Morgan Harrington Murdered and Dead for Good: A Mother’s Quest to Find a Serial Killer and Healing

by Gil Harrington

In her hands, Gil Harrington held both the abomination of her daughter’s
gap-toothed skull, and the mother of her daughter’s killer, blessing them both.
The phone rang that bright October "Hello, this is the Charlottesville Police Department calling. We've found your daughter's purse on the ground..." For exactly 100 nights, Gil Harrington and her family stumbled, agonized, and learned to function in the uncharted hell of the Missing.  Twenty-year old beautiful college co-ed Morgan Harrington, chock-a-block full of potential and promise, had gone to a concert and vanished. This is the story of a devastated mother crawling out of blind grief to become America's most skilled huntress. With love, eloquence, and social media as her only weapons, Gil Harrington pursued her daughter's murderer for five years until he was unmasked as the marauding serial murderer, the Back to School Killer who had hidden in plain sight as a genial, lumbering Charlottesville, Virginia cabbie.  
Morgan's mother was so crucial in the pursuit of the Back-to-School Rapist and Killer, Jesse Matthew, that Crime Stoppers recognized Gil and her non-profit foundation, Help Save the Next Girl, in solving what prosecutors called "the Super Bowl of Crime Cases." But Gil Harrington, this mother of a murdered precious daughter, is something very different from an investigator. Hers is one of the rare, intimate voices needed in our world right now, when fear and hatred are rampant. Her voice marries the pragmatism of an incisive oncology nurse and the originality of an authentic, raw prose-poet to give the world the tool kit we all need to forge hope.  
Harrington’s voice is joined by artist, Jane Lillian Vance, who attended Matthew’s trials. Vance’s essays witness Gil’s grace, and the stunning alchemy of darkness into freedom.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2017

Reviews

[MaryClaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the small details in this book that hit me harder than anything. The little things I found myself having in common with Morgan- preferring margarine but calling it butter. The homesickness of freshman year. The apartment closest. As a college student and current vice president of Virginia Tech’s Help Save the Next Girl chapter, I wanted to learn more about the girl who our organization was founded in memory of, to better serve our mission in making the world a safer place for young women. Reading Gil’s heartbreaking account of Morgan’s story has given me renewed passion for our work. 241💜

[Deirdre ONeill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply Emotional and delightfully creative.

I was drawn to Morgan's story because her mother, Gil, made her come alive even though she is deceased.





I was drawn to Morgan's story because her mother, GI!, made her come alive even though she is deceased. May Morgan rest in peace.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw...real...authentic....so poetic in a mother's words to put reason for such an unspeakable grief. I live in Roanoke, VA and I'm one of the faculty sponsors for Help Save the Next Girl at the middle school where I teach. I can't imagine the heartache this family has endured. And the writings about the court proceedings from Ms. Vance at the end were so well written. Very emotionally gripping!

[Rachel Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a local news reporter who recently moved to the Roanoke Valley area. After interviewing Gil Harrington for a localized story surrounding the Gabby Petito case, she gave me a copy of her book detailing the torture her family endured while their daughter Morgan was missing. Gil's resilience throughout her journey of loss, worry, suffering, and grief is so inspiring.

[Barbara Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and poignant.

[Christie Hales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is heart wrenching. A true testament to the love of a mother and depths of loss. Haunting.

[Carolyn McCray · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the hardest books, emotionally, that I’ve ever read. So raw and real.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve followed Morgan’s case closely, and as Virginia native, I am familiar with the area she went missing from. This book is informative and heartbreaking-given from her mother’s journal entries and thoughts. It also revealed previously non-public information on how Morgan’s body was found and the violence she endured at the hands of her killer.

[Robin Kidd]

Heart felt journey entries from a mom to her daughter during the 101 days they had no idea where she was to the finding of her body to a few years afterwards. Hard to read at times the gut wrenching entries and seeing the pictures. No parent should have to go through this. #HelpSaveTheNextGirl.