It was one of the most puzzling missing persons cases that Virginia has ever seen. In October 2009, a Virginia Tech student named Morgan Harrington traveled to Charlottesville for a Metallica concert. She got separated from her friends and vanished without a trace.

Three months later, Morgan’s body was found on a remote part of a nearby farm. But it would take years for her killer to be caught.

In the wake of what happened to their daughter, Dan and Gil Harrington have fought to protect others from suffering the same fate, forming the Help Save The Next Girl non-profit organization and also the Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship Fund.

"We both think our lifespans will be foreshortened because of the stress of that loss, but despite that, and because we have been determined not to devolve into hatred, we have navigated and established a great deal of wholeness, and I'm so glad that we were able to do that,” Morgan's mother said Gil Harrington. "It ain’t an easy journey."

The Harringtons joined Catie Beck on the most recent episode of ‘Untold – A WTVR Podcast.’ Beck first interviewed the couple inside their Roanoke home just one month after Morgan disappeared.

"You know, the initial shock of Morgan missing was just overwhelming and horrible," father said Dan Harrington. "It was such a relief that someone found her because we know from previous interactions with parents whose kids or loved ones have never been found, how difficult that is."

Beck and the Harringtons discussed what it takes to get past grief, despite dealing with such an immense loss. They also talked about Docs for Morgan, an annual basketball game fundraiser that benefits Morgan’s scholarship fund. This year’s event takes place January 28.

"It is a celebration," said Gil Harrington. "It's Americana at its best. In these times people are seeking connection and belonging and boy do we have it here with this community. We are so grateful."

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Rob Ukrop on 'Untold - A WTVR Podcast'

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Few people know more about Richmond’s nooks and crannies than Harry Kollatz Jr. The Central Virginia native has spent the last three plus decades at Richmond Magazine, exploring the city’s bygone eras and its culture, in addition to spotlighting the ever-expanding local arts scene.

“Everything comes from somewhere, and that's what I enjoy doing, as far as I can, delving into the origin story of people and places,” said Kollatz.

The writer/historian, wearing one of his trademark hats, sat down with Catie Beck for the most recent episode of ‘Untold – A WTVR Podcast.’ They took a deep dive into the River City’s past, present, and future, including the magnetism Richmond seems to have in both attracting new residents, and getting those who have left to one day return.

“So much of Richmond was built before the automobile, and/or grew as a result of streetcars, which, you know, traveled at a breakneck speed of 20 miles an hour,” said Kollatz. “So, Richmond is a place to appreciate, to observe. I walked to work for 20 years, zigzagging through the alleys of the Fan… and I always saw something different.”

Beck and Kollatz discussed everything from the rise of Scott’s Addition to the removal of the Confederate statues from Monument Avenue to the opportunities that might emerge if the city were to develop more of its waterfront.

Along those lines, Kollatz spoke about his latest project, the West by Water exhibit currently on display at The Valentine.

"You learn a little bit about the history of the James River and Kanawha Canal and its importance to the city and perhaps how it could be again in the future," said Kollatz.

Beck also asked Kollatz about how city leaders can make Richmond a more sophisticated and advanced city while also preserving its historic nature. He said embracing and supporting arts and culture is important, while also being more cognizant of the environment in future development.

“Let's be smart about it, let's make technology, you know, our friend in terms of what we can do with it in terms to make our lives better, not just for a few people, but for everybody,” said Kollatz. “There are people on social media that have not been to downtown Richmond since 1972 and they're really proud of that, but they don't live here really, and so, you know, let's make Richmond for the Richmonders that are here now and let's not turn into a turnstile city either.”

“We’re getting there. We’re getting somewhere.”

Read Harry in Richmond Magazine here, order Harry’s books here.

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John Reid returns to Untold to discuss his recent campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, highlighting the challenges he faced as an openly gay Republican candidate.

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Chaz Nuttycombe, 26, has taken the election prediction world by storm, becoming one of the most talked about and sought after forecasters in the country.

He’s quick to share the credit.

“When it comes to my job as a forecaster, and now a pollster, I work with a brilliant polling committee,” Nuttycombe told Catie Beck during an appearance on the most recent episode of ‘Untold – A WTVR Podcast.’

And for good reason. Nuttycombe and his teammates at the nonprofit operation State Navigate were stunningly accurate when it came to calling the outcomes of the various 2025 Virginia contests.

“We did pretty well this year, especially in our polling,” said Nuttycombe. “There was only one other pollster by margin of victory, YouGov, that did better than us for the governor race. They had Spanberger by 15, we had 13 in both of our surveys….Of every pollster that asked about the races here in Virginia for governor and lieutenant governor and attorney general, we did the best.”

After high school, the western Hanover native took his growing passion to Virginia Tech, where he honed his craft and created an election prediction company called CNalysis, a sort of predecessor to State Navigate.

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Brad Bradley returns to give host Catie Beck an exclusive update on all the recent developments that have occurred concerning the case of his sister, Amy, who vanished aboard a cruise ship in 1998.

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In the latest episode of “Untold – A WTVR Podcast,” host Catie Beck sits down with Bill Bolling, who served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2006 until 2014.

The Republican has one of the most fascinating “what if” stories in the history of Virginia politics. Many assumed he would be his party’s next gubernatorial nominee after Bob McDonnell. But when the Virginia GOP changed their nominating procedure, Bolling dropped out, Ken Cuccinelli became the candidate, and Republicans lost the next election.

Bolling now teaches political science at Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University, and he has no qualms about criticizing Democrats or Republicans, when he thinks it is warranted.

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In the latest episode of “Untold – A WTVR Podcast,” host Catie Beck sits down with Mike Wade, the former sheriff of Henrico County.

Wade spent two decades running one of the largest jail systems in the state, and has been credited with implementing one of the nation's best substance abuse treatment programs for inmates.

He’s been retired for several years, but he told Catie there’s one issue that still keeps him up at night, and he doesn’t think enough is being done to address it.

“I wish politicians would start talking about mental illness and how they can solve it and what they can do,” Wade said. “I’m really, really surprised that we’re in an election year and I haven’t heard a single politician talk about it.”

One of the biggest problems, according to Wade, is that too many people with serious psychiatric issues are still being brought to local jails.

“Getting somebody into a hospital is very difficult,” said Wade. “In order to get a TDO (temporary detention order), you have to name the location where you’re taking them to, and that’s always been the problem. It used to be eight hours that you had to get that, then it went to 16, this is how the General Assembly’s dealt with it. Now it reads 11:59pm on the third day after it [the TDO] is issued.”

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Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards

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Content advisory: discussion includes sexual assault and the 1975 murder of 3‑year‑old Christopher Harper in Richmond, Virginia. 

Catie Beck speaks with Innocence Project co‑founder Peter Neufeld about Marvin Grimm’s coerced confession, later DNA testing and his 2024 exoneration.

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