Morgan Harrington

On the evening of October 17, 2009, Morgan Dana Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student, attended a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville with friends. During the concert, Morgan left the arena—possibly to use the restroom—and was denied re-entry by security due to arena policy. She was seen outside the arena and near the Copeley Road bridge over the next hour, and her purse was found in an arena overflow parking lot.

Morgan was never seen alive again. Her friends reported her missing the following morning. A massive search involving thousands of volunteers, law enforcement, and her family's Help Save the Next Girl Foundation followed. On January 26, 2010, Morgan's remains were found on a remote farm in southern Albemarle County, approximately 10 miles from the arena. She had been murdered, though the exact cause of death was difficult to determine due to decomposition.

The case went cold until 2014, when DNA evidence from Morgan's case was linked to the abduction and murder of UVA student Hannah Graham, who disappeared in September 2014. Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., a hospital worker, was identified through forensic evidence in the Graham case and his DNA matched that found on Morgan's clothing. Further investigation also linked Matthew to a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax, Virginia.

Jesse Matthew pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Morgan Harrington in March 2016 and was sentenced to life in prison. He had previously pleaded guilty to abduction and murder charges in the Hannah Graham case. The resolution of Morgan's case demonstrated the power of DNA databases and inter-jurisdictional cooperation in solving cold cases.