Suspect Back In Va. To Face Abduction Charges
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WJZ) -- Where is Hannah Graham? Investigators hope they can finally get some answers with the prime suspect now in their custody. For the first time, the woman who spotted Jesse Matthew hiding out in Texas tells how she found him.
Investigator Mike Hellgren stays on the case.
There is still no sign of Hannah Graham, as desperate searches continue. And While Jesse Matthew--the man accused of sexually assaulting and abducting her--is in custody, he's not talking. WJZ is learning more about his past.
What was Jesse Matthew's involvement in the disappearance of 18-year-old University of Virginia student Hannah Graham? He refused to talk to authorities in Texas about her and is now on his way back to Charlottesville, Virginia.
Authorities had feared he was bound for Mexico. For the first time, the woman who spotted him at a beach near Galveston and called police is breaking her silence.
"He looked and did a double take and slammed on his brakes into the sand. He was very close. He looked right at me," the woman,known only as Karen, said. "At a glance, I think I resemble Hannah. And I know that's what made him look at me, I do. And that's what made me know it was him."
Police are now looking intensely at Matthew's background.
Sources have confirmed to CBS News that while Matthew was a student at Liberty University, he was investigated for a claim of rape. No criminal charges were ever filed, but the Christian school threw him out.
A source also tells CBS the FBI is working to determine if evidence connects Matthew to any of the four other young women who have disappeared from Charlottesville over the past five years. Graham is the fifth, and police say they have no idea where she is right now, despite expanding their search.
"The more time that goes by, the more difficult this is going to become for everyone. I can't lose hope until I have to," said Chief Timothy Longo, Charlottesville Police Department.
A team from the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks has helped extensively in the search for Graham.
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