CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The man suspected of kidnapping University of Virginia student Hannah Graham is linked by forensic evidence to a 2009 kidnapping and killing, police said.
WTVR-TV cited police sources who said Jesse Matthew Jr. matches evidence collected during the investigation into the death of Morgan Harrington, a student at Virginia Tech in Roanoke.
Harrington, 20, was in Charlottesville for a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia when she vanished in October 2009. Her body was discovered three months later on a farm.
"For the past five years, the Virginia State Police has been aggressively pursuing the investigation into the disappearance and death of 20-year-old Morgan D. Harrington of Roanoke, Va," Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller told theTV station in an email. "Last week, the arrest of Jesse L. Matthew Jr., 32, of Charlottesville, Va., provided a significant break in this case with a new forensic link for state police investigators to pursue. There is a still a great deal of work to be done in regards to this investigation and we appreciate the public's patience as we move forward."
Graham 19, was last seen Sept. 13 when she left friends shortly after midnight to walk home. Matthew has been charged with abduction with intent to defile as the search continues for any sign of Graham.
Gil Harrington said she and her family are "relieved" at the progress in the investigation into her daughter's death.
