Where Is Hannah? Md. Team Joins Search For Missing UVa. Student
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WJZ) -- Where is Hannah? Her accused kidnapper is behind bars, but police still have no idea what happened to missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham.
Thousands of search crews have been scouring Charlottesville for any trace of her, including a team from Maryland.
Christie Ileto has more on the intensifying search.
The legal road for Jesse Matthew Junior is just beginning. After days on the run, he was picked up 1,300 miles away on a Texas beach. He will be heading back to Virginia to face abduction charges in the case of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham.
Surveillance video shows he was the last person to see her in the final moments before she vanished September 13. Some witnesses say she appeared drunk, waiting for him outside a bar.
Matthew's father says his son did nothing wrong.
"The only thing I could see is him trying to give this girl a ride home or help her out," his father, Jesse Mathew Senior, said. "To kill or hurt somebody? That's not my son."
"We have no idea whatsoever she is, despite our best efforts," said Chief Timothy Longo, Charlottesville Police Department.
The search for the college sophomore now extends from the heart of Charlottesville to the rural outskirts. Many of Graham's friends at West Potomac High School are holding out hope that she's OK.
"Hannah, we love you so much. Please come home," said one friend.
"Once we got to the site, based on our map, we could just do a line through the woods," said William Gorski, Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks.
Leaving no stone unturned, an eight member search and rescue team from Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks helped comb for clues.
Reporter: "What kind of ares were you specifically searching in over that three day period?"
Team Member: "Multiple areas. From suburban all the way to overgrown hillside to completely wooded areas."
The team could only say they were looking for things that seemed out of place. But at times, the search became too much.
"I personally thought while crawling on hands and knees through the woods was thinking about my own two daughters, my son and that I would want someone out there very hard looking for them," said Christopher Carroll, the chief of parks and trails.
The search for Graham is far from over. Charlottesville police are now asking homeowners to inspect their own properties for any trace of her--a hope that grows more grim with every day she stays missing.
Police say charges against Matthew stem in part from evidence they collected in their searches of his home and car and sent to a DNA lab. The FBI is also involved.
"This case is nowhere near over. We have a person in custody, but there is a long road ahead of us. And that long road includes finding Hannah Graham," Longo said.
A reward for her whereabouts has now reached $100,000, as Matthew awaits extradition. That extradition process could take two days. Matthew is now being held without bond.
Police say Matthew does have associates in Maryland. More than 1,500 tips have come in so far on the whereabouts of Hannah Graham.
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