Metallica Still Clinging to Hope in Morgan Harrington Case

It's been two weeks since the baffling disappearance of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, who vanished from Metallica's Oct. 17 concert. But the fact that investigators have no clues or leads regarding Harrington's whereabouts isn't chipping away at Metallica's optimism. They're still holding out hope that the 20-year-old will turn up safe.

"We are staying positive that she will be found soon," Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett said over the weekend. "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."

Harrington, who was last seen wearing a Pantera shirt and a black mini-skirt, attended the Oct. 17 concert with friends but got separated from them when, after using the bathroom, the blue-eyed blond wound up outside the venue, which has a no re-entry policy. Her case has attracted national media attention, and a reward of $150,000 is being offered for information leading to the safe return or information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Harrington's disappearance.

Meanwhile, police have revealed that Harrington sustained a facial injury before she vanished from the concert two weeks ago. According to state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller, detectives chose not to disclose the fact earlier, because the injury was consistent with what a person would sustain after falling and doesn't appear to be related to her disappearance.

"Many of those we've spoken to during the course of this investigation recalled seeing a minor scrape or cut on the face of the young woman they saw fitting Miss Harrington's description," Geller said. "This injury would be consistent with a slip or fall. In no way would such a minor abrasion be associated with an assault."

Harrington's parents, Dan and Gil, released a statement last week, thanking police and supporters for their help in the search for their daughter. "We are doing everything in our power to bring Morgan home," the statement said. "We appreciate your prayers and ask that you continue to share any information you can with law enforcement so that we can find our daughter."