crisis of a missing person, it’s hard to wade through the trauma and emotion to formulate a plan of action,” said Gil. “[The site] will offer a resource – a tool-kit of sorts – as families navigate the challenges of their own circumstances.”
, 20, disappeared during an October 2009 Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. Her remains were found at Anchorage Farm in Albemarle County months later.
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Investigators tied Morgan's murder with a . The attacker is still unidentified and at-large.
The website is only a part of the campaign. Dan and Girl have talked on tv and radio shows in Richmond. They started a Twitter feed, Facebook group and promotional video on YouTube. There's even a quick-response (QR) code that sends users to the Next Girl website.
“Regionally, we are running the ads on media websites in the triangle surrounding Charlottesville from Richmond to Blacksburg all the way to Washington, D.C., in hopes that it might trigger someone’s memory and help authorities in their search for this violent predator," Gil said.
They aspire to have all 50 states represented so people can quickly get and share information on the unsolved cases and resources for their own area.
“We know we cannot bring our daughter back,” said Dan. “But moving forward, perhaps we can help save the next girl by strengthening awareness and heightening the vigilance of individuals and communities nationwide.”
This isn't the family's first information campaign. Since 2009, the Harringtons have conducted numerous national media interviews to keep their daughter's case in people's minds and bring Morgan's murderer to justice. They've led of supporters from Charlottesville to Fairfax to raise awareness.
Gil blogs about everyday life:
"I went to Charlottesville yesterday. Just couldn’t stop myself. I had to advise caution and awareness to a new crop of kids in that place where a predator still walks free. I know students feel invincible, Teflon coated, but while a murderer roams they are in actuality – fresh meat, fodder. It is too late to save you my darling, but having felt this anguish, I can’t quit on the next girl."
The thought is that the more people know and think about Morgan's murder, the more likely her killer will be found and brought to justice.
Dan and Gil will meet supporters and state police at the bridge on Copley Road in Charlottesville at 10 this morning.
There is a $150,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Morgan's murderer. Click here to learn more.
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