Search For Missing Metallica Fan Morgan Harrington Set for This Weekend

During a press conference Nov. 4, the parents of missing Metallica fan Morgan Harrington delivered a touching appeal, asking for volunteers who can help participate in a wide-scale search for their daughter that is being planned for this coming weekend.

Dan and Gil Harrington want the community to pitch in for what's going to be a coordinated three-day search, orchestrated by a Texas-based group that helps recover missing children. Volunteer searchers will get more information during a briefing tonight. Harrington's father also vowed he'd wouldn't rest until his daughter was found.

"We will stop at nothing until she is found, and we are eternally grateful for any additional support the community can offer in bringing Morgan home," he told the press.

Morgan Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student, hasn't been seen since Oct. 17 when she attended a Metallica concert with friends. She got separated from the group, and wound up outside the venue, where there is a no re-entry policy. The blue-eyed blond was last seen wearing a Pantera shirt, black boots, and a black mini-skirt, on a bridge near the concert venue.

Gil Harrington spoke directly to her daughter during the press conference, saying, "Be strong. We are trying to find you. We will never stop. We are trying, honey, hang on. And to the person who has taken Morgan from us, please just let her go. She has so much more to live and so much more to give. Please let her come back to her family. We need her." There showing his support for the Harringtons during the press conference was Ed Smart, whose daughter Elizabeth was kidnapped in 2002 and found nine months later.

Meanwhile, search crews combed Pantops Mountain in Charlottesville, Va., during the evening on Nov. 4, following up on a tip they received in the case, which is being investigated as a criminal matter. According to reports, police and a K-9 unit spent several hours searching through storage units at a construction site for a new hospital, looking for clues. There's no word yet on what if anything they found.

Last week, Metallica's Kirk Hammett spoke about Harrington's case. "We are staying positive that she will be found soon," he said. "We are all hoping for the best and praying for her and her family. 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."