The parents of missing UVA student Hannah Graham spoke publicly for the first time at an afternoon press conference today, one week after their daughter was reported missing and minutes after Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo told assembled reporters that police have lost track of the person of interest in her disappearance.
“I believe Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the earth,” said Tim Longo, his voice rising to a shout as he spoke Matthew’s name publicly for the first time. He described how Matthew, a 32-year-old lifelong Charlottesville resident who goes by the nickname “L.J.”, had come to the Charlottesville Police station accompanied by family members on Saturday, September 20, and requested an attorney. Police arranged for him to speak with one, who Longo did not identify, and Matthew left the station without giving any further statements to investigators. Soon after, Longo said, while Matthew was driving in a location east of town, he accelerated to an “unsafe” speed, eluding Virginia State Police who have been shadowing him all week. There is now a warrant for Matthew’s arrest on two reckless driving charges, Longo said.
Police are asking anyone who saw this burnt orange Chrysler coupe on the night Hannah Graham vanished to contact police. Photo courtesy Charlottesville Police
Previously released surveillance video from two downtown businesses shows Graham, an 18-year-old second year UVA student from Fairfax, encountering a tall, black man with dreadlocks who fits Matthew’s description on the Downtown Mall just after 1am on Saturday, September 14. According to police, the two were also seen by eyewitnesses at Tempo restaurant on Fifth Street at the east end of the Downtown Mall just after 1am, before Graham vanished. Matthew’s vehicle, a burnt orange Chrysler coupe with damage to the front bumper, pictured here, was parked on Fourth Street NE, according to Longo, and was impounded following a search at Matthew’s Hessian Hills residence on Friday, September 19. Police have said they have reason to believe Graham was in his vehicle, but while they had sufficient probable cause to conduct the searches, they did not have probable cause to charge Matthew with any crime. According to Longo, results from forensic testing performed on the car and on items removed from Matthew’s home are expected no later than Tuesday morning.
“We’re waiting to hear if any evidence was recovered from either of those two venues,” he said. “I hope and pray that such evidence was.”
Also speaking at today’s press conference was Mark Eggeman, state search and rescue coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, who organized this weekend’s massive search effort. More than 1,200 people from as far away as Baltimore scoured dumpsters, parks and yards across the city, Eggeman said, with 85 percent of the city expected to have been searched by the time the search ended on Sunday night.
“We have generated more leads, new information, and one piece always leads to the next,” he said.
Hannah Graham’s parents John and Susan Graham spoke publicly for the first time since their daughter’s disappearance, expressing their anguish and their appreciation for the outpouring of community support. As Susan Graham clutched a worn, plush rabbit that was given to Hannah when she was a newborn, and which had been her most beloved possession, her father John described a time the rabbit had been lost for months when Hannah was a toddler but had been found and returned.
“All we want to do now is to bring Hannah home safely,” he said. “I appeal to anyone, please, please help us.”
There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to Hannah Graham’s whereabouts. Anyone with information in the case should contact the Hannah Graham tip line at 295-3851.
