Investigators say Morgan vanished on October 17, 2009 while attending a concert outside the John Paul Jones arena in Virginia. She was separated from friends around 8:30 p.m. when she walked out of the front entrance. Authorities say Morgan called her friends inside and told them she was finding a ride home, and that they shouldn’t wait for her. State police officials report Morgan was last seen by the ticket office on the University Hall side of the building. Morgan’s body was found on a farm in Albemarle County a little over three months after she vanished from the Metallica concert. Investigators told me her body could have been on the farm as many as 100 days.
The man suspected of stabbing 18 victims and trying to flee from the country was taken down Wednesday night at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Elias Abuelazam, 33, was booked on a Delta flight for Israel when a tip developed into a strong lead that put investigators hot on his trail. As he was waiting to get on his plane, Abuelazam was taken down around 10 p.m. I spoke with Lt. Gene Kapp of the Michigan State Police and he said since Monday they’ve received 600 tips in this case, one of which turned out to be an excellent lead. Abuelazam had his first hearing today and will not fight extradition to Michigan to face one inital charge of assault with intent to murder for a July 27, 2010 incident.
Lt. Kapp realizes that if the tip had come in just a few hours later, the alleged suspect may have been on the flight across the world. “Everyone was working hard to place him there, and the fact that we had the contacts and the communications with the federal agencies to move that quick to make the apprehension for us,” added Kapp.
Update:An arrest was made over night for a man believed to be responsible for stabbing 20 victims from Michigan to Virginia. The suspect is currently being held in Atlanta on unrelated charges as investigators begin to put the case against him together… Stay tuned for more.
A nationwide manhunt is underway for a suspect who is targeting and stabbing men. Investigators believe the suspect has attacked victims in Michigan, Virginia, and now Ohio. Out of the 16 attacks in Flint, Michigan, five have died. In Leesburg, Virginia police say that on August 3, 5, and 6th, three more attacks occurred. Chris Jones with the Leesburg Police told me two victims were attacked with a knife and another with a hammer. Over the weekend, yet another man was attacked in Toledo, Ohio. All of the cases have strong similarities and now investigators are looking for a Chevy S-10 Blazer, four-door, dark green with light tan color trim on the bottom. The vehicle has two large dents near the hood and could be a 1995-2000 model.
Investigators say the same man who may have killed Morgan Harrington could be the same suspect that committed a sexual assault against a female in 2005. Virginia State Police officials confirm there is a forensic evidence link between the 2005 assault and the murder. Both cases are unsolved, but at least now authorities have a sketch to release to the public. Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller told me today that the Virginia Department of Forensic Science processes and analyzes all of the evidence and lab work for every department. They notified the Virginia State Police of the link in the cases. The authorities from the state police in turn contacted Fairfax City Police and compared notes. Geller said, “It’s one of those things, you never know what the next phone call is going to bring.” She added, “We know he (the man in the sketch) had contact with her (Morgan) the night of her disappearance, but they don’t know if he is responsible for her death. We are looking to identify and question him, and put the next pieces of the puzzle together.” Within 24 hours of releasing the sketch, the state police had 50 leads. Right now theirtime is spent eliminating duplicates between the departments and prioritizing the tips.
March 16, 2010 was a life changing day for a woman in Virginia we will call “Melanie.” Investigators from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home in Waldorf, Maryland to assist a Hispanic female who was gang raped. When they arrived at the scene, they found a distraught woman who had been attacked.
Through the investigation, police discovered that Melanie went out earlier in the night to a place called “Fast Eddie’s” nightclub in Virginia. Detective Jack Austin said she met and exchanged numbers with a man who called himself “Francisco.” When the nightclub closed, Melanie didn’t have a ride home, and Francisco, later identified as Lionicio Argueta, said he would take her home. Detective Austin says when Melanie got in his vehicle there were several other Hispanic males in the back seats. She knew there was a problem when she heard Argueta on the phone saying something to the effect that he had one he was bringing down to the house.
A fun night out turned into a nightmare when she was taken inside the house off Country Lane. Once inside,Detective Austin says an unknown Hispanic male later identified as Jose Maria Echebarria told her to strip down naked or she would be killed.
Juan Francisco Orellana - WANTED
Melanie, scared to death, complied and was forced to stand naked surrounded by men she didn’t know. Austin says she was ordered to have sex with the men there, and if she didn’t they would kill her. Echebarria allegedly ordered her to perform oral and vaginal sex with him, and investigators say as this was happening the men were standing around throwing up their gang signs and taunting her.
March 16, 2010 was a life changing day for a woman in Virginia we will call “Melanie.” Investigators from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home in Waldorf, Maryland to assist a Hispanic female who was gang raped. When they arrived at the scene, they found a distraught woman who had been attacked.
Through the investigation, police discovered that Melanie went out earlier in the night to a place called “Fast Eddie’s” nightclub in Virginia. Investigator Jack Austin said she met and exchanged numbers with a man who called himself “Francisco.” When the nightclub closed, Melanie didn’t have a ride home, and Francisco, later identified as Lionicio Argueta, said he would take her home. Investigator Austin says when Melanie got in his vehicle there were several other Hispanic males in the back seats. She knew there was a problem when she heard Argueta on the phone saying something to the effect that he had one he was bringing down to the house.
Balmoris Argueta - WANTED
A fun night out turned into a nightmare when she was taken inside the house off Country Lane. Once inside,Investigator Austin says an unknown Hispanic male later identified as Jose Maria Echebarria told her to strip down naked or she would be killed.
Melanie, scared to death, complied and was forced to stand naked surrounded by men she didn’t know. Austin says she was ordered to have sex with the men there, and if she didn’t they would kill her. Echebarria allegedly ordered her to perform oral and vaginal sex with him, and investigators say as this was happening the men were standing around throwing up their gang signs and taunting her.
Domestic violence is a vicious cycle, a cycle that many victims cannot pull themselves out of because of children, their safety, or just plain fear of being alone. It appears Venus Stewart was pulling herself out of a violent relationship. She packed up her children and moved to Michigan to get away from her husband, and now she is missing.
Recent court records show Venus Stewart feared her husband so much that she filed three orders of protection against him over the course of their marriage. In court documents Venus writes, “I am scared to death and every day I live in constant fear and I am constantly looking over my shoulder wondering when he will appear again.” Venus and her husband Douglas Stewart were married in 2002 and lived in Newport Beach, Virginia. In February 2010, Venus packed up her children and moved with her family to Michigan. This is a bold move for any victim of violence because the attacker no longer has control.
Investigators confirm the body they found at the Smith Gap Landfill in Roanoke, Virginia is in fact the body of 3-year-old Aveion Lewis. Police told me they tracked the trash collected along the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue, and that is what led them to the discovery. Thankfully, the trash company keeps very good records, and police were able to locate the truck in route to the landfill before it made a deposit. The truck emptied its contents in an isolated area at the landfill, and investigators sifted through the garbage. At this time, Roanoke police say they have not moved forward with homicide charges against Brandon Lockett, but that may change in the near future. He is scheduled to appear in court in March.
Investigators charged Aveion’s step-father, Brandon Lockett, with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect after a false report was filed that Aveion was abducted. Police canceled an Amber Alert for the child after Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the bogus abduction took place. Authorities say they were able to get this information and come to this conclusion after conflicting statements were given to authorities early on. Although police say Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the Amber Alert was issued, investigators early on did not know exactly where the child’s body could be.
As the world waits to learn more about Morgan Harrington’s official cause of death, the support for the Harrington family keeps growing. On Friday night, many friends from the virtual world gathered in front of the Harrington’s home to honor Morgan with a candlelight vigil on Friday night. Internet tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Morgan’s website were the same some of the places supporters organized an effort for Morgan and her family. Many people who gathered at the Harrington household in the cold say they never met Morgan in person, only to know her by her beautiful pictures and words from her family and friends, but their souls were touched by her spirit.
Last week, police confirm remains found on a Virginia farm are in fact those of Morgan Harrington. I spoke to State Police officials today, and they say they are working to determine Morgan’s cause and time of death. I spoke with the Medical Examiner’s in Richmond last week, and they say in normal cases an autopsy to include toxicology reports normally take 24 hours, but in this case, it could take weeks. State police investigators were at the ME’s office later last week working with the pathologists as they took x-rays and gathered information. Authorities are on the farm for days conducting a grid search, and gathering as much evidence as they could. Police say Morgan’s body could have been on the farm for as many as 100 days.
Investigators say they found the body of a small child today in a landfill in Roanoke, Virginia. I spoke with police earlier this afternoon and they told me early on in the investigation they tracked the trash collected along the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue. The trash company keeps very good records, and police were able to locate the trash truck in route to the landfill. The truck emptied its contents, and over the last few days, investigators combed through the garbage. Today, just after 12 p.m. the body of a small child, believed to be Aveion was located. The body was sent to the Roanoke Valley Medical Examiner’s office, and at this point, we are awaiting 100% confirmation. At this time, Roanoke police say they have not moved forward with homicide charges against Brandon Lockett, but that may change in the near future.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
