|
|
Post by Admin on Sept 20, 2014 7:49:08 GMT
 Police searched the car and apartment of a man seen with missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham the night she disappeared, but said Friday they had “no probable cause to arrest him.” The man was seen in surveillance video walking behind Graham the night she went missing, and a witness said he saw the man put his arm around the 18-year-old. The two were also spotted together in a nearby restaurant, and investigators have reason to believe that Graham got into the man’s orange Chrysler before she disappeared, said Detective Sgt. Jim Mooney during a news conference Friday. Police said earlier Friday they hoped the searches would be a major break in the case, and Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said during an evening news conference that the searches “advanced” the investigation into Graham’s disappearance. The person of interest was present when investigators arrived at his apartment Friday morning, but police had "no legal basis to detain him,” Longo said. Police are still "interested in talking to him," Longo said. Longo asked anyone who may have come across Graham on Friday night or early Saturday to come forward with any information. Graham’s parents “want their daughter back,” Longo said. “They want to know what happened to their little girl.” Virginia's Department of Emergency Management are asking community members to register for a mass search, scheduled for Saturday, for Graham, who was last heard from just after leaving an off-campus party on Friday night.  The search warrants were issued a day after police announced a $50,000 reward for information about Graham's disappearance. Police had also released four clips of surveillance footage from local businesses that showed Graham, 18, walking around in the early hours of Saturday morning. She was last heard from around 1:20 a.m. Saturday when she texted friends, allegedly saying that she was headed for a party but was unsure of where she was. A person of interest described by police Thursday came from a man who was seen following Graham on surveillance footage. That man told police that he was concerned about Graham because she looked "physically distressed," but he left when he reportedly saw another man approach her and put his arm around her.  |
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Sept 27, 2014 15:50:25 GMT
Yellow ribbons adorn the streets of Hannah Graham's northern Virginia neighborhood, symbols of hope in a community devastated by the disappearance of a woman known for her intelligence, wit and dry sense of humor.  Graham vanished on Sept. 13, her steps recorded by grainy surveillance videos as she walked unaccompanied on the streets of Charlottesville and its popular Downtown Mall, an open air center of shops, bars and restaurants. She is a sophomore at the University of Virginia. A suspect in her disappearance, Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., was released from the county jail in Galveston, Texas, and extradited to Charlottesville on Friday evening, said Charlottesville spokeswoman Miriam Dickler. Capt. Aaron Carver of the Charlottesville-Albermarle Regional Jail said Matthew is in custody there.  Matthew was being held without bond and is expected to have an initial court appearance Thursday, Dickler said. He was arrested on a beach near Galveston on Wednesday. Police have charged Matthew, 32, with "abduction with intent to defile" the 18-year-old Graham. "Defile," in a legal context, means "sexually molest." Authorities said they had probable cause to support the charge against Matthew after twice searching his apartment and gathering evidence they have not described, saying it ultimately will be presented at trial. A crime lab is testing clothing recovered through search warrants, but police haven't said whose clothing that was. In the meantime, police in Charlottesville have indicated that they have no idea where Graham is.  Jesse Matthew arrived in Charlottesville tonight by private plane. Watch WSLS at 7 Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said at a news conference Thursday that investigators still have no information on Graham's whereabouts. He acknowledged that the longer Graham remains missing, the dimmer the hope she will be found alive. Matthew, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound former college football player was captured less than a day after he was charged with abduction with intent to defile. He made a brief court appearance in Texas on Thursday, where he declined to challenge his return to Virginia. He did not look at the cameras or speak other than to acknowledge his signature to a Galveston County judge. |
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 19, 2014 6:38:41 GMT
Remains have been found in the search for Hannah Graham, a University of Virginia student who went missing on Sept. 13, Virginia police said. Police have not confirmed that the remains, which where found on an abandoned property, are those of Graham. Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said forensic testic would be done before they could be positively identified.  "Right now we have the discovery of human remains and a great deal of work ahead of us," said Col. Steve Sellers, the chief of the Albemarle County Police Department, which is now taking over the investigation. "We cannot and we will not jump to any conclusions regarding today's discovery, so I ask for the public's patience as we move forward and pursue what is now a new, ongoing death investigation," he said. He said the remains were found at approximately noon today, when a team of volunteers with the Chesterfield County, Va., Sheriff's Office was searching an abandoned property along Old Lynchburg Road in southern Albemarle County. Albemarle County Police, City of Charlottesville Police and Virginia State Police spent the afternoon preserving the scene and processing evidence, police said.  The remains will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond for examination, autopsy and identification. The 18-year-old sophomore disappeared in the early morning hours of Sept. 13 and was last seen with a man who police said was Jesse Matthew, who was arrested last month and eventually charged with abduction with intent to defile. Police found surveillance footage and witnesses who allegedly saw the pair at a bar together. |
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 27, 2014 15:32:03 GMT
University of Virginia student leaders set up a memorial Sunday morning as homecoming weekend comes to a close. A chalkboard wall is quickly filling with messages from students and alumni as they mourn Hannah Graham's death. Student leaders assembled the memorial to allow members of the university community to reflect on her life.  Second Year student Natalie Anderson said, “The three of us didn't personally know Hannah but just being in the same situation as her and knowing the impact it's had on the community has been really difficult for all of us." Graham was a second year student at UVA and a member of the Ski Club before she vanished from downtown Charlottesville on September 13. Some who wrote messages on the memorial chalkboard wall feel a connection to Graham. Graham's remains were identified Friday, the start of UVA's homecoming weekend. Some alumni made a point to stop by the memorial.  Human remains found in the US state of Virginia have been confirmed to be those of British-born missing student Hannah Graham. Thousands of volunteers had searched for the 18-year-old, who attended the University of Virginia, after she went missing on September 13. The body remains were found last weekend on an abandoned property near the university campus in Charlottesville. Local man Jesse Matthew Jr., 32, has been charged in her disappearance. The parents of murdered teenager Hannah Graham have said they are "devastated by the loss of our beautiful daughter". In a statement John and Sue Graham thanked police, emergency workers and hundreds of volunteers who searched for Hannah, whose remains were discovered five days ago. "Please continue to hold these families in your thoughts and prayers," they added. |
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jan 8, 2015 14:10:35 GMT
 A police force has secured £700,000 from the Home Office to continue investigating the disappearance of Sheffield toddler Ben Needham. Ben was 21 months old when he went missing while on a family holiday on the Greek island of Kos in 1991. His mother Kerry has always maintained her son is alive and was probably abducted and has vowed to find him. The mother of missing Ben Needham has welcomed extra funding for the search for her son but said the family remained “angry” that it has taken so long. As reported, the Home Office announced on Tuesday that there would be further funding for the investigation into Ben’s disappearance in 1991. Ben, who would now be 25 and is from Sheffield, disappeared on the holiday isle of Kos from a farmhouse in the village of Iraklise which his grandfather, who lives near Market Rasen, was renovating. His disappearance sparked a huge, but ultimately unsuccessful, police hunt. Kerry told the Daily Mirror: “We are still angry that it has taken so long for this funding to come through.” She added: “I have not finished with this Government yet, I will see them in court one day. “I have nothing against the McCann family but why is one family more important than another? “It’s degrading to us as a family and to South Yorkshire police.” South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner said the cash would allow the force to continue to support the Greek authorities in the search.  Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said: “Ben’s mum, Kerry, has spent more than 23 years searching for her son. I fully support South Yorkshire Police in their ongoing pursuit of the facts. “They have worked hard in facilitating the Greek authorities investigation into Ben’s disappearance but there is still more work to do. This will be made easier with this additional funding, which will allow further lines of inquiry to be explored.” The enquiry is set to restart in April. |
|
