Morgan Harrington is Missing: Metallica Donates $50,000 Reward for Missing Fan

Guitarist Kirk Hammett of Metallica, arguably the world's most recognizable heavy metal band, told People magazine that the band is remaining positive about finding Morgan Harrington, the 20-year-old missing Virginia Tech student that went missing two weeks ago at one of their concerts. Kirk Hammett, who was at Madison Square Garden this weekend for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert with Metallica, said, "We are staying positive that she will be found soon." Hammett said the band had been in touch with Morgan Harrington's parents and they were holding up as well as could be expected.

Morgan Harrington had planned her trip to Charlottesville to see Metallica for several months. She had went to the concert with a group of friends but had went to find a restroom and somehow found herself outside the gates. Since the John Paul Jones Arena disallowed re-entry into the venue, she had called her friends inside and told them she would either meet them outside when the concert ended or find her own way back home. Her friends didn't find her waiting and after waiting a few hours went back toward Roanoke. When Morgan's father, whom she was to meet to study for a test, called looking for his daughter, her friends told him what had happened. He immediately called the police.

Morgan Harrington has not been seen since that Saturday night. She was last heard from at by her friends via cell phone. A passerby found her purse and her cell phone the next day outside the Arena. The cell phone was missing its battery.

The Harrington family and Metallica have put up a $100,000 reward for information regarding Morgan Harrington in hopes of gaining clues to her whereabouts. Metallica put up $50,000 of the reward. "It's the least we can do," Kirk Hammett said. "We want to help as much as we can to bring her back home."

Hammett, who is 46, told People, "We all have children and as parents ourselves, it's our worst nightmare for a child to go out and not come back home. We empathize with that greatly, so we are doing what we can to help find her. We are staying positive."

Metallica's contributions in helping find a missing person (and fan) shows a philanthropic side to the music industry that many rarely see. Day 26, the Sean "P-Diddy" Colmes' hand-picked R& B group from the reality show "Making The Band 4," held a concert with Grammy nominee Trey Songz back in August in New York to raise awareness for missing children. The concert benefited the Ready Foundation, which launched the nation's first wireless child protection service and community predator program at the AMBER Ready Back To School Safety Weekend Concert.

Back in 1994, the story of Sara Anne Wood was profiled on "America's Most Wanted." Greg Lake of the legendary 70's band Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, wrote the song "Daddy" for the little girl who was kidnapped and killed and earmarked royalties to go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He later performed a concert where profits were given to the national organization and donations taken at the concert went to the Sara Anne Wood Rescue Center.

Anyone with information regarding Morgan Harrington and/or her whereabouts are urged to contact (434) 352-3467. One can also e-mail the Virginia State Police at bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov or one can leave information at info@FindMorgan.com.

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Sources:

People.com
FindMorgan.com
Kingman Daily Miner (via News.google.com)
Imeem.com