A killer stalks among us

Prince William County, Va.- The man who killed Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington likely has strong ties to both Charlottesville and Northern Virginia, where he attacked another woman in 2005.

"He has some nexus," retired FBI profiler Gregg McCrary said in a recent phone interview. "He strikes where he is comfortable, in his own territory."

Virginia State Police announced earlier this month that they'd found a definite forensic link between the October 2009 disappearance and death of 20-year-old Morgan Harrington and the September 2005 abduction and sexual assault of a 26-year-old woman in Fairfax city, not far from George Mason Univer-sity.

Investigators won't say what that link is, but Harrington's parents have said it was a DNA database hit.

State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said the Virginia Department of Forensics made the connection, and the information is now being compared in databases across the nation.

Police so far have not tied the man to any other crimes, or stumbled upon his identity in any state or na-tional offender databases.

But McCrary, a Spotsylvania County resident who has worked on hundreds of serial murder cases, said the two attacks are not the killer's only offenses.

"It's hard for me to imagine that he hasn't tried this before," he said. "There have been unsuccessful attempts in both Northern Virginia and the Charlottesville areas. Chances are, there are unreported cases, victims."

Do you know this man?

State police admit they took a risk by putting out a composite sketch of the man. It was created in 2005, based on the memory of the victim in the Fairfax city attack.

"Composites cut both ways," McCrary said. "If it looks a lot like the guy, it could be helpful. If it doesn't, it can be a distraction. You're dealing with witness recollections in a traumatic situation."

Attack in Fairfax

The Sept. 24, 2005, attack in Fairfax caused a wave of panic in the neighborhoods surrounding George Mason University. The victim was walking home from a Giant Food grocery store on Jermantown Road about 10 p.m. when she was grabbed from behind.

The attacker carried her to a park area off Rock Garden Drive, where he sexually assaulted her. He then let her go and ran toward Fairhaven Court. The victim described her attacker as black, 25 to 35 years old, about 6 feet tall with black hair, a beard and a mustache.

The victim tried to fight him off, telling detectives she'd left scratches on his face.

Charlottesville

Morgan Harrington disappeared on Oct. 17, 2009, during a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Despite a massive search and national media attention, her body wasn't found until Jan. 26, 2010, when a farmer discovered her skeletal remains on his 700-acre property in Albemarle County.

In February, state police investigators said they were convinced that the killer worked or lived near the farm in southern Albemarle County, and that the area had some significance to him emotionally.

In a news release, state police stated that the man they were looking for "may have been inclined to return to the farm during a period of increased stress."

McCrary said dumping Harrington's body on a remote farm was risky, as was grabbing a woman on a well-traveled path in Fairfax, showing he was confident and knew both areas well.

But who is he?

Is he a student who has attended both U.Va. and GMU? Did he grow up in Charlottesville? Does he have relatives he visits in Northern Virginia? Is he a roadie who works concert venues? There was a Googoosh show at the nearby George Mason Patriot Center the night of the 2005 attack.

"There are so many scenarios possible, and we are looking at them all," Geller said. "We are hoping somebody out there looks at the composite and there's some recognition. Maybe the facial hair has changed, maybe the hairline or even the hairstyle has changed. But look at the eyes, the facial structure."

Geller said police have received close to 80 tips since releasing the composite earlier this month. She said investigators are in the process of vetting those leads, and working with Fairfax city police to identify a killer -- before he strikes again.

He's still out there

McCrary said, and state police agree, that the man's pattern shows an escalation in his crimes.

"He will most certainly strike again," McCrary said. "Your chance of crossing paths with this guy is slim, but I'd tell women to be vigilant. Use reasonable care, stay with your friends if you're out at a concert."

For state police, "that pressure exists to find this person," Geller said.

"There is a pattern developing, and we need to prevent it from happening again," she said.

She said investigators are convinced that someone out there has the missing piece to the puzzle, whether they know it or not.

"For people who think, 'I might have seen this person,' you might discount it. But we might have two other people who saw the same thing. Call us, e-mail us and let us see if the piece fits."

On her family blog, Harrington's mother, Gil, wrote that she's convinced the killer is "hiding in plain sight."

"They are a little off, their edges blurred, but they are passable if you only glance quickly and then look away," she wrote. "When the hairs on your neck raise and your skin starts to crawl take note, get out, call the police, and we'll have him."

The Harrington family is offering a $100,000 reward, and the band Metallica has put up $50,000, for in-formation leading to an arrest in the case. If you have any information, call state police at 434-352-3467 or e-mail bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov.

Communities editor Kari Pugh can be reached at 703-530-3901.