Metallica Comment on Discovery of Morgan Harrington’s Body

As previously reported on Noisecreep, police identified the remains of a young woman found in a remote hayfield to be those of missing Metallica fan Morgan Harrington. Harrington went missing after the band's Oct. 17 concert in Charlottesville, Va. last year. Today, the band issued a statement about the grisly discovery, saying that they are "profoundly saddened by the news."

"Our most sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Morgan Dana Harrington, the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who was last seen while attending our concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.," the band wrote on their Web site. "Sadly, Morgan's body was found yesterday ending her family's three month vigil, hoping and praying for her safe return. 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 remains of a blond woman were found on Jan. 26, 10 miles south of where Harrington was last seen. The night of the concert, she reportedly became separated from friends and was spotted looking distraught outside of the venue. Dental records were used to positively identify the remains as those as those of Morgan Harrington, bringing closure to her parents' harrowing three-month ordeal.

Police confirmed for the media during a press conference Tuesday evening that they were "fairly confident" the body was Harrington's because it belonged to someone with blond hair and because of clothing and other items that were found at the scene. The positive identification followed an autopsy performed on the remains last night. A cause of death has not yet been released, and it is still unknown when she was killed.

Metallica had offered a $50,000 reward for any information leading to Harrington's safe return. More than 600 tips were phoned in to police, but none led to Harrington. It was a farmer feeding his cattle who found the body.