Police have confirmed that the human remains discovered Tuesday on a Virginia farm are those of missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, last seen attending a Metallica concert.
The cause and time of Harrington's death have not been determined, said investigators, who have shifted to a homicide investigation.
Her father, Dan Harrington, issued a statement Wednesday: "Morgan's mother, Gil, and I are overwhelmingly saddened by yesterday's discovery, but we are also relieved because our questions can now be answered and we can give our daughter a proper burial."
At a brief news conference in Charlottesville, Dan Harrington said the location of the remains convinced him that someone local was linked to his daughter's death. The remains were found on an isolated, 700-acre cattle farm about 10 miles outside of Charlottesville.
"This is not a random place that someone came upon accidentally," he told reporters. "This is known to someone here. It's a local person."
SLIDESHOW: Morgan Harrington Vanishes at Concert
Investigators said Wednesday the confirmation was based on dental records provided by Harrington's family.
Harrington, a 20-year-old junior at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, hadn't been seen since October, when she was separated from her friends at a Metallica concert in Charlottesville.
The skeletal remains were discovered Tuesday morning on the Anchorage Farm by owner David Bass.
Bass told The Associated Press he was feeding his cattle at the time and saw the remains from his tractor. He declined additional comment.
"I looked down and saw what looked like a human skull and my first thought was that it was Morgan Harrington," Bass told WTVR.com.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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