Remains Found May Belong To Missing University Of Virginia Student
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WJZ) -- Another bombshell in the case of a missing University of Virginia student. Investigators have linked the man accused of kidnapping Hannah Graham to yet another attack, the latest case dating back nearly a decade---this as the medical examiner tries to determine if a body found this weekend is that of Graham.
Meghan McCorkell has the latest.
Monday, a grand jury in Fairfax County, Virginia, indicted Jesse Matthew on three charges, including attempted murder, for the attack of a woman there in 2005.
Thirty-two-year-old Matthew is already behind bars, accused in the abduction of missing UVA student Hannah Graham. Now investigators have charged him with the September 2005 sexual assault of a woman in Fairfax County. That 26-year-old victim was attacked as she walked home from the grocery store.
"The victim is grateful to the lead detective who stayed in touch with her regularly over the course of nine years. He promised her he'd never give up and he never did," said Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrough.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to comb the woods where human remains were found this weekend. Authorities believe it could be the body of Hannah Graham, who went missing in Charlottesville more than a month ago.
"We were here for a mission and that mission was to bring closure," said Sgt. Dale Terry, who found the body. "We're hoping that's what we've done."
Investigators found a pair of tight black pants near the body, similar to the ones Graham wore the night she disappeared. Surveillance images taken that night show her walking with Matthew.
State police in Virginia have also found a forensic link between Matthew and the 2009 murder of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. Harrington disappeared while attending a concert in Charlottesville with friends. Her body was found just five miles from where police discovered those human remains on Saturday. Now investigators are looking into whether the same man could be responsible for all three attacks.
The medical examiner is now working to determine if the body found this weekend is, in fact, Hannah Graham.
Investigators won't say what specific evidence links Matthew to the case in Fairfax County but detectives previously said DNA evidence connected that attack to Harrington's murder.
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