Parents Of Slain METALLICA Fan Launch Eye-Opening Online Ad Campaign

According to Roanoke.com, the parents of Morgan Harrington the Virginia Tech student who was last seen at a METALLICA concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville in October 2009 and two regional media and advertising companies released information about an online ad campaign designed to attract tips related to Morgan's slaying and to prevent a similar fate befalling another young woman.

The ads, which had a "soft launch" a few months ago, can be found on the web pages of some media outlets, including Media General's, with ties to the Charlottesville and Northern Virginia areas. The composite sketch shows a man believed to have been involved in a similar case in Fairfax County in 2005. DNA evidence has linked the two cases.

One ad shows a picture of Morgan as a child. The text says "she was the girl next door." Then you see a picture of the suspect. The text reads "Is this the guy next door?"

Another ad shows a picture of Morgan. It mentions her age and her height. The words "Six Feet Under" then appear on the computer screen.

The third ad shows a picture of the suspect on a barf bag. The words "Spit Out Morgan Dana Harrington's Killer" appear on the screen.

Morgan Harrington's mother realizes the ads are eye-opening. Gil Harrington told News 7, "I probably wouldn't say it so much as in your face. Harsh perhaps. Stark. But you know what? That is our reality now. What has happened to our family is a very ugly thing."

Harrington's skeletal remains were found January 26, 2010 in an Albemarle County hayfield nearly 10 miles south of where she was last seen.

No arrests have been made.

Morgan's father Dan told local TV station CBS 6, "This may sound strange, but we have found some peace in [the discovery of Morgan's body]. It wasn't the outcome that we wanted but we know now where our daughter is and there is peace in that."

Her disappearance led to national attention and an extensive search. METALLICA offered $50,000 for information about her whereabouts, in addition to the $100,000 reward that had been offered by her parents.

In a statement posted at their official web site, called "The Loss Of A Fan," the band wrote in part, "We are profoundly saddened by the news of the discovery of Morgan Dana Harrington's body . . . Mere words cannot express the anguish and grief that we know her parents Dan and Gil are feeling, and our thoughts are with them."

The band's message added, "If you have any information at all about Morgan's death, please contact the Virginia State Police at (434) 352-3425 or the UVA Police at (434) 352-3467 or [email protected]."